This, That, and The Other Thing

Yes, my brother David said this is where he wanted to spend his 80th birthday. Four of us merry revelers joined him for a visit to Disneyland and California Adventure. Joining David were my daughter Kathleen, our very bestest friend Erin, my son-in law Luis (Son Jeffrey was too ill to join us. Maybe he dodged a bullet). This is not the Disneyland of an earlier time. Everything is on an app now, where we choose our rides and the time we are scheduled to ride them. Very complicated and time-consuming. Thankfully Kathleen was in charge of this.

Checking out the familiar spots before jumping into the actual attraction riding. We started off calmly with Pirates of the Caribbean, the Matterhorn bobsleds, and the Jungle Boat.

The next rides were by downfall, and I should have known better. After I was belted in, it was too late to change my mind. Star Tours and Space Mountain rattle your entire body, and I think even loosens some brain cells. That was practically the end of the road for me. I’m 83 for heaven’s sake! What was I doing here? OK – It’s my brother’s birthday, and I guess I would do anything for him.

Time for a snack break (I sure needed one) and a look around.

Off to California Adventure and more ways to have fun (?!). David meets Horace Horsecollar.

We had a lovely dinner and birthday celebration at Wine Country Trattoria.

After dinner, it was off to Soaring over the World (not just Orange County anymore). I already knew I was not going on that one. It kick starts my acrophobia. So while the others went off to enjoy it, I had my enjoyment with a hot chai (yes, there is a Starbucks at Disneyland), watching crowds of people passing by and wondering how the average family could possibly afford all this. We quite enjoyed Disneyland at night, which is quite spectacular!

The ferris wheel was not in operation, but the big attraction in California Adventure for two of us was the roller coaster. Kathleen and Erin were determined to ride it, so they decided to wait in the long line. The rest of us strolled around. When they got up as far at 10 minutes way, the ride suddenly closed down. What a bummer for them.

The Other Thing – We were there almost 12 hours, and even the youngest of us were pretty tired. I was beyond tired, but a good time was had by all.

Where do I begin? My granddaughter’s first time in The City, and I wanted to show her everything. Luckily she had an agenda because we were only going to be there for five days.

Day One – Blank Street Coffee, Rockefeller Center, Museum of Broadway, Bryant Park Winter Village, and New York Central Library (for all you Sex and The City fans).

Lillie’s Victorian Establishment for Day One diner was definitely a highlight of our time in New York. The holiday decorations were magnificent. Reservations were booked for weeks ahead but we snagged a seat at the bar and were served a complete dinner there – also magnificent!

Day Two – Central Park, The Met (the original painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware is here – plus works by every famous master I ever wanted to see), Tavern on the Green for late lunch, and then Moulin Rouge at the Al Hirscfeld Theater on 45th Street.

Day Three – Subway to Tenement Museum, lunch at Veselka (great Ukranian restaurant with delicious borscht), subway to Harlem, Red Rooster for drinks and on to The Apollo for Amateur Night. What fun that was – we cheered for the good and booed for the not so good. It turned out that the winner for the adult contest was the mother of the winner in the children’s class. The audience actually determined the winners.

Day Four – Le Pain Quotidien for breakfast, subway to Central Park West and Cooper Hewitt Museum for the Smithsonian Design Triennial, then The Milton for dinner and George Balanchine’s Nutcracker in the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

Day Five – Had some rain earlier in the week but it didn’t change any of our plans. We had a few snow flurries during our fifth day but woke up to snow on the ground. Breakfast at Carnegie Diner where you had to get into a line to wait in a line. When you order blueberry pancakes here, you get a week’s worth! Then on to Macys in Herald Square for their Christmas displays (not as elaborate as past years), Mood in the Garment District, an elegant dinner at Osteria LaBaia, then on the Our Town at the Barrymore Theater on 47th.

Snow outside our hotel on the day we left.

The Other Thing – According to my Fitbit, we walked 72,504 steps which equals 36.25 miles in five days. This Nana was exhausted. But every time with my granddaughter is such fun, it was worth the blisters.

This gift was from my kids for Mother’s Day, and what a gift it was – especially since they went with me. I have never seen a concert as exciting and entertaining as this! At Dodger Stadium, our seats were the equivalent to left field not far from third base. The only thing keeping them from being perfect is that we had to take photos through the foul screen. Not sure why Dodger ground crew didn’t take it down.

The staging was so colorful and fun, and the audience of 50,000 was full of excited anticipation. Guess who was the opening act?

She was terrific – hasn’t lost her edge. She sang for an hour. Her music was a great way to prepare us for the main attraction. P!NK started a half hour late, but no one ever starts on time! Boy was she worth waiting for.

