Back on the Right Coast

After getting in yesterday morning and working from home and getting some laundry done. I have discovered that “red-eye” flights are not terribly conducive to actually getting some sleep. I could not get comfortable, and it did not help that my Delta flight from Los Angeles to Cincinnatti had little in the way of air conditioning. The little vent above my seat blew very little air, and the air it did blow was warm.

I arrived in LA on Thursday, June 29, in the afternoon. My friend Chris met me at LAX. My flight was on-time, but it did take a little longer than expected for my one checked bag to come off the plane. From there, we had something small to eat and then headed out for some drinks. We went to the 3rd Stop on 3rd Street. I was left there while my friend and his wife attended their last pregnancy class. The bar had an incredible amount of good beer on tap, and the food was pretty tasty as well. My friend and his wife joined me after a little more than an hour since their last class tended to be kind of aimless and boring. We grabbed some decent appetizers for a late dinner, then headed home. The change in time zones had caught up to me at that point.

On Friday, both of my friends had to work during the day, so I was left to my own devices. I started my morning with some late morning coffee and breakfast at Black Dog Coffee. The place looked pretty non-descript, but the food met my expectations. If you are in the area and need to get something for breakfast, I have to recommend Black Dog as a good place to hit the spot. I perused the McPaper while eating my breakfast quesadilla, then I headed to the next stop on my itinerary. My friends do not live very far from the La Brea Tar Pits, so I decided to take in a little prehistory at the Page Museum. The museum was what I expected, but it is pretty amazing to realize how many preserved skeletons have been recovered on the site. Additionally, there is a beautiful park around the museum for one to enjoy the weather. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking down Wilshire Drive down towards Beverly Hills.After some nice walking, I decided to settle in for some drinks at Tom Bergin’s Tavern on Fairfax Avenue. It was at that time while waiting for my friend Chris that I decided to send some annoying text messages to people back east. To those who received those texts, I apologize profusely; I had to kill some time. My view of the place was pretty much the view seen in the photo here. Chris met up with me a little later, and we proceeded to drink some more. I was even able to enjoy the Orioles loss to the Braves thanks to the wonders of cable television. Following that we had some tasty sushi at a good place in his neighborhood, but I must admit that my enjoyment of said food was best described as fleeting, at best. Too much beer and sake did not agree with the sushi I had.

Aside: Now, I must insert here a brief aside about the lighting of most of the establishments in Los Angeles. With but a handful of the places mentioned here, I found that most places tend to be dimly lit. I understand that part of that is, of course, for atmosphere. I still don’t understand why all of them are this bad, though. Leaving these places and going outside was like coming out of a cave you live in for 10 years.

On Saturday, we all got up and had some breakfast at home. Following breakfast, some shopping was in order for the cookout on Sunday. From there, we went to El Coyote for a late lunch and some margaritas. Again, yet another establishment that was dimly lit. Maybe folks in Los Angeles hate the sun so much they just want their bars and restaurants dark. That evening, Chris and I headed out to the Saddle Ranch on Sunset. This bar is probably best known as the bar with the mechanical bull people ride. I did not ride the bull that evening, as there was not enough alcohol in the place to get me on that thing. I instead decided to watch when some other unsuspecting drinker decided they had enough liquid courage to tame the mechanical beast.

It was here that I observed some of the more interesting parts of the establishments in LA. The bartenders at the Saddle Ranch tend to be a bit attentive to the needs of their customers, and they can also be described as “shot pushers.” Well, after being harassed enough I decided to order Chris and I a round of Irish Car Bombs. I had a $20 bill in hand, expecting that to be enough for tab, and Chris said you are going to need more. I chuckled and said I have never been somewhere where 2 Car Bombs cost more than $20. How I wish I would have taken a photo of the bill. The grand total was $23.50, with each car bomb being $10.50 each. Wow. The other more interesting sight was while talking to a local, he whipped out a cigarette and proceeded to fire up his bit of the chronic. He offered me some, and I politely declined. For some reason, the chronic just wasn’t my thing that night.

After we left the Saddle Ranch, it was time for late night eats. For some reason, one burger was not enough for either of us. We went to one place in an old railcar–I can’t remember the name. We then walked down Sunset a bit until we hit Mel’s. I had a milkshake craving I could not get rid of. By this point, the drinks had hit Chris and we grabbed a taxi home.

On Sunday, it was the first of two cookout days. We grabbed brunch at Marcel’s Pain Vin Et Fromage in the Los Angeles Farmer’s Market. It was here that I had my brush with celebrity, and I use that term lightly. As we were parking, there was a group of folks heading towards us. As they got closer, I looked and realized that the guy just outside of the car door was the actor who plays Michael on Lost. I was pretty proud of myself on that celebrity sighting. The rest of the afternoon was spent in my friends backyard, enjoying lots of barbecued food and great beer.

On Monday, we decided to head down to Hermosa Beach and enjoy some drinks and sights at the beach. Compared to what I am used to at Ocean City, it was both similar and different. Admittedly, there was not the family of NASCAR fans walking down the boardwalk with matching mullets. I am jealous that my friend is only about 30 minutes from the beach, though. It sure beats the 2-3 hour drive I have. The place is called The Strand. We enjoyed some drinks at Fat Face Fenners Fishshack (FFFF), Patrick Molloy’s, and Hennessey’s Tavern. I made sure to take some time along the beach and actually touch the Pacific Ocean. I have officially touched both oceans. After spending the afternoon there, we headed back into town.

Monday night, we went to two different places. We started with some excellent cocktails at Lola’s. The cocktails here were pretty good, and the atmosphere was pretty cool as well. After a few cocktails, it was off to the one place I wanted to go to: The Dresden Restaurant and Lounge. If you have seen Swingers, then you know why I wanted to go here. I needed to see Marty and Elayne–the two lounge singers who did an entertaining rendition of “Stayin’ Alive” in the movie. Surprisingly, for lounge singers, they did not disappoint. The other high point of this bar is that the decor in the place has not changed much from what it was about 25 years ago. Truly kitsch.

On Tuesday, we wound down my stay with a holiday cookout. After enjoying lots of great food, it was time for me to head home. I had a great time, and it was good catching up with old friends. It was even better that I did it by taking my first actual vacation in a long time. And with that, it’s time to get back to work.