Tommy's friend, Anthony, was visiting from out of town so he booked an Escapism Puzzle Room in Hillcrest for the six of us. After a few pre-game drinks at Fiesta Cantina, we allowed ourselves to be locked into the dark Attic. With only four hints allowed, we ended up using one for each of the four locked rooms we had to navigate through to escape with only five minutes to spare. It was tough solving all the hidden clues with only two decent flashlights. Our Gamemaster told us afterward that the Attic was their toughest puzzle room with only a 10% success rate. Afterwards, we went for dinner and drinks nearby at the Salt and Cleaver.
On Saturday, we went to Trapeze High for the first time since New Years Day. After the noon class, Tori and I took a few swings and worked on our Catch Locks. It felt great to shake off the rust after an eight month layoff due to my hip flexor injury. With Kenny sitting on the Fly Bar and Tommy up in the Catch Trap, I had fun tossing the hula hoops up for them to catch and toss back and forth with the feet. While we were playing around, Tori worked with Isaac and Lianna on the Static Trapeze rig. Afterwards, they tried an AcroYoga variation of the Three Headed Dragon.
After trapeze, we drove down to San Diego for the AcroJam at Aerial Revolution. I attempted several new tricks and it felt great to be able to do AcroYoga for the third week in a row without re-aggravating my hip. Maybe someday I will be able to base standing up like some of the other talented acrobats practicing at the Jam.
Tori and I went to the AcroJam at Aerial Revolution on Saturday with Tommy, Kenny and Jill. Since my hip-flexor injury last year, I have been relegated to spotting or basing with only my arms. It was great to test out my legs for the first time in eleven months and the old positions came back just like riding a bike. Nathan was very helpful and taught us three new fun sequences to work on. Now I just have to see how my hip responds to all the new activity.
After AcroYoga, we all went over to see Tommy's new place in North Park. It was in a great little spot right off the I-805 and within walking distance to all the neighborhood restaurants. We ended up going to Encontro, a casual craft restaurant where you order at the counter. Everything tasted great and I thought the Flat Iron Steak Sandwich was tender and perfectly cooked.
On Sunday, we drove down to Old Town to have dinner at the New Orleans Creole Cafe with Kenny, Jill, Dave and Lindsay before going to see the Rocky Horror Show. The restaurant is located in the historic Whaley House Garden in two houses built in the 19th century. The kitchen takes up the yellow house next to the outdoor patio and the indoor seating is in the white house on the other side. Since it was the last night before the restaurant closes for 45 days, they were running low on a few items. Tori got the last Sweet Tea and I ordered one of the final three servings of Jambalaya. It was delicious, savory with large chunks of chicken, savoie sausage and butterflied shrimp. I tasted a bit of everyone's dishes and I thought Tori's Chicken Creole was second best with its yummy tomato sauce. Dave loved his Crawfish Etouffe. Due to the eminent closing, we missed out on their beignets so I want to come back when they reopen.
After dinner, we walked over to the Old Town Theatre to see the Rocky Horror Show performed by the Cygnet Theatre Company. The first time Tori sneaked out of the house as a teenager was to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the La Paloma near where we grew up but I had never been myself. I have only seen the movie once on a VHS tape. Normally, I don't care for plays that much but I found this one very enjoyable. I thought Sean Murray and Danny Hansen as Dr. Frank 'N' Furter and Rocky respectively were the highlights. I enjoyed seeing the live band above the stage accompanying the singing actors.
Tori and I went to San Dieguito Park this weekend for the first time in many, many years for Suzie and Joe's Going Away Party. After working with Suzie for over 10 years, she and her husband are moving to Lake Tahoe for his new job. While she'll still be working remotely for us, I will miss having her in the same office. For the party, they reserved a spot in the Lower Park picnic area and hired the food truck, Taco Picasso, to cater. Great Idea!
