Out and About: San Clemente

A couple of years ago, I spent a magical few days with a friend in San Clemente, a cute little beach town not all that far from where I live. My husband had never visited. I wanted us to spend some time there together, so I planned a day trip. 

Honestly, it's not the most "happening" town around. I did some googling for ideas on what to do and that's how I ended up discovering Casa Romantica. It's the former home of Ole Hanson, the founder of San Clemente, now a museum/art gallery/cultural center/wedding venue. It's easy to find, right on the edge of downtown San Clemente, and it only costs $5/person to visit!

Entryway.

There was a lot to admire at Casa Romantica. I particularly enjoyed the tile work, all done in concrete. Our very informative guide told us how it was made but I've already forgotten:

I also loved the ceilings & fountains:

But let's not forget the views and the gardens:

This is what Ole Hanson saw when he looked out his office
window. It's a wonder he ever got any work done.

San Clemente pier

Sculpture

After finishing our exploration of Casa Romantica, we headed into downtown San Clemente for some food. We ended up at Nick's, which I now see is a very localized chain. Nick's is beautiful, a great deal fancier than most of places we frequent. The drinks were strong & the food was excellent.

I had a Moscow Mule; Dan had a mimosa.

These deep fried, bacon-topped deviled eggs were one of
the most delicious things I've ever had the pleasure to eat.

My chicken pot pie.

After lunch we strolled around downtown, where I picked up some chocolates at Schmid's:

Then we parked in a neighborhood close to the beach & walked the boardwalk down to the San Clemente pier:

Path to the boardwalk.

The boardwalk parallels the train tracks. Both Amtrak
& the local Metrolink run here.

On the pier, a pigeon checks us out hopefully.

Exquisite water color.

After we walked back to the car, we took a quick trip to the local outlet mall. I didn't take any pictures there because we didn't stay long & because I don't think mall pictures are very interesting. We headed home once we left the mall. It was a beautiful day. I'm still in love with San Clemente!