Ahoy, Matey!

Upon realizing that we both had Presidents' Day off awhile back, Mr. Monkey decided that we should take a short getaway. He hadn't been to Catalina Island since the early '90s. I'd never been at all.

And it was set.

Little did we know back then that this particular weekend was supposed to be one of the stormiest. Lucky for us, the storm didn't arrive until the day we left.

But that's a story to be told later.

As we were getting ready to leave our condo, Mr. Monkey looked through his closet and proclaimed, "It's Valentine's Day! I'm going to wear pink!"

We boarded our boat in Long Beach.

Adios, mainland!

Hello, Catalina!


The Aurora Hotel and Spa was tiny but tastefully furnished.

When I asked Mr. Monkey why he picked it, he answered, "It was modern. I know you like modern. You don't like flowery foufy stuff." Very true.

Our room was barely bigger than a good-sized cabin on a ship, but the rooftop was surprisingly cute and even had a decent view.


After we put our stuff away, we grabbed a quick bite at Coney Island West.

Here's my cheeseburger ($4.25). Mr. Monkey had a bacon cheeseburger ($5.25).

Chili cheese fries ($4.50). The fries weren't just buried underneath warm and fatty goo. They were also seasoned! Freakishly good.

Onion rings ($3.00). Godly golden goodness.

Cheap. Fast. Yum.

We strolled around a bit before our afternoon activity.

Then it was time to board the semi-submersible.

We all live in a yellow submarine.

Behold the fish food torpedo. Cheesy? Yeah. Fun? Hell yeah.

If you fire, they will come.



After our underwater adventure, we walked around some more, headed back to the hotel, and got cleaned up for dinner.

We went to the Catalina Country Club.


Mr. Monkey booked a reservation several weeks before. I heart him!

Gruyere puffs. Good little start.

Not a bad deal for fancy food on Valentine's Day. It even included tip. Sweet.

For the first time in ages, we actually ordered the same entire meal. And, for the first time in ages, Mr. Monkey got to eat right away, as I snapped photos of just my dishes.

Avocado crab roll with Meyer lemon air.

Cool and refreshing with a touch of tartness.

We had a good chuckle when a young woman next to us turned her nose up at it and pouted, "What is that? It looks like spit! I'm not eating it!" Ok. I had a good chuckle. Mr. Monkey just shook his head at me.

Lobster bisque. Really hearty and steeped with lobster meat. Quite good but a tad on the salty side. Of course, the girl next to us refused to eat this, too. This time Mr. Monkey agreed she was an idiot. This was my fave of the night.

Petite filet mignon and shrimp scampi with herbed Yukon Gold potato mash, demi-glace, and vegetable bundle. Tasty enough but far from outstanding.


Chocolate mousse cake, crème anglaise, sour cream sorbet, raspberry coulis, white chocolate snow, and raspberry chocolate truffles.

I only ate the sour cream sorbet, which was delectable and slightly suggestive of pinkberry. Mr. Monkey powered through all the chocolate, but the truffles defeated him with just one bite. Too rich. Too much.

As we waited for the check, we reminisced about what we were doing exactly one year ago and laughed about how both days involved water and heart-shaped food. So different yet so the same -- a fun day with my best matey.