Arriving in an Empty Los Angeles (CA) -- January 2015

DAY ONE – 19 January 2015

My counter-parts and I were all set to travel back to our specific regions in the greater Los Angeles area in December, but the company decided to cancel all trip.  The reasoning of the head office was it was too close to the holiday.  We would’ve been gone between 15-19 December, so back before anyone should be leaving for the holidays.  Honestly I really think it was the company didn’t want to chunk out for our expenses at the end of the year.  I’m sure the final decision on our trips came from our bean counters.

I’d been looking forward to seeing how California decorates for the holidays, even though I don’t celebrate them.  Yeah the commercialism can bother me, but the artistic quality of what people come up with can be interesting.  And one of my client contacts had offered to take me on a boat ride after dark in order to see how all the lights looked when viewed off-shore.  I’d previously mentioned this to my manager, and she said it wouldn’t be a conflict of interest to do that, as no favors were being offered.  If anyone asked, it’d be no different than going for a ride with a friend.  Since the December trip didn’t happen, the point is moot.

And when drafting this journal, the question in my mind was how would this be different than previous entries.  How I interact with my clients is not anyone’s business, as I want to keep the journal focused on the fun and interesting items.  Also, at the time of this trip, there was a huge upheaval in the person life, so going this time was making me a bundle of nerves due to anxiety.  It’s one thing to tell someone you’re only a phone call away if they need you when you’re a couple miles away, it’s different when you’re going to be two time zones away.  By the time this is published (some months after the trip actually happened), the upheaval may either be a footnote in my life experiences, or part of a strong foundation for the future.  At this point it was too early to see, and the travel blog was not the venue for those thoughts.

Since the itinerary for January trip was just going to be what I’d originally planned to do on the December trip, that part of the planning stage was easy (as my brain kept coming back to the personal issue which weighed heavily).  The arrangements for flight, car rental, and hotels were made online as they had been before.  I’d get another 6 am flight out of Austin, and arrive in Los Angeles by 7.30.  I thought that seemed early, but this was a direct (without the touch-down I had the previous time).  I told my clients the first I’d see would be about noon, as I factored in the time it took to get baggage, pick-up car rental, and actually drive the distance to my furthest destination.

The flight out of Austin was about a third empty.  I commented to my counter-part Roy that it’d been a long time when I’d seen a flight which wasn’t full.  He concurred.  I just figured not enough business travelers booked this flight, and didn’t think anything of it.  Since it was so early in the morning, I took the opportunity to doze a little instead of reading or playing a game on the Kindle.  Figured if I couldn’t get a power nap in, then going into repose to recharge the brain before the drive would be good.

After a nice easy landing at LAX, I noticed picking up baggage was also quicker than normal.  It’d been chilly in Austin, so I had a sweater in my suitcase, and had been wearing my fleece pull-over when I left Texas.  Austin was twenty degrees below normal, and Los Angeles was currently degrees above normal, so with weather forecasted to be in the 70’s, I wasn’t going to need those bulky items.  I’d purchased a garment bag for my suits last month, so I wouldn’t have to roll them in shopping bags, so I wanted to see how well everything came out.

I was too busy soaking in the warm weather on the shuttle bus to pay much attention to the other passengers.  But when we were dropped off at Enterprise, I noticed the bus was a little empty too.  I was able to haul in, get my rental secured, stow my gear, program the destination into the GPS, and get on my way in record time.  It was barely 8.30 when I was leaving the rental agency, and it’d only take me about 90 minutes to reach San Bernardino.  And as I got out on the highway, there was traffic, but it was light and moved along at a pretty decent clip.  Yeah, I was going to get there long before my scheduled noontime arrival.

The GPS took me east across IH-105 (through Lynwood), where I picked up 605 north which took me all the way to Duarte.  I then turned east on 210, which sent me through towns which were in the region of my counterpart Mary Beth.  I chuckled as I went past Glendora and Rancho Cucamonga, wondering if MB was at the dealers there.  Of all the drives I’ve taken to reach my destination, this was the most northern route I’d had.  I was able to see the mountain range really close up, but there was no safe place to pull over and take pictures.  Some of the peaks were Mt. Baldy, Mt. San Antonio, and Timber Mountain, although I had no idea which was one was what.  I could snowcaps on a couple of them.  That had been a while seen I’d seen that.

