"California Girls", Hermosa Beach; 01.30.11

Everyone loves the girls of California.  Katy Perry sang about it; even David Lee Roth wished everyone could be California girls.  Them girls are pretty.  Being on the receiving end of their "oohs and aaahs" and pats on the head and rub on the back, Tico agrees.

It rained off and on today.  And I feel bad because Tico would go crazy each time I open the front door, thinking that he'll go out today.  So after the rain stopped, aka I got off my lazy butt and turned off my new cheap toy Netflix, it's almost 5pm and we rushed towards Redondo Beach.  Knowing that the dog park will close soon; I veered north and headed towards the Strand in Hermosa Beach Pier instead.  And it was a perfect day to go; with a combination of rain, the sun going down and being a Sunday night, aka tomorrow's workday, the Pier is practically empty.   

The people that frequent Hermosa is a great mix, but it's definitely a party town for the 20 and 30-somethings who are young professionals and trust fund babies combined.  I've known people that would have frequented these Pier bars on almost a daily basis.  When Bryan and I lived in Huntington Beach, it has a little bit more of a family feel, but not entirely a lot more.  I like Hermosa Beach because of its energy.  Some of my favorite hangouts are Hennessy's for its perfect ocean view on the rooftop, Fat Face Fenner's Fish Shack because I never fail to find a seat, and of course, there are the other bars, such as Poopdeck which offers cheap beers like $5 pitchers on Wednesdays- yay!  Definitely a far cry from $10 bud light bottle at the hollywood club last night.  And it turns out, Fritto Misto, one of my favorite Italian places in Santa Monica, is also here in Hermosa.  I'll definitely come back for that. 

There's something for everyone here as well.  On the strand is a mixture of million-dollar homes, and motels such as the blue Sea Sprite hotel.  I like the Beach House hotel; because it reminded me of Shutters in SM.  Their rates run from $230 and up.  But it's not a dog-friendly hotel; so keep looking if you're planning to vacation with your pooch.

http://www.beach-house.com/hermosa-beach-hotels.html

I like people watching.  And the Strand is a perfect place to people watch.  On a given weekend, there are a mix of skaters, joggers, family with baby strollers, surfers and beach goers, girls and boys in their bikinis and trunks, small and large dogs alike, mixed with tourists, etc.  It's great place to visit.  Dogs are not allowed on the pier, nor are they allowed on the sand.  Just keep them behind the fences, and don't go beyond the walk/strand, and you'll be fine.  Tico wanted to play in the sand, but no can do.  There is however, a little green park just north of the Pier called Noble Park; just next to the Beach House.  There are tons of street and meter parking, as well as paid parking.  My favorite is the structure between Coffee Bean and Starbucks.  Tonight, the gate is up; so it's free for us to park.  But on a busy season, parking is enforced 24 hours.  Just be prepared to keep a few dollars of cash on you, as the meter parking still only accepts coins or key cards, but not debit/credit cards.  The parking structure accepts cards, but the prepaid parking lots in the area only takes cash as well.

Speaking of parking, I vowed to not carry cash, and it bit me in the butt last night when I was looking for parking in Hollywood.  The W hotel charges $20, but there's $10 prepaid parking across the street.  Being a cheapskate that I am, I circled around the block and found an ATM, and risked being late for the line to get in to Drai's, just so I could save a few bucks.  But it worked out perfectly for us because Bea and her friends were just at the beginning of the line once we got there.  

I like LA, but Hollywood is a once in a moment place for me.  At the age of 38, I've seen girls in their skimpy outfits that could very well be my daughters, and they were all made up.  Drai's clientele is a beautiful mix of girls and boys, celebrities and regular folks in every ethnicity imaginable; and Drai's pool area is great with cabanas up and down and all around the pool.  And being on top of the hotel on the 12th floor, the view is great.  It will be perfect to go on one of those weekend pool parties. 

I used to go to Highlands, The Lounge, Beauty Bar, Avalon, Level 3 - my favorite!  I also like Citizen Smith, Geisha House, and I liked Forbidden City for cheap Chinese food - which is next to Pantages, so it's perfect to dine in before going to plays.  I also liked Micelli's, an oldie but goodie italian place.  But being AWOL from this area for a very long time, there's 10 million other clubs that have sprouted all around ever since.  Beso's is here, and XIV, two places I wouldn't mind checking out one of these days.

