After we checked out Big Sur in January we decided to take a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe next! I really wanted to go on another adventure and see some snow. Lake Tahoe is about 3 hours from our house and we just had some fresh snow roll in, so why not scratch another item off the bucket list?
Lake Tahoe is the ultimate place to go skiing but Doug and I decided we were not going to be skiing on this trip and I will tell you why.
First off, before we ever found out we would be moving to California, we were living in Florida for 20 years where it obviously never snows, but we actually owned all the necessary snow gear! We had purchased snow pants, boots, gloves and jackets for a ski trip we went on and had been storing all that gear in a number of bins. While we were downsizing from a three bedroom house to a one bedroom, those bins were the first things to go because we didn't feel like we would need that shit and it takes up a lot of room! Of course a couple of months later we found out we were moving to California and could use some snow gear.... oh well! Such is life.
Another reason for not going skiing besides not having gear is that I currently suck at it. I've been skiing once and found out pretty quickly that I am awful at it. Doug told me I was the worst skier he has ever seen in his life! I left with the biggest bruises I've ever had and looking back I'm really lucky I didn't break or tear anything that day because I was a mess. With that said, I would totally love to try it again, but we both decided to skip the skiing on this trip. We are only going for one night and we would like to come back when we have more time and are more prepared.
I would like to note that Doug is an excellent skier! He grew up skiing and he looks like a majestic penguin when he skis. So cute.
So ultimately, after some research we decided to do a couple of chill things. We wanted to drive around the lake, check out some local breweries, check out some casinos, and eat some bomb ass food. We really really wanted to go to Hell's Kitchen, but there were no reservations available until March... lame.
Driving around the lake
This was a really fun drive. It was a great way to check out all of Lake Tahoe's beauty! The scenery was of course stunning and there were lots of places to pull off, stretch your legs and get some pictures. We noticed there are a butt ton of parks, beaches, camping and hiking places but most of those were closed for the winter season. It made us really excited about coming back in the summer time.
Lunch Stop at Alibi
Once we got to the north Lake Tahoe area we wanted to get out out and do something we haven’t done in a long time.... eat in a restaurant! We made it out of Cali and into Nevada to a place called Incline. There we decided to try the Alibi Ale Works. We were a tad early so we decided to go for a short walk down the sidewalk and by the time we got back there was a line forming! I kinda love lines because they are a sign of something really really good! We were able to get in pretty quick, the staff was very nice, the beer was excellent. I decided to get a flight because I like tasting as many as I can And they were all excellent. The food was phenomenal too! We ordered the mustache pretzel, Mezza board and salmon toast. I could probably do a separate post just about this place because I could go on and on about how great it is. After lunch we headed to South Lake Tahoe where our hotel was.
Marriott Vacation Club - Timber Lodge
What a perfect location! It is right next to the Heavenly Gondola and in the middle all the action. The state line is a 1 minute walk away. The room had everything we needed. Small kitchen area, bathroom, closet, bed, lounge area, TV and eating nook. It was just perfect for us and clean. We didn't spend too much time here, but we enjoyed our stay. Again, the location is perfect and I loved our view of the gondolas drifting by.
Casino Time!
Once we got settled into our room we decided to start walking around town. There is a lot going on in this area. Shopping, food, drinks, skiers hustling and bustling about, it's a fun vibe . It’s really easy to tell where the Nevada state line is because the casinos pop up instantly.
We grabbed some food at TaCo, which BTW was very difficult to find because it is located in the underground tunnel that Google has misrepresented on the map but the food and service was very good!
After some food we got some drinks we visited a few of the casinos and and started gambling on the slot machines at Harvy's where I lost terribly. Doug started off loosing and then had a winning streak... but ultimately lost that too. The couple of hours we spent at the casino was fun! We of course had to walk by Hell’s Kitchen and peek inside.... multiple times.
To end the day we got some drinks at the "Fire and Ice" which was right below our room. We sat by the fire drinking our beers for a while and the fire suddenly went out! I was already cold and tired so I took that as a sign to call it a night and headed upstairs to go to bed.
The next morning we woke up early, got some breakfast and headed home. We wanted to take the scenic route CA 88 Eastbound. I created this time lapse video to turn the 3 hour drive into 4 minutes! Check it out below and please like and subscribe!
Oh! And guess what? Doug and I have a reservation for Hell's Kitchen in Las Vegas for my Birthday in April so now you know where we are headed on our next adventure!
Comments