Canyon Livin', Part II

I neglected to mention a highlight of my time in Los Angeles: ordering a Fat Tire ale. Ah, what a sublime Belgian brew. Not to be found in Florida. Going to the Western United States, ale lover? Try it! So. We packed up and cruised out of L.A. heading due East to visit some old friends in Chino Hills, a suburb. The traffic situation in L.A. had been surprisingly tame, even around LAX! The 405, the 5, all manageable. That is until we hit the California 60, oy. Totally blindsided. Miserable. We left in early afternoon, heading out of the urban stew, thinking this ride would be a piece of cake. Wrong. I still can't figure out why there was so much traffic and where they were all going. There were no accidents to blame. Very odd. Eventually, we made it to the CiCi's pizza franchise opened by Kirk and Lourdes in Chino Hills. The area seemed to be your typical bedroom community, with texture. Rolling hills, carved out roads. We would also learn that it is a very culturally diverse place.

Seemingly a good antidote to the distressingly white bread ones that litter the U.S. I've known Kirk since college, and Lourdes since we met at church during the high school years. She was actually from CA originally (San Francisco)and she and her family ran a much beloved Mexican resturant in West Palm Beach for many years. K & L also moved back and forth between Atlanta and FL several times, this CA jaunt the most recent. They believe, permanent. We sat and spent a few hours catching up with them right in the restaurant, chowing on the goods. The pizza was better there than at any CiCi's I'd been to. Their kids were frighteningly big now; we knew them from their earliest days and even babysat them once or twice back in WPB. All raved about their new home: the weather, the diversity, the attitudes. Kirk had grown sick of his hometown of Atlanta, a nice place but filled with the sort of closemindedness he's grown out of. I had not seen him this happy in a very long time. We wished we could spend much more time but we had to hit the road. 

Instead of the 5 we traveled the 15 to the East, heading south to San Diego. This was a productive, hassle free ride. We arrived at the home of Sonia's college chum, Karmyn, around 9ish. We chatted with her and her husband John and met their adorable daughter, Vanessa. It was her bedtime. We also met the family cat, Skylar, who was very pregnant and due any day. There were running bets among family members as to how many kittens would soon be around. My purpose for San Diego was the AAA (American Academy of Audiology) convention, a yearly meeting for continuing ed and manufacturer exposition. It was exciting to learn of its location this year. SD is one of my favorite cities. I did not get to visit the famous zoo, La Jolla, Balboa, and all the other wonderful sites this time, as I was cooped up in the Convention Center most of the time, but no carps. My AAA experience, upon review, is quite significant and I think I will write a separate entry for it. The hearing aid companies always throw extravagant parties at night and this year was no exception. Cheap Trick was the headliner at one of them, playing right downtown outdoors. 

We drove down, but quite frustratingly could not find a parking space, for miles. Not one. We finally found a lot with one of those machines you feed. It would not take my cash and credit card without spitting it back. Very frustrating. We took it as a sign, and we were bone tired anyway. Plus, the next day's classes were early. Would've been cool to party like we were at Budokan, but anyway. The next day was the 16th, my birthday. We met Karmyn and John in downtown's Little Italy at a place called Fillipi's Pizza Grotto. It was a great old spot, the kind with a line out the door and a grocery store through which you have to pass to get to the dining room. We had, of course, pizza, and a giant meatball that my wife and I split. Incredible. The table was way too small for our party but no other complaints. A slice of birthday spumoni with a candle was brought out at the end, the waitress stating that they don't sing here. No complaints! 

Quite the opposite from just about everywhere else and that amusing scene in the current film GREENBERG that I'll tell you about in a forthcoming review. Sonia and I then boarded the U.S.S. Midway in the harbor for a Beach Boys concert! I kid you not. Another hearing aid company bash, one I imagine was incredibly expensive. Thousands of audiologists, dispensers, and who knows who else gnoshed on free food and partook of endless drink while the BBs (2 original members) wound through the hits and some intriguing curiosities. Later, fireworks were shot off carrier's runway. We had a front row seat for that, just behind the ropes (one of the ship's crew tipped us off earlier). Really, you all didn't have to go all out for just my birthday.... The concert ended but the party continued on a lower level with some cover band. More booze. Saw several former classmates about. We also stood on a glass floor which revealed another lower level below. Two guys were tending to a torpedo, arms in the air, heads bobbed upward and all. Only, they were just mannequins. This provided lots of laughs for the more intoxicated among us. My wife said to one woman, "good thing you're not wearing a skirt!" Next time, we'll celebrate another birthday and the beauty of CA.....