Just Can't Get Enough of the California Experience!

--Downtown Fullerton: Extraordinary boutique--Gilding the Lily--owned by Aunt’s similarly cool sister—chock full of sparkly things from German glass glitter to vintage jewelry to velvety millinery swirls and flourishes. My kinda place. http://www.gildingthelilyvintage.blogspot.com/ (great soundtrack, BTW!!)

Sweet little local history museum featured architectural photographer Julius Shulman’s 1950s and 1960s work documenting Fullerton houses and other buildings—a visual foray into the mid-century lifestyle, followed up with a visit to neat downtown shops like
mod Otto and retro-hot Out of Vogue.

--Long Beach. Aquarium of the Pacific. We got the lowdown on that sea monster we had seen washed ashore near Huntington Beach the day before: a massive wad of kelp. Checked out the touristy pier, saw the stately Queen Mary anchored across the harbor.

Drove up the interesting and scenic Pacific Coast Highway, admiring the pretty beach towns along the way: Redondo, Manhattan, Venice (where we parked and walked a bit, great for people-watching!); I could have kept going on the PCH but we hung a right at Santa Monica and meandered through 90210 on our way back home. Rodeo Drive looks as…ah…well-kept…as its inhabitants.

--Theme Park Day. I get my fill of the theme park experience in my own home state, that’s for sure…but thought we should at least check out the west coast’s “happiest place on Earth” for ourselves, at least do a little drive-by. They have that place so walled off, despite its location in the middle of Anaheim—unlike the World in Orlando, which has its own power grid plus acreage to spare—that there’s no way in hell you’re going to see that castle without a ticket, mister. So after an amble around Downtown Disney (free parking, first 3 hours!), we headed for our next adventure: the fried chicken at Knott’s Berry Farm that we’d heard so much about.

Fiorella’s in the French Quarter still wins the fried chicken smackdown in my book, but at least we can say we’ve eaten at the birthplace of the boysenberry. Also—if you think you can “do” Knott’s Berry Farm in 45 minutes, here’s the way to go: buy a “shopper’s pass” for half-price admission at Guest Services, and if your “shopper” hand stamp “accidentally” washes off in the restroom, get your fill of the thrill rides and be back at the gate before the clock strikes three quarters of an hour for a full refund. Now, I’m not saying I did anything like that…but the person with me might have…

Thus concludes our whirlwind tour of SoCal—can’t wait to go back!

Up Next: Sanibel sand in my shoes...

Cali-bound, Part One

You have to fly across the surface of the moon to get to California.

Or, as the cartographers call it, New Mexico and Arizona.

Here are some highlights of our recent westward expedition…

Home base: Fullerton, half-way up a mountain at Aunt & Uncle’s fab little mid-century abode, complete with Disneyland fireworks view, gourmet fare and cocktails at the ready. Couldn’t have asked for more gracious hosts: a fantastic cook and an easy-going tour guide/mixologist, to name just a couple of their many talents!
[To R & L: You guys ROCK!!!]

--Downtown L.A. Petersen Automotive Museum—A top-notch attraction for car buffs and design junkies alike (Love those hood ornaments!); Craft and Folk Art Museum—Tiny but I got to see what I came for: an assemblage exhibit featuring works by L.A. artists, including punk scenestress Exene Cervenka. Rich visual constructions elevating ordinary objects and the forgotten detritus of human life into a visual poetry of extraordinary compositions.

--Old Towne Orange. Browsed the antique shops around the Circle. Lunch at Watson Drugs & Soda Fountain (est. 1899 and seen in films like Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do”)—had a BLT with avocado...onion rings…and a shared chocolate malt…taste bud heaven and cardiac hell in one sitting. Bought some cool old keys at Muff’s, a crazy, packed-to-the-rafters vintage hardware store.

--Laguna Beach. Waded into the Pacific for the first time. And to this Florida gal, it’s cold. Like fishing beer bottles out of the cooler’s melted ice the morning after a party. But in Florida, you can’t stand in the surf while looking up at the big mountains in the distance. Nice.

--Pasadena. Gorgeous buildings, lovely landscapes. Gamble House: prime example of Arts & Crafts architecture cited prominently during my American art history college courses. Here I was, standing in that very house, marveling at the handiwork—and I do mean HANDIWORK. The craftsmanship in every beam and joint, every fixture, every windowpane, is breathtaking. And the “clinker bricks” on the back patio—so beautiful in their imperfection.
I’m in love with the Greene brothers for details like that.

Friday night’s big thrill: Reading quietly on the couch. A gentle shaking, barely discernible, lasting maybe 10 seconds if that, but nonetheless…kinda freaky.

“Aftershock,” Aunt proclaimed from the kitchen. Yorba Linda’s little quake earlier in the day finally caught up with us. Just a reminder from Mother Nature that humans ain’t as big shot as they think they are.

UP NEXT: More cool Cali excursions…