Long Beach and LA

Meg
I had been trying to get to Long Beach for awhile to meet with Meg Hogan, my cousin in case you are not aware. Since I had not seen her in 10+ years, even though we have lived within an hour and a half of each other for a very long time, I decided pictures were needed to prove that we both live in the same state. We had lunch at McKenna's on the water and were able to talk for a long time. Just reciting what each kid was up to took quite a bit of time, much less the other issues in our lives. It was a real treat. Next date is set for March 2019, like clockwork.

Meg looks a lot better in person than in this picture, I only hope that I do, too.

Murph and Rose
After meeting with Meg I tooled up the PCH and the 405 to BH (Beverly Hills) to visit a place called The Cheese Store that I had heard about and got some very, very good brie-like soft French cheese along with Genoa salami from...Genoa, of course - there is no recession in BH. Afterwards cutting across Wilshire to West Hollywood (close to Koreatown, where they live most days) I met up with Murph and Rose for dinner at PF Changs, where we had egg rolls, spring rolls, spare ribs, lemon scallops, calamari, shrimp with lobster sauce, grilled salmon, double pan-fried noodles, shrimp with melon and candied walnuts, and both brown and white rice. Yes, there were only three of us. But, Murph and Rose have learned that it isn't what you eat at the restaurant, it is the number of dinner's you do not have to prepare afterwards. We had a great time. I neglected to get a picture of them, so you will have to take my word for it.

You can see what kind of day it is. Well, our Rose is definitely a girl of the tropics. When we left the restaurant she looked like she was heading into a blizzard during a nor'easter - hunched down into her coat with her knit cap on and looking very cold. And this was the walk from the restaurant to the parking garage across the street. But, she was a trooper - no thick fur lined boots.

Tooling up PCH

Learning LA
In an effort to follow one of my new goals of getting to know LA, I doubled back once I left them, going down Wilshire west and cutting across Santa Monica Bl to view the Wilshire Corridor. This is a place I had never heard of until my BH trading buddy mentioned it as a place she aspired to live. It is a strip of luxury condos built mainly in the early 90s conveniently located near the 405 and within spitting distance of BH, downtown LA and the coast. It was impressive, I must say. Maybe I will dress up one day and go condo hunting there. Come join me, Beth.


Murph and Rose told me that on Saturday mornings in San Pedro the fish market is open to the public and closes around 7:30 am. You can get great fresh fish really cheap. Usually it is only open to pros - restaurants, etc. during the week, I think. So...maybe that can be the next trip. Have to check out the Russian section in the Fairfax area too, but am not doing that one without a native speaker or two.

Later....