Yesterday (Saturday, 12.17.22), my partner and I did a little day trip to Julian, CA, a historic mountain town in San Diego County. It was the site of a short-lived gold rush in the 1800s, the only area in San Diego County that had a gold rush. Julian is now known for its apples, and people go there to pick apples during apple-picking season, to have apple pies, and to have cider---the non-alcohol and alcohol kind. We went to get the latter kind. So, here are some pictures...
Julian, CA
Photo by me
We got into Julian and were extremely hungry---it was lunch time when we got there. The town was more crowded than I thought it would be. People were lining up at restaurants that served apple pie and stuff like that, so we went to a Mexican restaurant, hehe, which wasn't too crowded.
The entrance. This would be filled with people drinking cocktails or whatever during the warmer months.
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Photo by me
My lunch. Shrimp tacos, black beans, and rice.
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Photo by me
Photo by me
Photo by me
Photo by me
The historic Julian Gold Rush Hotel, formerly known as the Robinson Hotel. It was one of the first businesses in San Diego County owned and operated by African-Americans. It is the oldest continually operating hotel in southern California. It opened in 1897. It was started by Albert Robinson and Margaret Tull Robinson.
From Wikipedia: "Albert was a former slave who came to Julian with his former slave owner. During the gold rush days of Julian, most of San Diego County's African-Americans lived in remote Julian, rather than the city of San Diego. Another influential black pioneer of the time, and a friend of the Robinsons, was America Newton, also a former slave and laundress during the town's gold rush days. Albert and Margaret met in Julian, Albert being employed at the time as a cook. They were married in the late 1880s. Albert died on June 10, 1915. Margaret sold the hotel in 1921. The hotel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places."
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Photo by me
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Photo by me
People were all lined up to go to this place; the Julian Cider Mill doesn't serve the kind of cider we want.
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Photo by me
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Headin' back up the highway towards our real destination in Julian...
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Photo by me
...on the outskirts of town. Mmm, mmm. We've been here before, and the last time we were here we got really shit-faced. We drank just enough this time. It's a fun place. Pre-pandemic, they offered apple-picking, but I think that activity has been suspended for now.
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Photo by me
Photo by me
Photo by me
We decided to sit outside. It was cold but we sat by an outdoor fireplace. It was nice. My cider is on the left, my partner's is on the right.
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2nd round.
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We tossed like maybe 3 logs on the fire while we were sitting there.
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During warmer times, people are encouraged to drink among the apple trees. It was too cold to do it this time.
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Photo by me
The sun was gonna start setting so we decided to leave. We figured we'd get dinner... "Should we go back home to LA, or go into San Diego?" San Diego being closer to Julian than LA, we decided to drive into San Diego.
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Photo by me
Hillcrest, San Diego
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Mexican food again. I also had tacos again.
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I thought to get coffee/tea at this hookah lounge.
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Naah, we didn't do hookah.
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Photo by me
My partner had tea and I had a Turkish coffee.
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Photo by me
Photo by me