today, saturday, april 26th, anson and i went to half moon bay in order to celebrate our two year anniversary. last year, we celebrated our anniversary and stayed overnight in monterey. this year, we had a day trip to the closer half moon bay. it took about 45 minutes to get there, and we had a blast!

we left around 10:30am, and made a stop at a place called Dinosaurs of Spanish Town. there were many things like fountains, pots, etc made of stone…and the coolest thing was the lifesized steel versions of dinosaurs making those coming and going out of half moon bay make a stop for some quick pictures with the prehistoric creatures. afterward, we paid $10 for parking at Half Moon Bay State Beach. it was a good investment since it was so close to the beach and in the mid point of the Waterfront Coastside Trail (trail above the cliffs that overlook all the beaches in Half Moon Bay). we ate our lunch (homemade sandwiches with turkey breast, tomatoes, and avacadoes). after lunch, we went south for about 2 to 3 miles, passing Poplar Beach and ending up in Redondo Beach where there was nice soft sand and “roman ruins”underneath a fancy country club.

we then explored downtown half moon bay and looked at all the small shops. kinda funny that most places closed early (5pm) on a saturday. we stopped by a coffee shop where there was free wifi and i was able to update friends/parents of our fun day. we then explored a nearby park, the rest of downtown, and an old jailhouse. the downtown in half moon bay is unique in the way that many shops resided in residential houses. very quaint…for dinner, our trusty friend (yelp) recommended an italian restaurant called mezza luna. we splurged for our anniversary dinner ordering a bloody cosmo cocktail ($8), mussels for appetizers ($11), 2 orders of bread (free), fettuccine alfredo with chicken for me ($16.50), veggie stuffed chicken for anson ($17.50), chocolate ice cream with cheesecake base ($6), and mango ice cream ($5). our bill including tax and gratuities was around $80 (wow!), but compared to some fancy restaurants, this wasn’t a bad price…and hey, we can do this once in a while =) our total for this day trip was under $100 which is more than the price of the comfort inn hotel (coughmotelcough) for $120 in monterey last year.

all in all, it was a fun trip. we were able to see dinosaurs, do some exercise, enjoy nature, have romantic walks on the beach and downtown, visit jail, and have a nice romantic dinner. the hubby normally does not like traveling, but he actually liked this trip. probably won’t go back for our bdays since i’ve already reserved dinner and a movie (the new xmen movie =) for me, and anson wants to have a day of just writing yelp reviews (my funny guy) for his day. we might go back in july and bike the coastside trail. can’t wait!