Just got back from a trip to LA. The main reason for the trip was to celebrate the 21st birthday of my wife’s cousin’s son. Mission accomplished there.
We stayed at a place overlooking Disneyland, though we did not partake in any of Mickey’s festivities.
On Saturday morning I drove from Anaheim (it’s part of LA, right? Ask the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) to Northridge to visit my friend David Gerrold. In the process, I managed to cross a minor item off my bucket list–listening to America’s “Ventura Highway” while driving on the Venture Highway.
We had lunch at a local deli near his home. It’s a little hole-in-the-wall and doesn’t look like much, but the staff is friendly and the food is terrific. I’ve been there four or fine times now and never had a bad selection.
We talked shop over lunch (writing and film-making) then we went next door to a new store selling used CDs. Inside, the owner has 16,000 gallons of cichlid tanks, including a pond that I’m guessing is around 600 gallons. I chatted with the owner for probably 15 minutes on the topic of fish. I also picked up a copy of “Aura” by Miles Davis while I was there.
On Sunday we hit Newport Beach, finding meter parking on the street after about 20 minutes of searching. The only place to get change for the meters is near the pier. It only gives out dollar coins. I ended up with several of the new dollar coins that I hadn’t seen before. (Like Americans ever use a dollar coin.) I kept the nice ones and fed the old Sacagawea coins into the meter.
Unfortunately, the beach turned out to be overcast and cold, but the kids played in the Pacific for a good hour anyway. Like many pools, the water wasn’t so bad once you get in. We left as the tide started coming in and the waves got big enough to be just a little scary for Dad watching the kids from knee-deep.