Once I reached San Bernardino, I really saw what an economically-depressed area this was.  I’m sure in the past this was a better place, but it’d seen better days.  The last time I visited this client was when I rode with my District Representative, who gave me some backdrop information.  I had to go past a Home Depot to get to the dealership, and there was a score of day-laborers hanging around the area waiting for some construction boss to come along and grab them for a short-time job or two.  It was 10.30 when I pulled into my destination.

When I spoke to my contact (Joe) and mentioned how sparse the traffic was and how quickly I got through baggage and the rental process, he commented that was probably because everyone else was off today.  It took a moment for the fact to shift in my mind, and then I realized it was MLK Day.  Suddenly all that fell into place.  Joe got a good laugh over my brain fart.  We went over the business we needed to discuss, and that brought us up to noon.  By then I figured I’d tip over to my dealer in Redlands.  If I saw anything interesting along the way as a place to stop for lunch, I would.

The dealer in Redlands is one of my favorites to deal with, as I have such a good rapport with my contact there (a man named Junior).  Junior got to hear about the situation I was going through, and he demonstrated some genuine empathy about it.  While we have a strictly professional relationship, this is someone I’d continue to stay in contact if I ever leave this position.  Before Junior set me up in an office to work in, I mentioned I hadn’t had lunch yet, and asked if he wanted to go with.  (There’s a small plaza across the road with some quick places.)  Junior had a meeting to go to, otherwise he would join me.

My TripAdvisor article already had my comments about BK Subs, so there’s no need to repeat it.  I worked until it was about 5 pm, and then figured it was time to work my way to Riverside to check into my hotel.  It wasn’t far to go, but considering the time of day it’d take me 30-45 minutes.  Since I’d been up since 3 am CT, I wanted to get something to eat and crash out earlier if I could.  I’d stayed at the Hyatt Riverside on the previous trip, so I knew exactly where I needed to go, and what would be waiting for me.

There was some seminar taking place at the hotel, but it was nice the parking had been set aside for those actually staying at the hotel.  The ground floor was crowded, and one elevator was working, but those were really small concerns when the front desk gives you a warm welcome as a returning guest.  I got up to my room and found a surprise waiting for me.  There was a home-made cookie with a nice personalized note next to a bottle of water setting on the desk.  I’m sure that’s done for all the returning guests, but I’d never seen it before, so it really came off as a nice gesture.

The first thing I did upon entering was take a couple pictures of the room for a TripAdvisor article, and unpack (and hang) the suit I’d be wearing the next day.  I did a quick phone call to check on the situation at home while I was doing that to make sure everything was okay.

Riverside has a nice pedestrian street, and I’ve eaten at two places here already (the second I really enjoyed), but wanted to find new ones.  The front desk gave me a tip of a Mexican place called Mezcal, which was located on the pedestrian street.  Dude, you got me sold, as I’m always game to try a new Mexican place.  I was even given a card for a free appetizer.  Hoofing it down directly, I find it closed.  It’s not that late in the evening, and no signs which showed hours or whatever.  Man, bum steer.

After a quick stroll down Main Street on the section blocked from traffic, I decided on a place called Elephant Thai Cuisine.  The chicken teriyaki I had was pretty good, although service was slow at refilling my water glass.  Yeah, I learned that trick from hometown-girl-done-good Rachael Ray on $40 A Day, where you could save on a restaurant tab by not ordering a beverage other than water.  I was still hungry afterwards, and had seen a sign for ice cream outside a nearby pizza joint.

Now when I visit places, especially those I’m going to write articles on, I try to be discreet about taking pictures if I can.  Not only does it mark you as an out-of-towner, but it tends to creep people out.  The interior of the Antonious Pizza Café had a huge high ceiling with lots of snowflakes suspended on fishing line.  The flakes were of varying sizes, and different heights.  It was a really nice art project.  That would’ve been a good thing to take a picture of, but it was more important to chat with the proprietor there, as I was getting a cookies & cream milkshake.

When I came in, an old lady rolled over to me and tried to make small talk.  This was someone who had not aged well, didn’t know how properly apply make-up, and was still trying to dress like it was jazzercise time from the 1980’s.  Spidey sense tripped on, and I made sure she didn’t get too close.  I don’t know if it was one of the local prostitutes, or just a sad old lady whose had a rough life, I didn’t want her anywhere near me.  Even if I was unattached and looking for some No Strings Attached fun, I wasn’t interested at all in what she was offering.  The lady followed me around the café a bit while my milkshake was being prepared, and briefly out the door when I left.  The evening was nice and I was going to sit at the outdoor café, but I didn’t want her anywhere near me.

