Romance Takes a Vacation

Having learned a little something about traveling with two children, ages 3 and 1, my husband and I keep our vacation expectations realistic. In place of relaxation, Richard and I seek survival.

And so we planned a simple summer weekend in Ventura: charming Main Street, cool old pier, historic mission and lots of lovely beach. I could see us now, one day spent poking around the town, the next day in glorious idleness on the sand with an occasional dip in the pool of the Pierpont Inn, a newly restored resort.

While I wondered if it was folly to bring my kids to a historic landmark and clearly a romantic place, I never thought to worry about the weather. Ventura was an hour away; how different from Los Angeles could it be?

Very different, as it turned out.

We left early Saturday, stopping at the outlet mall in Camarillo. At the stroke of noon we were cruising down Main Street Ventura. There was a gap in the line of head-in parking, and we slid in and looked into the cheerful face of the Busy Bee Cafe. True Angelenos, we equate street parking with destiny.

Soon we were ensconced in a red leatherette booth in the back of this faux ‘50s diner. After we ordered a lunch that was mostly breakfast, the Busy Bee won my heart when the waitress brought a condiment trio of salsa, blackberry jam and apple butter. I have not seen apple butter on a restaurant table since I left Maryland, and it was the real thing--not too sweet, spicy and good.

In fact, everything we ordered--the spinach and vegetarian omelets, the half-dollar pancakes, the kid’s cheeseburger and fries--was good.

Buoyed by full stomachs, we wandered along a four-block stretch of antiques shops and bookstores. Like many “olde” towns, downtown Ventura seems to be in mid-metamorphosis. Its grand old theater has been tastefully refurbished as a multiplex. There’s the obligatory brewing company (the Anacapa) and coffeehouse (Kelly’s Coffee & Fudge), and innumerable boutiques--a faux head shop, a nifty retro toy store and lots of artsy decorative emporiums. But many old-time establishments remain; Nicholby’s is a collectibles store right out of Mayberry.

By the time we made it to Mission San Buenaventura, at the northern end of Main, Danny Mac was clamoring to go to the “ho-teal.” For a few minutes he was distracted by the two fountains outside the mission, connected as they are by a rivulet too tempting not to step in. His shoes, he announced, were wet now, so could we go to the “ho-teal. Pease.”

The Pierpont Inn & Racquet Club used to be just the Pierpont Inn. Opened in 1910 by Josephine Pierpont-Ginn, it was bought in 1928 by the Vickers family, who ran it for 70 years. In 1999 it was purchased by Scott and Spencer Garrett, grandnephews of the original Vickerses and owners of the Racquet Club. The inn is in the middle of an extensive renovation, but there are more “pardon our dust”-type signs than there is actual dust.

The walkway to the lobby passes between the twisted trunks of two old grapevines whose leaves blanket the trellis above. Inside, Craftsman-style chairs and sofas and Mission rockers are grouped around blazing fires. Very relaxing.

The inn is close to the beach, which is good and bad. Good because there are ocean views, and the pier is within walking distance. Bad because U.S. 101 is even closer. The steady rush audible through the lovely rooms’ new double-pane windows is not crashing waves, but traffic.

As we searched for our room ($140 plus tax Saturday, $112.50 Sunday) on the second floor of the east wing, I noticed it was colder here than it seemed on Main Street. Colder and mistier. Which might have draped an air of romance around the room, with its ocean view and fireplace, except for two things. Who stopped bouncing on the king-size bed only long enough to rush onto the balcony to see the pool.

My husband stretched out on the bed and began watching “The Godfather.”

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m trying to relax,” he said.

“This is a vacation,” I said. “No relaxing.”

I took Danny Mac and Fiona outside for a few minutes, and we walked around the grounds, peering into the little rose garden where a flower-covered gazebo stood in front of a bank of wedding-white chairs. There are two cottages at the Pierpont, both Cinderella quaint.

We talked about walking to the beach but decided to wait until Sunday. Instead we left for dinner.

According to “The Unofficial Guide to California With Kids,” Yolanda’s is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Southern California, and very kid friendly. Dismayed by its rather dreary exterior, we drove around a bit. After rejecting a few other restaurants because they were too nice for the likes of us (i.e., they had tablecloths and candlelight), we headed back to Yolanda’s. Which turned out to be perfect--noisy and fun inside, with fabulous food and a kids’ menu.

Sunday dawned gray and chilly, but Danny Mac was determined to go to the beach. First we availed ourselves of the complimentary breakfast in the Pierpont dining room--another place that was too nice, but fortunately we were among the first to arrive.

We walked to the pier and watched the dolphins frolicking offshore, the surfers paddling in a waveless sea and fishermen pulling in a few medium-sized cod. A playground at the foot of the pier prefaced an hour or so of tempting the cold surf with bare feet and squealing double-dares. We rented a cycle-surrey with the requisite fringe on top and rode down the promenade a bit, stopping for ice cream and a hot dog.

Although it remained cloudy, the day warmed up, and some families spread themselves out on blankets and towels. But Danny was shivering and Fiona was covered with ice cream. So we went back to the hotel, washed dirty faces and headed to Oxnard.

Perched on the edge of the Oxnard Historic District, the Gull Wings Children’s Museum is small but effective; the space capsule exhibit alone was worth the $3.50 admission.

For dinner, we went to Pastabilities back in Ventura. I had assumed, because of its rather cutesy name, that this would be an Olive Garden-type place. But when we dragged our windblown selves through the doors, I immediately realized my mistake. Waiters wore ties, romantic music filled the air, there were linen and candles. But it was only 5:30, so the place was empty. We took a chance.

The staff was as nice as they could be, even when Fiona threw her sippy cup down with a thud for the third time. As soon as we ordered, I took both children outside and let them run around. Richard and I ate our salads in shifts, listening to Natalie Cole sing the songs of her father, happy enough to replace romance with absence of mayhem. And when the food came, it was so good that the kids behaved. They split a fettuccine Alfredo, Richard had fettuccine pomodoro and I had penne Milano, a creamy mustard sauce with lots of tomatoes, capers and chicken tenders.

Our general rule in restaurants, besides “Tip big,” is “Leave when there’s a chance they will let you come back.” So we passed on dessert and skedaddled back to the Pierpont. Snuggling on the bed, we ordered strawberry shortcake and caramel walnut tart from room service and watched “The Railway Children” on KCET. Which was very relaxing.

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Budget for Four

Pierpont Inn, two nights -- $277.75

Lunch, Busy Bee Cafe -- 32.17

Dinner, Yolanda’s -- 35.90

Other meals, snacks -- 34.15

Cycle-surrey rental -- 15.00

Admission, children’s museum -- 14.00

Dinner, Pastabilities -- 46.95

Gas -- 20.00

FINAL TAB -- $475.92

* Pierpont Inn & Racquet Club, 550 Sanjon Road, Ventura, CA 93001; telephone (800) 285-4667 or (805) 643-6144, fax (805) 641-1501, Internet https://www.pierpontinn.com.

Mary McNamara writes for the Southern California Living section.