CHILLIN' IN THE BU

We spent the long President's Day weekend in Malibu, our hometown for a number of years.  We were able to walk the beaches, eat at some of our favorite restaurants, roam the old stomping grounds and visit with family and friends. Since our arrival time at LAX was around 6:30 pm, my original intent was to stop at the nearby In-N-Out for a double-double:

However,  we decided to head on out to the Bu, check in at the Malibu Country Inn and head down Westward Beach Road to the Sunset Restaurant.  As you will note from the pictures on the link, the Sunset is located along the beach at the base of a cliff - and on top of the cliff is Zuma Bay Villas where we lived for a few years.  If you watch the video, note Shearwater Lane, our road, and the steps to the beach that come right out by the Sunset.

Zuma Bay Villas

Well, at the Sunset the DJ had the music cranked up so loud in the smallish bar area that we quickly exited and headed for Spruzzo, which is another close-by restaurant.  Hot wings and adult beverages hit the spot!

On Saturday morning, our plan was to walk Zuma Beach and stop in at How's Trancas Market for the best-in-the-west apple fritters and a cup of coffee.  Another plan changed - the Market has been closed and gutted and there is construction all around.  So we headed to the Point Dume Pavilion Market where we found some fine pastries and an in-store Starbucks.  As we were enjoying our coffee and rolls, a good friend from Pepperdine and Point Dume resident dropped by and we had a good chat, catching up on all of the news via the PeppVine. 

After coffee, we went on a whimsical quest looking for Malibu guest houses.  We found a wonderful place high above Zuma Beach - how high is shown in this picture:

The owner was most gracious, and introduced us to Air B&B, which is an international online community of folks who have homes, guest houses or rooms, and even houseboats for rent.  We have already found the Point Dume guest house that we will hopefully be able to rent for our next trip to Malibu. 

Saturday afternoon was spent wandering the beach below Malibu Road and then traveling over to Agoura for a visit to the Beadiac [Rhonda seems to know where all of the bead shops are located] and a shared tri-tip sandwich at Wood Ranch BBQ - one of my favorites.  Later we met my sister at Duke's for conversation and a bit to eat and then headed to Pepperdine for a men's basketball game versus Portland - Pepperdine actually won which hasn't happened a whole lot this year. 

Sunday morning we walked the length of Zuma Beach and had our coffee and pastries at the Trancas Starbucks.  We then headed west on PCH to the county line and got on Mulholland Drive to wend our way back.  It is a lovely road, winding through the Santa Monica Mountains, and is quite remote at times. As we slowed for a small settlement, we noted the hundreds of bikers who routinely gather at the Rock Store, and many were clustered around a fine old car - the folks were listening to its owner describe his gem, the owner being Jay Leno!  A bit further up the road is the Old Place restaurant, and we stopped for mimosas and a bit to eat.  Sunday afternoon I was able to play basketball at Pepperdine's Firestone Field House with several good friends.  I also met a student who is from Golden and is the nephew of a Boulder school teacher that Rhonda has worked with - small world.  And to top that off, the teacher and her daughter were also in Malibu visiting their nephew/cousin, so we met them all for a short visit at their hotel - the swanky Malibu Beach Inn. [I love the sounds of the ocean and birds that begin when you open their home page].  Then we headed over to a new-to-us restaurant, Cafe Habana, owned by Rande Gerber [spouse of Cindy Crawford].  Decent food, decent beer.

Monday morning we completed the Malibu Starbucks trifecta with coffee and pastries at the mid-Malibu shop.  We then headed across the street to the Malibu Lagoon State Beach for another beach walk.  After finding a few more 'gems' Rhonda dropped me off at Pepperdine where I met up with colleagues and friends.  Since I had lunch at Pepperdine, we stopped at Taverna Tony so Rhonda could have one of their great Greek salads. 

We were able to check out another guest house, this one on Broad Beach Road.  For dinner, we again headed through the canyon, this time to Calabasas to eat at a friend-recommended brew-pub, Wolf Creek.  We were struck by the name, mainly because Wolf Creek is a Colorado ski area, and when we looked at the menu, there were several Colorado brews including two from Boulder.  We never did learn of any Colorado connection, but the link to the Rocky Mountain West was obvious - photos of the Tetons, etc.

That pretty much wraps up our adventures - hope you enjoy all of the links!