The park's layout of the upper and lower picnic areas separated by hiking trails running through the natural chaparral terrain is what makes it so great. Tori and I both fondly remember exploring these trails with our friends as children. After socializing for awhile at the party, we went for a walk up to the nearby Hawk's Nest Lookout Tower. The towers have been updated since the last time we came here, replacing the old log entries with sets of stairs. While I understand the need for safer access, I missed the balancing fun of traversing the rounded logs to reach the platforms. I did appreciate the new push-button audio system that described the local animals of the park.
We thought we would only walk to the first tower, but we ended up visiting all three, climbing the wooden ladders and crossing the two suspension bridges along the way. While the Pine Tower described the local plants, the Osuna Overlook Tower explained the history of the park. We finished our walk by taking the Eucalyptus Trail back down to the party.
After breakfast at The Original Pancake House and a day of clothes shopping for Tori's Birthday, we headed down to the San Diego neighborhood of South Park for dinner at Eclipse Chocolate. Since the area was holding their South Park Walkabout the same evening, we arrived early to find parking before it started at 6pm. We walked along Fern and 30th Streets where many establishments had booths set up for the event. It was cool to see so many historical houses built during the time of the world-famous 1915 and 1935 Expositions next door at Balboa Park. If we didn't have dinner reservations, I would have liked to try one of the many food trucks parked around the neighborhood.
After a drink at The South Park Abbey, we headed over to Eclipse Chocolate for Tori's birthday dinner. We both tried herb-muddled cocktails which tasted like luxurious versions of a mimosa. Tori ordered the Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (Amazing!) and the Blue Cheese Pecan Salad and I had the Meatball Panini and Garlic Parmesan Biscuits. The lemon curd and jam with the biscuits were so tasty. We normally share a desert but our meal came with two so Tori had the Flourless Brownie Sundae and I had the Salted Caramel Baklava Sundae. After a big meal, I thought mine was perfect, light and crisp but not too rich so I ate the whole thing. As if that wasn't enough food, we also received a box of chocolate truffles to take home.
After dinner, we explored more of the busy shops around the neighborhood. Every block seemed to have its own street band for the Walkabout. We both enjoyed visiting Plum Pottery, a community pottery studio where local artists make and sell their wares. There were a lot of nice pieces at good prices. The shop also provides classes.
Our friends, J and Corinna got married on Saturday at the Soledad Club in Pacific Beach. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony overlooking the entire stretch of Mission Bay and the ocean beyond. Seeing the tears of joy in J and Corinna's faces during this moment made me so grateful that there are no longer any legal barriers to gay marriage in America. Before and after the ceremony, their aerialist friends performed silk and static trapeze routines on a portable freestanding rig set up at the venue.
While the Brides were having their formal pictures taken, we had fun hanging out with all our friends as we visited the open bar and watched the aerial performances. After a couple drinks, the Nacho Hat ended up on Kenny's head and Tommy joined him in a Two-High for the Photo Booth. The camera's narrow framing only captured Kenny's head and Tommy's feet so it didn't really work out. Ha!
After Corinna and J climbed up onto the aerial rig in their wedding dresses for a photos, they changed into more appropriate outfits for their First Dance routine on the Static Trapeze. I have watched them perform together several times and I thought this emotional performance was their best.
After their performance, dinner was served not a moment too soon. From the moment we arrived at the Soledad Club, we could smell the delicious scents wafting towards us as the caterers grilled up the meats. I was so starving, I ended up eating six of the delicious street-style tacos. We had a great time dancing and started a Conga Line that grew to at least a hundred people long. As the dancing line was passing the Photo Booth, Tori and I were in perfect position to photo bomb the J's group shot. It was a fun day!
On Sunday, Tori and I met Federica at Swami's for AcroYoga. It was a beautiful day and we finally got a picture of our Shoulder Stand B. I still can't believe that I can base it. Federica also learned how to get up in Star for the first time with good coaching from Amanda.