I worked my way back to the hotel, and had only drank half my milkshake.  I’d gotten a small, and it was very filling.  Well, there’s a fridge in the room, so the remainder will keep until the next morning.  It was getting close to 9 pm PT, which seemed early to sleep, but the body was getting near collapse time.  As recent personal events had made it so sleep was not something I was getting a lot of, when the body wanted to drop off, I was inclined to let it.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Los Angeles International Airport: http://www.lawa.org/welcomelax.aspx

Lynwood:  http://www.lynwood.ca.us/

Duarte:  http://www.accessduarte.com/

Glendora:  http://cityofglendora.org/

Rancho Cucamonga:  http://www.cityofrc.us/

Mt Baldy:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Baldy,_California

San Bernardino:  http://www.ci.san-bernardino.ca.us/

Riverside:  http://www.riversideca.gov/

Mezcal:  http://mezcalriverside.com/

Rachael Ray:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachael_Ray

            ###  30  ###

Ending Another Trip in the City of Angels (CA) -- November 2014

DAY FIVE – 21 November 2014

It was another nice morning, seeing a sunrise partially obscured by a nearby building.  After coming back from breakfast, I showered, and packed.  During every morning I’ve been here (this month and last month), I’d gotten into a routine of watching the local television stations in the morning for the weather and traffic, plus whatever news might be current.  Last month I’d cycled through them and come across one group which I found the most interesting, so this week I’ve been turning them on specifically.

KTTV’s morning show (the local FOX affiliate) has an older gentleman who tends to be a bit more on the serious side, with two younger (30ish) ladies who provide both the comic relief and eye candy, as well as a few others who come in for specific segments.  It’s still a professional environment, but this group seems (to me) to have the most fun.  The two ladies grew up in western New York, so when they were talking about the recent storm which overnight dumped six feet of snow on Buffalo, they were able to speak about winter difficulties from personal experience.  They’re not as amusing as Austin’s Dudley & Bob morning radio show, but they make a decent substitute for me.

As I drove up PCH when leaving Seal Beach, I attempted to do some of the “dashboard camera shots” again, but really could only get some mildly decent pictures when at a stop light.  The traffic was lighter to do that here, but as I got closer to the roundabout (near California State University at Long Beach) it got more difficult.  I’m driving first, taking pictures second.

When I passed the empty tent where the Xmas trees will eventually be, it gave me some amusing thoughts for when I’m here next month.  It’ll be interesting to see all the holiday decorations amidst the ocean views.  I’ve been used to seeing a green December since coming to Texas, but this would be a chance to see a new variation.

Like last month, I’d be driving PCH up to my dealer in Torrance.  It’s a nice drive, pretty direct, and I avoid the crowded highway.  There’s stores and other stuff along the way which I hope to explore in the future.  That except when I get to the area around Wilmington, which isn’t the friendliest neighborhood.  When I look at the houses, I try to imagine back the 1950’s when most of these were probably built, and how this was more “new suburbia” then, as opposed to the “hood” it’s become.

Just because I have twisted humor, I had to take a picture of this sign.  Of all the things listed on the marquee, I know what’s the most important to me when I’m checking into a seedy motel in a sketchy part of town.  I want to make sure the inside of the place doesn’t resemble the outside.

Again once my meeting was done with my dealer contact, I tried to take a few pictures of the area, to get a since of the terrain.  Looking in kind of a southwest direction, the hills I saw were of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  I’m told that’s a more “exclusive” area to live in.  Since I’m not a native, I take information like that on faith until I’ve driven there myself or researched it.

I’d mentioned to my contact (John) during our meeting that I’d stayed down in Seal Beach this week.  He let me know he was a captain at one of the premier yacht clubs there, and they have a regular private dinner cruise.  John also said being able to see all the holiday lights from out on the ocean was really nice.  I nodded in agreement, saying that it sounded like it would be.  John then told me to contact him when I arrive for my next visit, and we’ll spend an evening out on the boat with the rest of his club.

