It was to be our first big
road trip as a family—so I wanted to start strong, but given that our family
consists of Marilou, who was 5 months pregnant at this time, and Liam, our
3-year-old son, special considerations had to be made. —
Step one: choose the road. I had
always heard the Pacific Coast Highway in California was extraordinarily beautiful, so
that was an easy decision, as we had business to do in Los Angeles as well as San Francisco and PCH connected those dots.
Step two: choose the vehicle. Having
had such a great time on a pre-kids road trip during fall foliage in New England in a Porsche Cayenne, Marilou and I
decided that the latest Porsche, the Panamera
Turbo would be the right choice.
Step three: choose the stopovers. We
wanted to have a casual pace with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery as well
as the local amenities—especially comfortable luxury family friendly hotels, so
Santa
Monica, Santa Barbara and Monterrey made the short list.
A little careful planning, and then
we were off. Picking up the 2011 Panamera Turbo at LAX, which easily
accommodated our copious family trip luggage, our little family set off on our
way, pointed towards the beaches of Santa Monica, turning heads at absolutely
every juncture. This is not only the most powerful car you will ever drive, it
is certainly among the most distinguished and beautiful—especially as a
four-door sport car, a potential oxymoron if there ever was one.
We checked into the comfortable
hideaway known as the Oceana Hotel in Santa Monica—the perfect choice for a
family, complete with heated pool in the courtyard, friendly attentive service,
great food and near all of the attractions like the endless beaches, Third
Street Promenade (with an amusement park), the huge array of shops and
restaurants. We were able to spread out in a Lanai Suite, with a generous
living room complete with two couches, scattered with interesting coffee table
books and games, a small dining table to enjoy their excellent Italian-themed
room service, small outdoor porch and a huge bedroom with a perfect king bed
covered with exquisite Frette linens. Fully ensconced for the night, I knew we
were finally in California as a peered out onto the Pacific Ocean at sunset from the window in the
shower, thinking about hitting the road in the morning for the four-night
adventure.
Climbing up the bluffs from Santa
Monica to Malibu, passing through the surf havens along the way, a glimpse of
what the PCH is all about begins to crystallize—dramatic views, rustic architecture,
plenty of fog, and no rushing. The 55 MPH speed limit definitely kept the
Panamera in check during the first leg of the 90 miles north to Santa Barbara,
but I knew there would be opportunities to get more serious (or as the Porsche
manual calls it “spirited”) driving in later.
But it was during this leg that I
very happily learned what this road trip was really going to be about. Our
3-year-old son almost immediately fell asleep after 10 minutes in the car,
giving my wife and I what we rarely have as busy professionals and parents:
time to talk. It also seems that the open road opens minds so we covered many
topics, relived old memories, dreamed about the future, and all of the things
that you should do on a regular basis with the love of your life.
Before we knew it, we were pulling
into Santa Barbara, where we would be celebrating a cousin’s graduation
from college. The charming, Art Deco era Canary Hotel
would be our headquarters there, centrally located in the downtown area,
strolling distance to everything. The centerpiece is a their lively restaurant
and wine bar, focusing on local food and drink.
My wife, who spent her college years
in Santa
Barbara as well, had been explaining the area was unique and lovely
for many years. But now I got it—it is a real community, perhaps best
articulated by the Museum of Natural History, situated in the wooded hills above
the Mission. Genuine, intriguing, and ambitious
all in the same breath, we marveled at the multicultural crowd of kids,
parents, grandparents, singles and others—simply enjoying the opportunity to
experience nature at their own pace in this campus that includes classic
dioramas (our son still talks about the Grizzly bear), contemporary traveling
exhibitions, a nature trail and botanic garden situated on 15 acres divided by
Santa Barbara Creek.
With graduation passed and the
parties enjoyed, it was time to fire up the Panamera for what would be its most
spirited workout of the trip: the stretch of Highway 1 from Santa Cruz to Big Sur. This stretch of road looks funniest
on a GPS (which is standard and very good in
the Panamera, factoring in traffic conditions into route guidance): it is a squiggly line that our son Liam might have drawn, and is a
challenge to drive—a challenge this vehicle is more than up to.
Having taken advantage of a
particularly long one where I was able to effortlessly pass three cars in five
seconds, we descended into the Monterrey Peninsula, where we’d spend the next two
nights at the brand new Intercontinental Clement Hotel. We had an oceanfront suite
with a small balcony, fireplaces, ample living room and two full baths. Best of
all, it was at the center of what families come to this area for—the Aquarium,
the family friendly attractions and restaurants, and the waterfront fresh air.
Liam loved watching the fish get fed at the Aquarium, seeing the Penguins, and
splashing in the water waiting for his turn to pet the bat manta ray. Even
though it is packed with people, it is all managed well with excellent customer
service, with fun and respect for sea life being at the fore.
It was easy to decompress at the Clement
in Monterrey. While Marilou relaxed in the
contemporary-styled suite, Liam and I practiced our swimming routine in their
small but beautiful pool, explored the halls and staircases designed to feel
like they are under-the-sea, and admired the outdoor lounge sitting with fire
pits to enjoy the open air and a cocktail.
Glorious weather greeted us for what
would be the final leg of this spectacular journey. As the Panamera purred her
way through the lush agricultural stretch from Carmel to San Francisco, our
great conversation continued, with topics from the ridiculous and sublime,
fueled in part by the Sirius XM station First Wave, which plays all of the
music that we listened to as teenagers and in college, punctuated by Liam’s
snoring, and amounting to a symphony of absolute pleasure.
