LA AND SOME HIKING ABOUT

January – February, 2019

Shout out to The Meg!

Barbara’s sister Margaret Elaine, aka The Meg (no resemblance to a fictional megalodon at all!), lives in the shadow of the great old time movie and TV studios in Culver City California…just outside of LA.  Our SoCal trip would not have been complete without a couple of days hanging out visiting with her.  We had a blast swapping stories and lies, heading out for a hike in Descanso Gardens, and making a pit stop in the City of Angels to get our Pink’s on.  Brian put on his handyman gear to plane down a sticky door and to give a diagnosis for a slow flowing faucet; Barbara and Meg reminisced and created some new sisterly memories.

We’d highly recommend a visit to Descanso Gardens during spring or summer, but the camellias were in bloom this winter and they were quite spectacular.

The hot dog is a culinary treat.  Maybe you shouldn’t eat it too often because of the fat and nitrites.  But whether you like the junkiest dog possible (hey, Elyssa!) from a food cart outside the local Walmart, Home Depot or hometown store, or a gourmet dog made from exotic meats or a vegan dog in a glutton free bun, there’s a tube steak for you.  There are regional differences about toppings.

In New York it’s spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut.

In Chicago it’s a garlicy all-beef dog in a steamed poppy seed bun, yellow mustard, emerald green pickle relish, chopped onions, tomato slices, pickle spear, a couple of spicy sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt.

In LA it’s the chili dog.

And there are iconic restaurants and places to get your dog on.  In New York it’s Nathan’s (preferably on Coney Island) or from a Sabrett’s food cart on a city street in Manhattan; in Chicago it’s Portillo’s or Superdawg, and in LA the dog stop is Pink’s.

Pink’s began as a food cart in 1939 and has grown into a “it’s worth an hour or more wait” for locals, celebrities, and tourists alike.  Once you get your food you are more than likely going to share a table as well as a few napkins with your fellow dog lovers.  Whether you choose the classic chili dog, some kind of concoction named after a celebrity or the combination of the day/week/month, be sure to toss in some chili (cheese?) or regular fries, onion rings and a tasty beverage.  You will not leave hungry.  We were there just before Superbowl and the special was the LA Rams dog – a double  footlong dog with chili, cheese, mustard, tomato, onion and 3 strips of bacon (Brian finished the whole thing).  Barbara and The Meg opted for the classic.

 

Back in San Diego Graham recommended a local park with established hiking rails for all comers that we ought to check out.  One day it was a fairly easy 2 mile or so hike past an old dam.  Another day was scheduled to be a 7-mile tortious uphill adventure which included getting caught in a rain storm about 5 miles up (did we mentioned it was really, really uphill?).

You never know when a beautiful picture presents itself.  We’ve forgotten where these 2  were taken.

Balboa Park is an incredible place in San Diego.  It’s home to the world famous San Diego Zoo as well as 9 museums, outdoor playing fields and kids playgrounds; an IMAX and indoor gym, lots and lots of biking, walking and hiking trails, and the Japanese Friendship Garden.  We spent an entire day biking throughout the park — excellent!

Barbara and Brian