We got to chat up with Bea's friends, one is Raymond, who's going to the Arts School in Pasadena.  Being from New York, he said he appreciates being able to get out of the house with just a dress shirt on in the late January; since it's 70 degrees.  There's another friend who's visiting from Canada who's excited about going to the designer shops in LA, as well as being able to check out a TV taping of some game shows. 

Which brings me back to realizing why I chose California to move to, after 16 years of being in Hawaii.  The weather is great, and the melting pot of people and food is amazing.  It's a relaxed culture, and the best thing about this place that Hawaii does not have is that I can get in my car, and I could be anywhere I want to be in a few hours.  Vegas is 4 hours away, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Palm Springs less than 2, and San Francisco is 6 up north.  Phoenix and Sedona is 6-8 hours east of us.  I still have plans to go cross-country driving with Tico one of these days, but that will be a multi-week event; so it's something for us to look forward to in the next year or two. 

  

"Uptown Girl"; Uptown Dog Park, Long Beach; 01.29.11

"Uptown girl

You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win"

http://www.lyrics007.com/Billy%20Joel%20Lyrics/Uptown%20Girl%20Lyrics.html

This is straight from the lyrics of the 80's song by Billy Joel.  Great singer, with a "regular Joe" (pardon the pun) looks.  Some say he wrote it for/when he was with his wife model/actress Christie Brinkley; but I'm not a 100% sure. 

Place: Uptown Dog Park

Address: 4600 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, CA  90807

Directions: Take the 710 South Freeway, exit Long Beach Boulevard, and it's about a mile south to your left. 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/uptown-dog-park-long-beach

This dog park is fairly small than most; but it's clean; and it's fairly brand new/renovated.  The fences are new, and there's a section for small dogs and large dogs.  We got in there early; hence the mist on the ground.  It's in the middle of a larger family park, with picnic benches, etc.  I like the fact that the benches, even though there's only 3 or so of them; are clean and brand new, there's a station for recycled poop bags (give one, take one); so it's earth-friendly; and the water area is one of those self-replenishing water bowls (think toilet bowl) where the water gets filled automatically once it goes down to a certain level.  I like it because it prevents excess water - - hence muddy/gross watering area; but I am not particularly crazy about Tico drinking from the same bowl as 100 other dogs.  And with the slobbering, spitting, etc.; we hope he does not catch anything from one of those incidents.  But then again; Tico eats his poop whenever no one's watching; so I guess it's a fair game.  The dog park is next to a trailer park just north of the Bixby Knolls area; which is an up-an-coming area of Long Beach.

We enjoyed the place because we were the only ones inside for a while.  We got there with a young 20-30 something girl with a large female doberman.  The minute we got in; she started asking if our dog is friendly.  We said yes.  So her docile doberman started hanging around with Tico, but Tico was not having any of it.  He is there to catch balls.  So the minute Tico growled; pretty girl called it a day.  We felt bad, but she said it's okay.  She was ready to leave anyway; but hung out for a minute once she saw us coming.  She then got out of the dog park, and took her doberman for a nice walk in the family park called Scherer park; where the dog park is in.

We hung out for a little bit, but it's not a large space, so B had to make sure he controls the chuck-it good; or else the ball will go over the fence easily.  It did once; and he had to get out; and on his way in, he noticed the dog park rules - which mentioned the need to have a Long Beach license.  Dog-gone it.  Another city bit the dust for us.  For fear of being fined, ergo unexpected expenses, we bailed out of there.

Speaking of dog rules; this one has a very good dog rules, respectfully. 

1.  They don't allow dog walkers with more than 3 dogs - - so the owner to dog ratio does not get out of control.

2.  Dog owners must be in the park and within view of their dogs all time (MY BIGGEST PET PEEVE - - unattentive dog owners!)

3.  No children!  Yay!  I love children, but I am always watchful when I see children around Tico, because sudden movements will get him nervous.

4.  Aggressive dogs are not allowed.

5.  No female dogs in heat

6.  Must be current with their vaccinations

I do have mad respect for the City of Long Beach; because for a city in LA county, they are very dog-friendly.  I feel the same way with Huntington Beach, in the OC.  After all, LBC has a dog beach, and a dozen dog parks all on its own.  So for them to restrict some parks to LBC residents, I give them that; because we don't pay taxes that help provide amenities such as these.  But I wish that they would be less restrictive, so wanderers like us can enjoy their parks as well.  Which will entice people further to move to their cities, or at least do business\shop\eat in their cities.  All I'm saying.

