By  LPJ

The windy city wasn’t windy at all the week we were there in October this year. The weather was gorgeous, and every day  I felt I was in sunny California. My Chicago trip with my nephew Chito (Albert Pandes Jr.) and his wife Benita was quite meaningful in two ways. First, I went to attend the wedding of Chito’s daughter Kate. Second, I saw the old Chicago Tribune building, a reminder of my former employer, The Peninsula Times Tribune of Palo Alto, California, then a subsidiary of the Tribune Company of Chicago.

I wanted to see the old Chicago Tribune building, a boost to reminiscing the good old days of working in the editorial department of the daily newspaper in Palo Alto, prior to being employed by Stanford University. Good thing, our quasi-host Leny and her friend Terry took us to the river cruise. The two-hour enjoyable boat ride offered an astounding close view of intricate and magnificent architecture of buildings both sides of the river in the heart of Chicago. The professional tour guide efficiently rattled the history of every structure, highlighting the high points, and even sneaking in known rumors that have become standard in the public storytelling, for their amusing and entertainment value. The caveat was the disclaimer — “those are just rumors”.

Kate and Roland Carnate with two of their sponsors.

The old Chicago Tribune building.

(Photos by Benita Pandes)

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By  LPJ

I’ll never tire of LA. I’m back in Los Angeles, enjoying a week of vacation at my daughter Joy and son-in-law Matt’s place in Hermosa Beach. I love the sea air and the swish of waves a block and a half away. The dinners at touristy restaurants and the meals that my daughter prepares are fabulous. I’m a “foodie”, and here, I delight in gourmet offerings.  I pamper myself with delicacies whenever I travel away from home.

One of the highlights of my visit was an evening of raucous fun, rallying for the favorite team at the baseball world series in a sports bar and restaurant at the plaza near the Hermosa Beach pier. The place was full. Sans the drinks, we gorged on pizza, chicken wings and fries in between yelps and cheers. It was particularly amusing to watch my nephew Chito and his wife Benita (on a visit from the Philippines) go through the exciting experience of a rowdy sports party among strangers who, at that moment, seemed like one big class of raving fans.

During my week in LA, the drive to Newport Beach Sunday was the icing on the cake.

The view from Shake Shack at Newport Beach

The view at Dana Point

(Photos by  LPJ)

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