It was Friday morning and I left Rich and headed north back to the Los Angeles area. I was hoping to get to about 5 more paces and also visit with some friends in the day and a half I had left. The drive took about 2 hours and actually until I got almost into the the Los Angeles city limits traffic was good, no jams! What could be better. I drove to the Pasadena area of Los Angeles near Occidental College to a unique place called "Polka Polish Restaurant". I got there just before it opened at 11am. It's located in a small strip mall that has mostly Hispanic businesses so it really is unique for where it's located. It is sort of dark inside the small cafe and I got the traditional Pirogi plate and it was great. I was able to meet the two owners a husband and wife from Poland and they couldn't have been nicer. They signed my book and really made me feel welcome. The husband, Andrzej-Boy Dabrowski, presented me with a book he had published called "Create Happiness", what a wonderful gift to recieve. I then headed to the nearby town of Eagle Rock to a really great joint called "The Oinkster". This places has outdoor seating and makes all types of sandwiches, but their specialty is a pastrami sandwich which bears the name of the restaurant. I am not the biggest fan of pastrami but this sandwich was delicious! The Oinkster has a large and loyal following but they do it fast and right! I then went to Burbank to see my friends, Dorothy and Randy. I met Dorothy on a cruise and I had not planned to go there so I showed up unannounced and they were really surprised and we had a nice visit. Since both were busy I agreed to come back and we would take in a dinner and movie so I went into nearby Hollywood to go to my favorite record store, Amoeba Music. If you are in Hollywood, check this place out, I could spend a full day there, they advertise over a million records, CD's, DVD's and yes 8 Tracks! I am a Washington Capitals fan and that day I was wearing my Caps T-shirt. As I was leaving Amoeba, a woman stopped me and pointed to my shirt and told me her brother plays for the Caps! Her brother is Tom Poti, number 3 on your roster and although he was injured this past season, it was great to meet her and talk some Caps hockey in Hollywood, if only for a brief moment.
On the way back to Dorothy's I stopped for a quick small bit at "Mambo's Cafe" in Glendale. This Cuban cafe was pretty good and it is built in a former gas station. Even the bathrooms are outside, but luckily no key on a chain! Dorothy, Randy and I had a nice visit and went to see the movie "Limitless", Dorothy really liked it but Randy and I thought it was a bit bizarre!
My last day in California started with a quick visit to "Brat Brother's" in Sherman Oaks. This small place features all types of sausages form all over the world. I got the bratwurst with cheese infused and a side of Spatzle. I would go there again in a heartbeat. From there it was onto "Fab Hot Dogs" in Reseda. A very nice hot dog joint. We need a Fab Hot Dogs in Northern Virginia! I spent the afternoon with my friend, Leslie in Santa Monica and we went to people watch at the Third Street Promenade, an outdoor pedestrian mall. Later in the afternoon we went to see the movie "The Lincoln Lawyer" and that movie was excellent! Rent It! It was then off to LAX and hope to get on the 10pm Red Eye flight back home. My last meal in LA was actually at a fast food place (my favorite) called El Polo Loco, they are only out west but we need them here, they'd kill all the competition!
Now for the flight, as I have said before I fly only on standby and all of the flights looked terrible, the non stops to Dulles, and connecting city flights like Chicago, Denver and Kennedy didn't look any better! The flight I was waiting form was showing completely full but I figured I'd wait until I saw the aircraft taxi away, what else could I do? If I didn't gt on that flight it might be two days before I could get out! They boarded the flight, it was bleak. They started to call names and I was about 7 on the list (revenue stand-by's go before employees). The names kept getting called and people weren't going up, under my breath I was saying "Call the next!". Finally my name was called and I think I looked like Jesse Owens, I ran up to the podium and down the jet way, I think I got the last seat!....WHEW! Homeward Bound!
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