24 Hours in Monterey... Alone

Well, the holidays are now over and I have to say I think the kids really enjoyed them. The adults, well, let’s just say the kids really enjoyed them. We had our bouts of illness, at some point everyone was down.

The real killer happened when our two year old got sick and we had to cancel our two day Monterey Trip. Sort of. The wife and I haven’t gone away for a while and we had planned two days in Monterey over six months ago while the grandparents looked after the kids. We were both looking forward to it. Mainly to unwind and sleep since our two year old also has a sleeping disorder and won’t sleep through the night no matter what we try. Everything from blacking out the curtains, changing the bedtime, talking clocks, rags filled with ether, etc. It just doesn’t matter. That kid is UP.

So we had to cancel the trip. The problem is, in order to save money we got an advance internet rate that was non-refundable. So our hotel room was paid for and enjoying Monterey without us. We called the hotel and they wouldn’t budge. We tried to see if any of our friends wanted it—no takers.

Finally on the second day we agreed (mostly me) that ONE of us should use it, since it was paid for. I offered it to my wife but the little one was in “I Want Mommy” sick mode so it made more sense for me to go. I love rationalizing.

So off I went on the 5-6 hour drive to Monterey, by myself. I got to the hotel, checked in, enjoyed some free wine and went to a nice dinner by myself. Walking around Monterey it’s all couples and families. Walking around by myself I got a lot of looks like “Oh, he must work here.”

I have to say, I really missed my wife. It was the whole point of the trip. But still, it’s been a tough year and even alone the trip was worth it. Walking around by yourself and looking at the ocean, well, there are worst ways to spend an evening.

So I went back to the hotel, laid down and… couldn’t sleep. I was too hot. There was no way to regulate the temperature in the room. There was just a knob with no numbers or markings of any kind on it. Note to hotel: If you are going to renovate, add a freaking thermostat to your rooms. So I was too hot. Then I finally fell asleep and woke up at three in the morning freezing. I moved the mystery knob and hoped the room would warm up. It did, eventually, and I went back to sleep.

I got up, had a lame continental breakfast (included in my already paid for room, I was tempted to ask for yesterday’s too) and was on my way.

Driving back on Pacific Coast Highway, looking at the scenery, I finally felt my body start to untangle. You can’t look at the beautiful Northern California coast and not be affected by it. No wonder it costs a billion dollars to live there. I stopped, took some pictures, and took my time getting back.

So it wasn’t the best vacation ever, but it did drive a point home: Everyone needs a change of scenery, even just for 24 hours. I felt a lot better when I got back. I still do, just from that little trip. Now I’m sure my wife is starting to price hotels in Santa Barbara as I type this…