Staycation!

My pops has the week off from work, so we decided to live it up: family-style! We all headed down to the Channel Islands Harbor around noon, slathered in sunscreen and donned in hats, and jumped in some kayaks. Who needs to travel when you have the ocean at your front door?
Staycation > Vacation!
It was a BEAUTIFUL day out! It was partly cloudy for about half of our time on the water, and around 65 degrees.
My WONDERFUL, GORGEOUS parental unit 🙂
We spent about two hours on the water, acting like idiots (my dad and I)
…while my mom rolled her eyes and kept her distance so as to not be associated with said idiots.
After two hours on the water, we were famished! We headed to our favorite place to replenish our caloric needs with as much grease as possible: Andria’s!!!
For the first time ever, there was NO LINE out the door! We actually got to wait in the INSIDE line before placing our order! It was around 2pm, so even though the place was still pretty packed, this is nothing compared to the regular lunch rush.
One of the most important things to do first at Andria’s (after ordering) is to get an exorbitant amount of tartar sauce. If it doesn’t make people cringe as you walk by with all the little containers, then it’s not enough.
If this picture doesn’t make you weep with joy, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.
My parents got the fried clams while I stuck with my favorite – fried fish and chips. You really can’t go wrong at Andria’s. If it’s covered in batter and tartar sauce, it’s GOOD!
Once we were replenished and uncomfortably stuffed (the only way to be after a visit to Andria’s), we walked around the harbor.
A few days ago, a HUGE school of sardines were chased into the harbor by sea lions and had no exit. They used up all the oxygen and perished. The city had to bring in a bunch of people to scoop up all them dead fishes and dump them somewhere else, but there were still hundreds floating on the surface, and on the sea floor.
There were MANY a happy seagull!
All that tragic death left us upset (kinda, not really), so we drove up to Main Street in Ventura and drowned our sorrows in beer and Magners (most definitely really) at the local Irish pub.
And of course since we were there, we HAD to stop by Trufflehounds to pick up some chocolate! Fried fish and Magners just wasn’t enough replenishment.

Overall, it was a pretty tough day with all the paddling and gorging and weeping over delicious fried fish, then weeping more over the deceased sardines, but I’d call it a win! *insert winky face here*

Do you vacation or staycation?

8 Comments

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8 Responses to Staycation!

  1. Um, that lunch looks in-sanely tasty!

  2. it’s been too long since i’ve had fish n chips or fried clams! which means it’s been too long since i’ve eaten by the water….

  3. wtlloyd

    there’s quite a nice seafood market at Andria’s as well, just around the side of the restaurant.
    Oh, and you missed Coastal Cone right next to the kayak rental…don’t do that again! Or better yet, check out Brophy Brothers next time for a decent happy hour during the week.
    Dargan’s is two blocks from my house…it’s fun reading reactions from someone who’s discovering local attractions.

    Oh, and keep your eye on these:
    http://surfbrewery.com/index2.html
    http://enegrenbrewing.com/

    • We’ve been to Coastal Cone, many-a-time 🙂 Ventura and Ventura Harbor are places we frequent a LOT! And believe me, I’ve already got my eye on those breweries! I even get their newsletters as I wait for Surf Brewery to finally open!

  4. Justin

    I need a vacation! I haven’t been on one for ages. 🙁

  5. Of course I’m NOT weeping in joy. That lovely fried goodness is not in my mouth! Waaaah!!! T__T

  6. Mom

    That PFD was twelve sizes too big! I couldn’t get it below my ears!!!

    :-p

    But what a fun day! <3

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