Author: Petra

A New (Not Quite Welcome) Record

The unseasonably hot weather ended yesterday with temperatures of 85° F (29° C); this broke the record from 1912 with  temperatures of 82° F (28° C).

Yes, on January 20th.

The forecast for today: 76° F (24° C) and rain at night. Indeed, the sky looked more textured this morning, promising some precipitation.

clouds-blog_4440.jpg

Whether the much needed rain will arrive has to be seen.

Classic Car. New Look.

Normally I prefer classic cars to be restored along the lines of the originals – original parts, colors etc.

Now and then one sees a variation, taking the theme of the classic car to another dimension. In this case, I like the universe this finned beauty came from.

Even the trunk ornament is not overly irritating and tacky, paired with the matte black. I would never go that far, but once again – this is a New Look I can live with.

classic-car-blog-2152.jpg

No Ice In The Bucket

the-bucket-blog_4277.jpg

Roaming around Los Angeles on the quest for quirky places to eat we hit The Bucket in Eagle Rock. This tiny place is famous in L.A. It was opened in 1935 by a Julio, who – according to some old timers – was quite the guy. You did things his way, or else. Julio is not around any longer, the place has new owners, but with the eatery he also sold the recipes for his famous burgers, the Julio Shrimp and his secret spicy sauce.

So there we were, sitting outside in the newly added patio (before that, the place seated barely 10) and were ready to order. One Bucket Burger, one Julio Shrimp, fries. For drinks we ordered a Coke and a Red Bull. The Coke arrived, but I was informed that they were out of Red Bull. Right, I said, then I’d like a coffee, please. Whereupon the charming server  said: “No coffee machine, no microwave, no ice – it’s The Bucket.” That is not something one hears too often in these parts of the world. I settled for a water without ice, which is exactly what I am always drinking.

Then we waited for the food. That’s something else unique to The Bucket – there is a wait, because the food is always freshly prepared. But once it arrived, it was as good as we had heard. The burger was juicy and meaty and the Julio Shrimp was quite an adventure: two shrimp, butterflied, stuffed with crab meat, wrapped in bacon and deep fried, served with the secret spicy sauce. Well, well.

julio-shrimp-blog_4275.jpg

Another place one can highly recommend for eating outside the box; and drinks without ice.

At The Top

Mt. Hollywood (1,640 feet) is the highest point in Griffith Park. So why not start the New Year with a hike up there? Up the Aberdeen Trail, along the Hogback Trail, over the bridge, past Dante’s View, up to the peak, down again, over to the Observatory and back to the car by way of the East Observatory Trail. 3 1/2 hours. Done.

In clear weather the view from Mt. Hollywood is quite something, offering a 360-degree view over the city, the mountains, the San Fernando Valley and the ocean. Alas, even though the weather was perfect for hiking, sunny and warm, but not too hot, there was also a slight haze. So no spectacular view. Well, maybe next time.

Spectacular on a different scale is Dante’s View, a terraced garden on the way up to the peak. The garden was created in 1964 by an Italian immigrant and burned down in the fire of May 2007. There was nothing left, the flames had devoured every single plant, it was complete devastation, nothing but ashes and some blackened tree stumps. Clearing, landscaping and replanting at the site started almost immediately and the garden was restored to its former glory.

dantes-view-blog_4249.jpg

With the surrounding mountain slopes still bare and brown after the fire, the garden is even more than ever like a small paradise, inviting to people and animals. The only difference is: People go there to rest and to drink in the beauty of their surroundings. Animals (bees and hummingbirds) go there to work and to drink nectar.

dantes-view-bee-blog-4253.jpg

At The Beach

Yes, it was time for us to go to the beach again, like every year on Christmas Day. As we did have a bit of rain (much needed and very welcome) and wind, we decided to go to a slightly more rugged place than the usual beaches in the hope to see some real waves. And real waves we did see, at the cliffs and breakers in San Pedro:

waves_blog_4116.jpg

We were not the only ones having fun out there – the pelicans apparently had decided on a Christmas outing, too.

pelicanflight_blog_4081.jpg

Afterwards we had some lunch. I assume the pelicans went and had some fish.