Nicely’s, Lee Vining, CA
We left Oakhurst this morning at 6 a.m. and have been looking for something to eat since then. It is now 9.30 and we
are very hungry.
Lee Vining is a very small town on the edge of Mono Lake. The choice for breakfast was very slim. In fact the only place we found was Nicely’s. It is a bit tatty on the outside and not much better inside. It was crowded so we had to wait a few minutes before we got a small booth. Water and coffee were brought quite quickly, though he had to ask for refills, but had to wait ten minutes before our order was taken.
Tom has heard of a good place at a gas station to eat in Lee Vining be we could not find it. If anybody can tell us where it is and what it is called, we would be very grateful and we’ll look for it next time.
A few flies around which was not very impressive. Tom had no paper to read. There was a newsstand outside but they only had yesterday’s paper. Guess we have to remember that this is not the Bay Area.
We had a ten minute wait for our food, which is acceptable. Tom had a stack of three pancakes. The maple sauce was not hot but there was a lot of it. I had a cheese omelette with hash browns and wheat toast. The presentation of my omelette was not very tiday as the hash browns were spilling over the edge of a medium sized plate. It was decorated with two slices of orange. Not the best omelette I have ever had but as I was hungry it did the job.
The restroom was basic and tatty. Two stalls. The only ornamentation was a poster of a face, flowers and the word ‘EAT’. The water was hot, the soap and paper dispensers worded adequately. On the door was a list of the times the restroom was checked. The last time noted was 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon.
I don’t think we will be coming back here.
September 19 2007 05:27 am | Breakfast Log
Anna on 09 Oct 2007 at 2:15 pm #
We end up staying here in Lee Vining. I love this small town. We went around June Lake Loop and the South Tufa area. I hope you had a chance to visit these places too. We stayed 2 nights here and visited Mammoth mountains while we were in the area. Since you had a bad experience at Nicely’s, we decided to skip that, instead we ate at Mammoth Lake Village area. Have great photos to share but not sure how, it is posted in flickr.com. Will send you some when i figure out how.
Tom and Margaret on 09 Oct 2007 at 9:41 pm #
Hi again Anna,
We love Mono Lake too. There’s something so peaceful about the place. In fact that whole stretch along Highway 395 keeps drawing us back time and again.
Yes, June Lake is very pretty. Convict Lake is gorgeous too.
Have you been to Bodie, the ghost town north of Lee Vining and then east about 13 miles? Fascinating place. Then there are the Bristle Cone Pines east of Bishop. It’s quite a drive up to them but well worth it. The oldest living things on earth. Some of the trees are well over 2500 years old!
We would love to see your photos. Would you have a flickr.com link?
Margaret is writing up a summary of our road trip and I’ll try to include a photo gallery of some images not already posted.
Thanks again for writing.
Tom
Elizabeth on 20 Oct 2008 at 6:16 am #
Lee Vining is a great place, I used to go up every summer. As I am currently in Japan, that is a bit hard, but I intend to return when I get back to the States.
Nicely’s was a much nicer place when Mrs. Nicely was still alive to see it was being run properly. Even after she passed, it was still an experience.
The Resturant-Gas Station is relatively new (about 10-12 years) and is just before you get into Lee Vining proper if you are heading north on 395.
I loved seeing the picture…it brought back some great memories.
Margaret and Tom on 20 Oct 2008 at 6:48 am #
Hi Elizabeth,
Margaret and I are very fond of the whole eastern side of the Sierras. So much different than the western side. Next time we head over we’ll find the Restaurant-Gas Station. Several folks have said the food is great.
I’m glad it brought back some fond memories.
Thanks for the comment.
Tom