I certainly thanked him for the invite, and commented that would be something to consider.  Of course when I got back to the office, I’d have to consult with my superior to make sure anything like wasn’t frowned upon.  In years past, there were always situations of favors and other nice (but innocent) things being done for a visiting representative or client.  This was a genuine friendly offer, and I appreciated it, but in our sue-happy modern climate I have to make sure my company won’t have a cow with me doing something like this.  The offer being made from one person to another is fine.  But when it’s being made during a business trip, whether it’s meant to part of the trip or not, it’s the perception of things like this are why companies get bent out of shape about stuff like this.

Personally, I think it would be a great idea.  One of the things I’d been thinking about this week (especially when writing down the details) of how to make this blog still informative and not repetitive.  While I’m going to the places for business needs, and not detailing the specifics of that, I have a set region which I’ll be revisiting for months for to come.  I can’t keep describing the same areas over and over, with the only variation of what different restaurants I happened to go to.  It’s quite possible that future entries about subsequent trips may only have a single posting, unless I had the opportunity to do something really interesting or have a wildly different experience than before.

I had the same flight out as the last trip, so I took the same route to LAX during the same type of day.  The only difference was not hitting traffic on the 405, and I was scoping out gas stations as close to the rental agencies, so I know for future fill-ups.  Surprisingly, I got through the security check point equally as easy as I did in Austin.  For a big airport like LAX, that’s freakin’ amazing!

Now the line to get food at California Pizza Kitchen was still pretty long, and the service was the speed of molasses.  I get stuff there only because it’s the least-offensive of the available offerings, and even then I get the pre-made sandwiches.  This time I could’ve waited for a personal-sized pizza, but I wanted to try to get some work done before getting on the plane.  I can get CPK at home in a sit-down location, so I’ll actually go there to enjoy their food.

My counter-part Roy was taking the same flight back as me, and he soon joined me (as his territory was north of Los Angeles in Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, and Palmdale, plus points north to Bakersfield).  He commented that he remembered to print his boarding pass twenty-fours ahead of time, and ended with “B-24.”  I looked at him with a smile and simply stated “A Group.”  Hell, A-56 is at the ass-end of the A Group, but it’s still A Group.  Roy’s friendly retort was something to the effect of him hating me because I always beat him in the Southwest lottery.

It was a direct flight back, so there wouldn’t even be a touch-down or anything like that.  It was a nice smooth flight until about the last half-hour, when we were approaching the Austin corridor.  There had been some rain and wind which Roy’s region had the previous day (which missed mine), and it’d been moving eastward.  We knew we’d encounter it one the way home, the question as to what intensity.

The captain announced that he expected we’d be getting some choppy situations, so he recommended everyone return to their seats and buckle up.  A few minutes later the plane was shaking side to side.  Not too violently, but enough for me to place a square in the wrong position on my Tetris game.  Roy’s knuckles started to get white, as he again commented how much he hated flying Southwest.  Hey, I flew through Hurricane Noel out of the Caribbean in 2007, and have never experienced a flight as nail-biting as that one.  This was cake as far as I was concerned.

It was raining in Austin, but the temperature had warmed back up to the normal now, so it was comfortable when we returned.  I’d consumed things out of my snack baggie (trail mix, Cliff Bar, Kashi Bar, and fruit snacks) during the flight, so I wasn’t hungry for dinner.  I wanted a milkshake, but that would wait until I got back home.  My luggage was the fifth item out (heard Roy make a comment about that), and I motored to the shuttle to take me back to my parked car.

This was a much better trip than last month’s, because the work-fun ratio was more balanced, the hotel experience was nicer, and I certainly ate more properly.  This was the way a work trip should be, productive and enjoyable without being overly stressful.  I know next trip I’m going to visit the dealers I didn’t go to this time, but I hope to have some new material and observations about the area.  I write the travel blog both as a way to share my experiences, and to make people aware of things out there they could visit.  But I don’t want people’s recreation to visit my dealerships, unless they actually intend to purchase a vehicle.  And no, I won’t get a kick-back from them.

