Tuesday July 24, 2018

Tuesday July 24, 2018

California Vacation Update:

Blog time 1100 on Wednesday the 25th sitting in the Cascade Panera:

Nancy and I had a great time in Southern California.  We had a chance to see all the grandkids.

Several observations on California:

California drivers are very polite.  They alway allow folks to change lanes.

Traffic on the freeways is horrific, especially the 405.

I have a lot of rental car anxiety because of the traffic.

Folks in CA have more tattoos than folks in MI.

You don’t see many USA made sedans.

Housing costs are out of site.

Friday July 20:  like every day we were in CA we had sunny skies and temps in low 80s.  Perfect weather.

After breakfast at the hotel we drove to San Pedro.  Our first stop was at an Arts and Crafts pavilion.  I like antiques but not big into arts and crafts.  

Next stop in San Pedro was the fish market.  It was very crowded with tourists.  I ordered a bowl of clam chowder.

In the afternoon we drove to downtown Long Beach and walked the waterfront.  LB has a very pedestrian friendly waterfront.

At 1745 we met Steve’s family at the ball park.  Nancy and I took Granddaughter Alessandra to a local mall for a light dinner.  

Tonight Lucas is playing his last ball game in the 12 and under league.  His team and two other teams had identical records but Lucas’s team did not advance because of some complicated rules.  Lucas ended the game by hitting a winning over the fence home run.  Great memories for the Scott family.

Saturday July 21

Today after breakfast we decided to take a nice drive on surface streets.  We drove north on the 405 and got off at the Sunset Blvd exit.  We drove several hours on Sunset.  Passed through UCLA, Beverly Hills and Hollywood.  Beautiful homes along most of the route.   

Rested for several hours before driving to Missy’s in the Brentwood area of LA.  We had dinner at the Soup Plantation.  Good basic food for a reasonable price.  It was a pleasant evening so we sat outside.

Both Nancy and I were in bed by 2100.  At 2230 we were blasted awake by the hotel’s fire alarm.  We took the stairs to the Lobby.  It was an orderly evacuation.  Alas it was a false alarm.

Sunday July 22

We slept in today.  Leisurely breakfast and then I took a short walk to Von’s to buy a LA Times.  We read the papers before heading out.  

We met Missy and AJ at the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey.  I took a long walk along the waterfront.  I could not get over a huge apartment complex being built.  I’ll bet the monthly rents will be over $3,000.

Only in CA can you rent a motorized scooter.  The company that supplies the scooters is named Bird.  They can drive on sidewalks and in the streets.  I think they are popular in upscale areas like Marina Del Rey.

We had lunch at the Yacht Club.  We said our good byes to Missy and AJ before heading back to the hotel.  Once again we were in bed by 2100.  No alarms tonight!

Monday July 22

I am tired of driving on the freeways so for today’s activity we decided to visit the closest Pier.  Hermosa Beach Pier was only 10 minutes away so that was where we headed.  We walked the Pier and boardwalk along the beach.  Hermosa Beach was getting ready for a weekend Beach Volleyball Tournament so we encountered a lot of folks getting ready.  

We noted a lot of nice homes and apartments along the boardwalk.  A lot of units were for rent.  We wondered how much would an apartment rent for in February?

For dinner we met Steve and family at the Boathouse on the Bay at the LB marina.  Once again we sat outside and enjoyed a great meal.   I had a great bowl of clam chowder and half of Nancy’s club sandwich.

After dinner Steve rented an electric boat and we all took a tour of the marina.  Both Nancy and I were impressed at the number of beautiful homes along the marina.  Great way to end a summer’s evening.

Tuesday July 24,

Today we head back to GR.  Breakfast at hotel and then back up the 405 to LAX.  I was relieved when I returned the rental unscathed.  

The flights to Denver and then on to GR were uneventful.  We got home about 2300.  I unpacked my bag and was in bed at midnight.