Yesterday morning the hus’s birthday weekend started off with brunch at The Ramos House Café in San Juan Capistrano.
I love this place – it’s a little pricey but such a unique joint with a cool story and history.
We’ve been a couple times before and always enjoyed it.
We met Katie and Merrick there along with Katie’s two sisters Sarah and Claire.
Merrick had a Bloody Mary with pickled beans, shrimp and a fried quail egg – basically an entire day’s worth of food for LeAnn Rimes.
I had the spicy crab cake salad, nothing like a good breakfast salad. It was really good but a little too much dressing for my picky tastes.
After eating we had a little time before boarding the Amtrak train so we wandered over to an antique store in SJC where some good finds were discovered….
sexy.
Katie and Co. waiting for the train in their cute horse race hats.
I didn’t have a hat so I borrowed my man’s fedora for the day. I also brought a dress that I changed into in the afternoon when it got a little warmer.
The weather yesterday was pretty much perfect – low 70s and sunny but never too hot.
The whole group at the train station.
Katie is great about taking lots of pictures; if you’re a lazy blogger, you need a friend like this to basically document your life for you. Thanks Katie for the pics!
Train riding with one creepy birthday boy looking on:
Once we arrived in Solana Beach about 45 minutes later, we boarded the free double decker shuttle bus that took us to the Del Mar race track a couple miles away.
I felt so English on the double decker that I started telling people I medaled in the Olympics… in photogenic-ness.
Nothing like a good teeth-gritting, neck vein-popping pose.
Entering the track; it costs $6 per person to watch all 8 races that started at 4pm and went off every 30 minutes.
The track is so tiny!
Just kidding. That’s where the horses come out of for pictures and walk to the track.
That’s the real track behind Katie and Merrick. I think it’s a mile long.
We stayed for 7 of the races and lost money on every one. No, scratch that, I think the boys won a few bucks on a few races but ended up in the hole overall. Oh well, it was only our life savings.
Katie, Sarah and Claire
After eating at Pizza Nova for dinner, we took the 9:50pm train back home. It was a long day and I was tired by then but it was fun. Sometimes it’s so much fun to do something totally different than you normally do, you know?
I’m off to get a little cardio in; good thing I carbed up last night by trying to eat an entire pizza myself. I definitely gave it a valiant effort.
Ever been to a horse race?
Twitter
Facebook
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like fun!
Every summer we go to the horse races in Saratoga- it’s only a couple of hours away and like you said, a nice change compared to our normal summer activities. I like that we can bring our own cooler and avoid the $10 beers.
It’s funny…I grew up 15 minutes from the Saratoga racetrack and we never went…ever…we avoided it like the plague every summer because of the traffic, lol…and the fact that my mom would rather play Bingo, haha! My friends that still live around there do go every summer though.
I never been but it looks like fun!
Fun! I’ve never been to a horse race. I have, however, mangaged to eat an entire pizza by myself.
I went to a horse race when I was little
My biggest dream is to go to the Kentucky Derby. I love the hats and the dresses!
My friend’s dad runs that race track. A few years ago, I went to the races with friends and there was a Billy Idol concert there right afterwards. It was awesome.
I live a 1/2 mile from Arlington Park Race Track in Chicagoland…husband loves it, but I usually only make it once or twice a year. It is just so much fun to see everyone get excited for every race that goes off….because there is money involved of course!!
When I was a teenager I worked the concessions at the track. I still have the song in my head. And that was a long time ago… LOL. Fond memories. Good times.
Horse racing is what we do here in Kentucky! You want to see hats, come to Derby!
Horse racing looks like so much fun. I have only been to a greyhound race when I was younger. I have family in Kentucky perhaps I can convince them that the derby is where it is at- mostly for the hats of course:).
Never been to a horse race but I have seen the pig races at the county fair!!
I have never been to a horse race. That looked like a fun day though.
This post takes me back to the summers in England! Oh I miss that place so much! The hats and summer dresses + track is so quessentially British!
Did you have the little garlicky butter ball rolls at Pizza Nova?! Heaven and about 1/4 mile from my bf’s house!
i had 4. but they were small.
that is my only defense. theyre the best part of the meal!
Looks like you had such a fun day!
I live in SD so we’ve been to the Del Mar track many times. Do NOT go on opening day. It’s craziness. Totally random, but once Entourage was being taped at the races and I got to be an extra on the show. That was probably the best time ever I’ve had there. Oh and I can sooooooo finish a whole pizza by myself. 
That fedora suits you! I was just at the Galway races the other day. I always look forward to ladies day but when I’m there and it’s so busy and people keep knocking my drink out of my hand and my feet get sore I always think “I won’t come here next year” but I do. Just like childbirth… you forget the trauma. *although I haven’t had a baby so I probably shouldn’t equate the two
I love Del Mar! But I haven’t been there since we moved from CA to the mid-west Seriously miss it!
Tell J that I’m not a big fan of the molestache. Love you guys!
yeah you and me. keep him away from your kids.
{ 1 trackback }