I write these strictly for the love of doing it.  And I thank everyone who’s read these, and shared the experience.  I’ve enjoyed travelling with you, and I hope you’ll continue to do so.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

KTTV Morning Show (“Good Day LA”):  http://www.myfoxla.com/category/240698/good-day-la

Dudley & Bob (KLBJ-FM, Austin, TX):  http://www.klbjfm.com/shows/dudley-and-bob

CSU Long Beach:  http://www.csulb.edu/

Torrance (CA):  http://www.torranceca.gov/

Palos Verdes Peninsula:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palos_Verdes

Thousand Oaks (CA):  http://www.toaks.org/

Santa Clarita (CA):  http://www.santa-clarita.com/

Palmdale (CA):  http://www.cityofpalmdale.org/

Bakersfield (CA):  http://www.bakersfieldcity.us/

            ###  30  ###

Sunset at Huntington Beach (CA) -- November 2014

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Long Beach & Seal Beach Pier (CA) -- November 2014

DAY THREE – 19 November 2014

Because it was so damn chilly in Austin before I left (due to that damn arctic front), I’d packed a sweater.  It was looking like it’s be in the 70s during the day, so I probably wouldn’t need to wear it.  I did have a sweatshirt to wear down to breakfast, so it was completely obvious that I was wearing the same clothes as the night before.  I went and grabbed some brochures and “Things To Do” magazines so I could get ideas of future non-work visits.  I’m going to suggest to Mum that we take a vacation together in this area, as opposed to going to Phoenix.  Nothing against Arizona, but since I’m getting a feel of the area now, it makes more sense to explore further at some point later.

I staked out my seat in the dining area by putting the brochures there, so I’d just a nice clear view of the TV for the morning news and traffic.  Oh, it was so nice as I was scooping up the scrambled eggs, I looked forward to their yummy protein.  I got my plate loaded with my muffin and came back to my seat, only to find some lady had grabbed it.  I just set my plate on the next table over, and then reached over to grab my stuff.  There was no hint of recognition from her at all as she stuffed her face, nothing to show she realized she had perhaps grabbed a seat where someone was already sitting at.  Her laptop case was next to her, so there was no mistake that I claimed her seat already.  I’m more surprised she had gotten a plateful of food so quickly and chowing down so quickly.  It didn’t hurt anything, so I just had my breakfast and then went back to get cleaned up.  I do want to note during the entire time I was there she never even acknowledged my presence.  Yeah, no matter where you go you’re going to encounter assholes.  The trick is not to them bother you.

My first stop of the day was in Long Beach.  They didn’t have an extra office for me, so I was able to set up in their business office (where the warranty clerks were).  I was right next to desk of one of my contacts (Bianca).  They referred to me as “the GM guy,” and I told them they didn’t need to act any different with me here.  Bianca asked if I was ready to hear what an office full of women talked about.  I replied that I had a pretty good idea, so be as free with what you say.  One of the managers had brought in a huge bun from Panera, which smelled so good.  I was full from my breakfast so I didn’t need any, but was glad they offered anyway.  Once I was done there, I mentioned I was looking for a good place for lunch, and the office ladies gave me a number of good suggestions.  I’d just have to see what was on my way to my next location.

Heading down Carson Street, I passed Long Beach City College and Heartwell Park and saw that were pretty nice areas here, and not as nasty-looking as I thought this residential section would be.  I saw a place that looked promising for lunch, called Buffalo Nickel Café.  It didn’t look like much on the inside, but burger was fabulous.  I liked how instead of iceberg lettuce it was topped with spinach greens.

My name tag with the GM logo is on my coat, which I leave in the car when going to lunch, since I’m going to take it off anyway.  As I was at Buffalo Nickel, some people came down and sat at the table across from me, and I could tell by the suits they were wearing it was a law firm going out to lunch together.  I could over hear them discussing some the air bag cases they’d be taking to hearing, but didn’t get any specific details.  I didn’t know if these were one of the firm antagonistic to GM (ie, the ambulance chasers), so I kept my mouth shut.  I was texting one of my counterparts to let her know what was going on, and she suggested if I had a grenade to roll it under their table.  If only….

After lunch, I shot over to Cerritos, as this was one of the dealerships which has more problems.  I have note that due to their size, and the corresponding volume they get, that adds to their poor response time.  Still, I had a good chat with my contact there, and hoped that we had a good dialogue to keep from having too many issues in the future.  I was able to have my laptop set up in her office, so we were able to discuss items as they came up.

Once 5 pm hit, it was time to go.  To get back to Seal Beach was pretty much a straight shot down Interstate 605, about ten miles, and figured I’d get caught right in rush hour traffic.  I hit it right, and breezed through there before it built up too bad.  It was still dusk when I got back to the hotel, so I missed seeing my sunset over the Pacific again.

