I had myself a Merry Little Christmas. Could we be luckier? I asked
Chris as we basked in the glow of December 25 sunshine. There were no
particular plans for the day. The folks flew off to Atlanta to see Bob &
Patty. Bert went to Santa Maria to be with Jon & Angela. And with no
meals to cook, no stress, and just a glorious day, we hopped into our
car and drove away, heading down PCH toward Rancho Palo Verdes.
Passing by the harbor, people were lined up outside the door of the
Harbor House Cafe. There must have been at least 25 people waiting for a
seat and place to eat. On north to Belmont Shore, diners would fair
better with ShoreHouse Cafe and another restaurant open, plus Starbucks
and Coffee Bean both serving up muffins and brews.
Pickings became slim once again as we veered toward downtown Long Beach
and over the Thomas Vincent Bridge into San Pedro.
Spending hours wandering, around the
Korean Friendship Bell,
watching whales dip and dive along the coast and walking along the
Donald Trump Golf Course made one thing was clear. There were thousands
of people out wandering and looking for something to do (and we'd later
learn that they were looking for a place to eat, too). Most were content
to take leisurely strolls, jog with their pets, ride a bike or a engage
in a photo session with the family in front of some recognizable or
interesting view.Heading
north, we veered into a place we'd briefly visited before,
White Point & Royal Palms County
Beaches.
Pushing onto the Rancho Palos Verdes - Lunada Bay where a neighbor grew
up, there wasn't a house for sale. Several children rode bikes down
tree-shaded lanes on the 75 degree day. A mom and dad pushed their baby
in a stroller (pram) and the scene seemed incredibly old-fashioned.
Down the slope toward Torrance Beach, we quickly arrived in Redondo,
where the pace picked up to the point of intense. Just as we
passed the Wyland whale mural on the generating station building, we saw
cars turn into Chart House. Awesome! Or maybe not. The locals had
read an add that it would be open Christmas day and most made
reservations. We lowly walk-ins would experience a wait....well over an
hour, but who's counting? Finally when it looked like it was never to
be, I got the "OK" to sit at one of the primo tables overlooking the
ocean. And it was so worth it!
Crusted Salmon, cold salad and delicious ice tea were my Christmas
treat. And just as it was time to leave, a spectacular sunset over the
Pacific Ocean graced this dinner meal. The lone surfer outside our
window wasn't catching many waves. He packed it up for the night just as
we said our good-byes, paying our $100 food bill.
Heading back on the freeway, the
traffic was fast, furious and crowded. Millions upon millions of people
had to get back home for the next day's work (gosh, it's nice to work
for yourself on days like this!) I can work a little on Christmas day,
sleep in late and work later on the 26th of December. Here's a
taste of the pictures from Christmas Day at BeachCalifornia.
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