Anyhoo, going back to the dog park - - it is true that the locals are very friendly here.  On our way back to the parking lot, we came across an older asian man with two large dogs, one was a GSD and another one a lab; and we chatted for a while with him.  A few steps away, we came across two older black ladies with their pretty yippy dogs (not much of a small breed know-it-all, so I generalize these dogs as yippy); and they loved our dog, because each of the ladies have had a GSD before as well.  Then they reminded us of the hip thing.  GSD's are known to have hip displacement when they get older (maybe once they turn 10 or so); so this enticed me to get Tico back into taking calcium pills.  He's very energetic right now, I just want to make sure his last few years with us will be less painful, if we can help it.

Since we left the dog park earlier than normal, we still need to give Tico his due exercise for the day.  So we got on the 405 freeway, exited on Seal Beach, made a right on PCH, and left on 2nd Street to hang out in Belmont Shore.  http://www.belmontshore.org/

I like Belmont Shore.  When we were apartment hunting two years ago, we were considering LBC\Belmont Shore area because of it's dog-friendly-ness.  The shops and restaurants in this dozen-block area are a great mix.  There's something for everyone's budget here.  You'll come across shops like White House/Black Market, as well as $15 clothing boutiques.  There's expensive and affordable restaurants galore.  We've only eaten at a local Indian restaurants here, but one of the locals mentioned a great Meditterranean just down the road that he feels we should check out as well.  Buffalo Exchange, a Goodwill-type used clothing store, is also here.  Surprisingly, Pussy and Pooch (http://www.pussyandpooch.com/), apparently a chain dog supplies/grooming salon, is also here.  We go to the one in Downtown LA, but it's always nice to have an option.  One thing that this store does not have, is a self-serve wash area.  They groom for $35 for Tico's size, but when we self-serve, it's $15.  Since we're on a spending freeze, we won't be coming back here yet, but it's always nice to know it's here in case we go to the Long Beach dog beach just down the road.

One thing that I like about LBC is that their residents are a mix of people, and for the most part, they are happier and chattier than other cities, IMO.  B mentioned that people come up to us more often than normal.  That's a great thing about having a dog, they are a conversational piece.  I don't think people would normally come up to us if we don't have Tico, so he's a great icebreaker; and makes it easy to chat people up with local news, weather, business ventures, etc.  So dog ownership is a great social networking tool all on its own.  But for non-dog lovers, it's a social deterrent.  Oh, well.  On a side note, Tico does not like sudden movements.  Skateboarders, motorcycles, vacuums, etc. makes him nervous.  So we managed to tick off a surprised skateboarder.  We apologized, and he mouthed off about not bringing Tico in public.  I wish I had time to retort that being 40-something and still skateboarding is also a no-no.  But skaterboi was already gone.

Right next to one of the Starbucks is the Sprint store, and one of the clerk went up to a tied up pretty yippie dog; and yippie climbed up against Alex (the Sprint guy)'s leg, begging for attention.  I thought that was adorable, so I took a picture.  There was another Jack Russell who climbed up on B's leg, when we went inside Pussy and Pooch.  It's a great dog-day (mid) afternoon in the LBC.  

Tico's "bed" is this leather loveseat.  During the course of the day, he's here.  It's his domain.  Once in a while, I will lie with him in this couch, and last night was one of those night, when I fell asleep watching "Friday" the movie.  I woke up at 2am finding myself contortioned on the other end of the couch, while Tico will stick his butt for as much as he could so he has more real estate.  We'd normally sleep together sometimes in the larger sofa, but B took that up too.  To avoid further back problems for me, I got up and slept in the cal-king bed.  Ah, the Friday night excitements in our household.  Hold on to your seats.  Literally.

"Don't You Forget About Me"; Redondo Beach Dog Park; 01.23.11

Park: Redondo Beach Dog Park

Location: Flagler Lane and 190th Street, Redondo Beach, CA

Directions: Take the 405 Freeway, exit 190th Street; head west.  Dog park will be to your left.

Hours: From dawn till dusk.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/redondo-beach-dog-park-redondo-beach?rpp=40&sort_by=date_desc

Took Tico to Redondo Beach Dog Park again today.  It's our go-to park whenever I don't have time to roam around and check out somewhere new.  It's large, fairly clean; and the "gossip girls" aka old men cluttered about talking crap about other dogs and dog owners in the park, are no longer around - - or at least not around whenever I go; which is really early.  Today actually is a great mix of locals, young and old; and single men and women with their dogs.  It's a great dog-gone day in Redondo Beach.  