With a quick change of clothes, I returned to Main Street Seal Beach and parked.  I walked the entire Seal Beach Pier, and took a few shots.  I knew I wasn’t going to get very good views, so I tried for something artsy of taking pictures of my shadow on the sand.  I also noticed some students playing a version of hackey sack where they bounced it off a small trampoline as they passed it to someone else in the circle.  I had to admit it was pretty interesting.

I took the opportunity to walk Main Street from the Pier to PCH and back, and noted a few places to eat along the way.  Charo Chicken and Hennessey’s Grill both made the “maybe list,” but I’d decided on a place which I’d spotted from the Pier.  A place which we considered during the September trip.  A place which I’d considered yesterday.

From the outside, The Hangout looks like the “beach bar” it advertises itself as.  But since I could see all types of people inside, I figured this would be a good place to try.  The décor had a subtle beach feel to it, and it was very inviting.  A surfboard mounted on the wall listed the craft beers available, so I tried a “Lucky Duck” brown ale.  For my meal, I got the chicken-fried chicken, only because I hadn’t had that in a while, and I knew it’d be filling if it was done properly.  The breading wasn’t too thick, and the correct amount of pepper was in the gravy, so I enjoyed it.  There was such a diverse cross-section of people here (unlike the yuppie-types I saw last night for dinner), that made a better atmosphere as far as I was concerned.

While waiting for my order, I was reading a really good article in the OC Weekly, their weekly “alternative” paper (much like what Austin Chronicle is, just much thinner).  It was talking about the water shortage facing southern California due to reduced spring run-off, shrinking aquifer, and increased population density.  I wanted to take this back with me to show the problems facing central Texas are not unique.  After I had finished my dinner (and passed on dessert), I went and walked the Seal Beach Pier again to work that off.  The reason why I mention it now because it’s when I was driving back to the hotel was when I recalled I left the paper at the restaurant, and it was too late to turn back around to grab one.  I just hoped I’d be able to grab one the next day, even though I noticed the available number of copies was dwindling.

The reason why I didn’t get dessert at The Hangout was on my walk up and down Main Street I’d stopped into a bakery and eye-balled some cookies.  I figured if I was still hungry post-dinner, I’d come back to get a couple.  I walked back up to Sweet Jill’s Bakery, which was in the direction of where my car was parked.  I showed restraint and purchased only two cookies (a chocolate chip one and a peanut butter one).  There were a lot of other baked goodies here.  I wanted to get more to take home with me, or even bring to some of my office peeps, but they wouldn’t be a fresh when they got them as they were now.

Instead of going back up Main Street to PCH, I knew there was a way to go east along the beach as it would arc back to the corner where Seal Beach Blvd meets PCH.  I knew that because that’s how we at least once during the September trip.  Since it was dark, I missed the turn off, and got to drive around the Seal Beach neighborhood before circling back around to Main.  Since it wasn’t as hot out, people didn’t have their doors and windows open, but they still had their shades pulled up.  I still find that odd to be eating dinner, watching TV, or whatever after dark with your interior lights on and shades up, because it gives a clear view into your house.  Definitely a different mentality, than we had back in the smallest city in New York State, or anywhere in Texas.  Just an observation there.

Since cookies need milk, once I got back to my hotel, I walked over to the stop-and-rob to buy a bottle of NesQuik.  I had no fridge in my room, so that’s why I only got one bottle.  I also got a copy of the L.A. Times so I could send it to John, Sara, and the other TMSers who used to work on that project.  Sure it’s not the Sunday edition which would be funnier, but this should be amusing enough for them.  I won’t have to run over to the Post Office the next day, I’ll have to send it to them when I get home

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Long Beach (CA):  http://www.longbeach.gov/

Long Beach City College:  http://www.lbcc.edu/

            Heartwell Park (Long Beach):  http://www.longbeach.gov/park/parks_and_open_spaces/parks/heartwell_park.asp

Buffalo Nickel:  http://www.citysearch.com/profile/609760884/lakewood_ca/buffalo_nickel.html

Cerritos (CA):  http://www.cerritos.us/

Seal Beach Pier:  http://www.yelp.com/biz/seal-beach-pier-seal-beach

Charo’s Chicken (Seal Beach):  http://www.charochicken.com/

Hennessey’s Grill (Seal Beach):  http://www.hennesseystavern.com/

The Hangout (Seal Beach):  http://www.thehangoutrestaurant.com/

OC Weekly:  http://www.ocweekly.com/

Sweet Jill’s Bakery (Seal Beach):  http://sweetjillsbakery.com/

            ###  30  ###