Day 2

The next morning, I was anxious to get down to Municipal Wharf 2 and sample some creme brulee oatmeal at the renowned "Lou Lou's Griddle in the Middle". (I've learned that dumb names often mean really good food.)

Unfortunately, they were closed when we got there.Their hours sign said they'd be open on a Tuesday at 9:00 am, but sadly, they were not. Perhaps the celebrated cook had the flu. Boo hoo...

We ate elsewhere and promptly made our way to the...

Jellies!

These little guys were two of my favorite things there. They're not sea horses, but are closely related, and no, that second one is NOT a bit of kelp. His head is at the top right.

 

 Doesn't this forlorn fellow look miserable in a very funny way?

(Is something wrong with me for being amused by the apparent melancholy of an eel?)

Here's a homeless guy sleeping on the half-shell:



Oh, wait...that's my son. ;)

Overall, I'd recommend the aquarium, although it was quite expensive. I'm sure, though, that it takes a lot of money to keep everything functioning and clean.

If you take teens with you, make sure they bring their school ID cards. We almost didn't get the student discount for Tobias due to his height and hairiness, but the ticket lady had mercy on us, though she did so rather warily.

Next, we forged our way north, stopping in Concord for dinner at Benihana.

My birthday was the week prior and I really wanted to go enjoy a teppenyaki experience. Benihana isn't the only place which offers it, but they are the only place that sent me a $30 off coupon for turning 38, so guess who got this cheapskate's business?

Perhaps you aren't familiar with the Japanese term "teppenyaki". It's when the chef prepares your meal right in front of you on a huge grill, sometimes while juggling knives, creating an onion 'volcano' or performing other showy culinary feats.

One thing you might not like about eating at Benihana is how there are other people at your table/grill:

Pink Shirt Stranger Lady and her man (you'll see him in another photo) seemed kind of grumpy throughout our shared meal.

Here's our chef, Jorge. (You know, Hor-hay.) We tried not to show our amusement that our chef was Latino instead of the expected Japanese. (Benihana is an equal opportunity place of employment, apparently.) Race aside, the man could cook! And he had an accent which made it difficult to understand him (he asked me something about fried rice three times and I finally just nodded my head like any bewildered-trying-to-be-friendly patron would) so our experience was complete.



Jorge's handiwork:

With our bellies full of pricey Japanese food, we continued north to the Davis area.

Our second floor motel room had a lovely view...

...of Mr. Taco.