She had several backup singers and a half dozen dancers who were amazing. Some of those dancers were on the cages with her doing their own acrobatics. P!NK was fearless – flying in the air, soaring into the crowd – she was her own Cirque de Soleil. She did all this while actually singing. She told us years ago and she would never lip-sync. That would be cheating her fans!

I bet the stage crew had that set broken down and loaded on the trucks before we got out of the Dodger Stadium parking lot (which surprisingly did not take that long).

The Other Thing – I’ve never had so much fun at a concert in my entire 50 plus years of concert going. Thank you to my kids for the best Mothers Day gift ever!

This place, in downtown Los Angeles in Old Chinatown by the train station, has been on my “eat at” list for quite a while. I would like to say that it was worth waiting.

Very casual, which is fine. But you ordered at the counter, and you picked up your food when your number called. Picnic tables and benches, paper plates and flatware – no table service and person at the order window would have rather been anywhere else but there. Menu was large but nothing sounded good. I was expecting more of a meal – mostly sandwiches they called “po-boys” but not to me – not what I had in New Orleans. I chose an catfish po-boy, and I will say the catfish was moist, flakey and pretty good, but the sauce and bun were not edible to me. My kids ordered other items on the menu and said they were OK. That word means so-so to me. The saving grace was the side order of red beans and rice. That was good. Food was not very photographical!

Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives was there a few years ago. He autographed this photo but he did mention the food. Maybe I know why.

The Other Thing – Sorry Little Jewel. Your website boasts that authenticity is paramount. Maybe it was in the food we didn’t taste.

Fresh, Friendly, Local – that’s what their sign says. They have been on Coast Highway in Newport Beach since 1982. Today was my first time. That was my friend Sylvia’s choice, and that choice was a good one. This place is full of nostalgia with beach-type murals painted on all the walls – inside and out.

The menu is extensive with all of the favorites – homestyle cooking at its best. Food was so good I forgot to take photos until we were well into the eating process. So I will need to explain what you see. That’s a patty melt on the left with sweet potato fries for Slyia. Pastrami melt for me with cole slaw. In the words of Food Network hostess, Rachel Ray, everything was “yummo”!

I hadn’t seen Sylvia is almost two years so we had fun catching up on all the family news, etc. We’ll have another food adventure soon. Here we are in all or glory. I can’t figure out why I always close my eyes. Maybe I know what’s coming, and it’s never good (lol).

The Other Thing – Cappy’s philosophy – “Our vibe is your vibe. Laid-Back and chill, just like it was the day we opened in 1982.”

I always stop to see Mike at Sheldrake first. When we get together, its never for a quick hello. We always have lots to talk about. It was a lovely sunshiny day for a walk.

From Sheldrake’s to Roe Seafood at 22nd and Bayshore…

Then from the Belmont Fire Station to Super Mex…

The Other Thing – I moved away from Belmont Shore in 2000. I still miss it!

This lazy Monday morning was a perfect time to lounge at The Camp. I hadn’t been there in quite a while. Had my chai at Vitaly. The major change for me is that Old Vine, one of my favorite restaurants, was no longer there. I had heard friends speak of how good Folks Pizza is, but I didn’t realize that it was at The Camp in the space that used to be Old Vine. I didn’t take a photo of it because it doesn’t open until 4pm and look pretty nondescript when closed – even the windows are blacked out.

pretty cool stuff here, so I renewed my acquaintance with this little “mini mall”.

The Other Thing – I miss Old Vine!

It’s a lovely day to eat outside, and Tantalum is the perfect place.

Located in the Marina Pacifica mall in Long Beach, Tantalum has a welcoming entry and a patio overlooking the marina.

Even a lifejacket-wearing dog gets to enjoy the water.

Julie introduced me to a (new to me) summer drink – a white wine spritzer with a splash of peach schnapps. It was very refreshing. We ordered nothing unusual but always favorites – mac and cheese and Kobe sliders. They were delicious.

The Other Thing – According to the dictionary, the word “tantalum” means “chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73 – named after a figure in Greek mythology”. Maybe that guy was a gastronome.

In order of appearance: Fish and Chips and generous mimosas at Wilma’s Patio on Balboa Island – Grilled shrimp appetizer at Evan’s Gourmet in Laguna Beach – birthday cheeseburger and dream sickle shake at Shake Shack in Crystal Cove – Scallops and birthday dessert at The Cannery in Newport Beach – charcuterie board at Lido Bottle Works in Lido Marina Village, Newport Beach.

The Other Thing – These are my favorites during the months of June and July. There is always more to come.