The great thing about this place is that I won't have a hard time finding tennis balls to keep Tico entertained with.  The park is a combination of mulch and grass, but mostly mulch; and is located under a bunch of power lines.   You can see the streets up the hill; so you can't miss this place.  There's a clear section for large dogs, and the small dogs section is next to it.  There's also a little section in the back of the large dog area for timid dogs or dogs who are still being trained.  There are two water fountains in the large dog park itself, and there are a handful of benches - but not entirely a lot.  Pooper scoopers are around.  Do be careful for poo; as some owners are not attentive to their dogs. 

There's good parking all around; the dog park itself is 3 acres in size, in the north section of the 24 acres of Dominguez Park (200 Flagler Lane), and it's next to Heritage Court Museum (302 Flagler); which is a pretty place to roam around in with your (leashed) dogs.   It houses the Queen Anne's Cottage; which is a cute Victorian in the middle of rose-laced garden, complete with white picket fences- - a good place to get married in, IMO.  The landscaping is pretty, and it's museum is open on weekends from 1 to 4pm.  There's also Baseball fields and picnic areas.  Keep your dog leashed whenever you roam around outside of the dog park. 

http://home.earthlink.net/~beckers912/presprog/heritage.htm

http://www.redondo.org/depts/public_works/parks/dominguez.asp

The caliber of dogs here are awesome.  Today, I saw a St. Bernard who is a young'n and is still being trained by it's owner.  The owner managed to keep the St. Bernard in one spot for a whole minute; until he let him know it's okay to move around.  He later went up to me and I got to pat him; St. Bernards are adorable and docile.  But  I can imagine them when they're still a puppy.  This one is about a good buck-fifty.  Tico is around 90 pounds right now; and when he charges me - he usually topples me over.  Tico's energy level is just insane; and he's already two years old.  I was told by a bunch of dog owners that he'll mellow out when he gets older, which I half-look forward to.  

Which brings me to Warren Eckstein's  http://www.warreneckstein.com/ radio show yesterday.  There was a caller, an old man; who sounded so sad and desperate because his wife refused to get another dog while he on the other hand; wants one.  They've had two other dogs before, and each one has passed on and lived for 12 years under their care.  So for about 24 years, this couple has had two dogs, enjoyed the dogs' companionship; and went through a bad time of grieving after the loss.  The wife does not want to go through that again.  Warren suggested that people always remember in the back of their heads that their dogs will only be with us for a short time; and to enjoy every moment of it while they are still around.  Warren also told the caller to suggest fostering to his wife; that way, they get to enjoy the great experience of dog ownership again, but not really get attached until the wife is ready to take the next step.  The caller is pretty happy about that suggestion.  

Warren is a firm believer of shelters; and can't stand "puppy mills".  My dog came from a breeder, so I have mixed feelings about shelters.  I once chatted up with a PetSmart clerk who told me that she adopted a puppy who she later had to put down because apparently it contracted parvo, and she never knew.  It gives me peace of mind to know where my dog's family came from; and their health background at birth.  At the same time, my heart goes out to those dogs whose owners were way in over their heads about dog ownership; and so it overpopulates the shelters due to their irresponsibility.  And with the recession; most owners have had to let their dogs go - - hence the overpopulation.  

One day, as I was getting ready for work; I heard a commotion right outside my front door.  When I got out on my way to the car, a couple of my neighbors were gathered around, calling on their cell phones, because there was a large GSD in the middle of the street.  My first reaction was that she was pregnant; but my neighbor explained to me that the dog has tumor the size of a melon.  The cop was already there waiting for the pound guys; but I felt so bad for that dog.  Someone just dropped him off on the streets.  And I could tell that the dog was an indoor dog; because he didn't move.  He's utterly helpless; and HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.  I called him out, but he won't budge.  That night, I hugged my dog for the longest time.  I have about 10 more years with Tico, and I don't take that for granted. 

I don't know how those owners who's had to let their dogs go to shelters; or in this case, this dog with tumor; but it's heartbreaking to know that dogs have no power whatsover to take charge of their lives; and they are at the mercy of those owners who may have the best interest at first, but failed in the end, under different circumstances; reasonably warranted or not.  And then there's Warren Eckstein's caller; who would like to have a dog, but he can't easily have one.  His comment, while in between controlled emotion; was somewhere along the line of "there's nothing like the experience and joy of having a dog; it's the most loyal companion you could ever have".  It's true; and this old man just touched my heart.   

"Don't You Forget About Me" is a song by an 80's band called Simple Minds, made famous by the movie "The Breakfast Club".  The song is also featured in the movie that I am currently watching called "Easy A" by Emma Stone.  Two good movies, one great song.