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)

The drive was a continuous panorama of lovely scenery showing the stretch of fine beach some portions of which were decked with scores of volleyball nets. Groups and families with children claimed their spots right where the waves receded from the shore. I imagined sand castles wrecked to their foundation and little hands scrambling to rebuild. While the drive was refreshing and exhilarating, I wanted to hop off the car and run to where the ocean met the shore. But I didn’t, and looked forward instead to a famous Shake Shack with a magnificent view and one of the best fish and chips, my daughter said. I wasn’t disappointed.

Eating fish and chips at Shake Shack at Newport Beach was a treat. I sat with Joy and Matt on a bench facing the ocean, relishing my crunchy battered fish and watching the foamy waves teasing most of the shore fronting pricey rental cottages down below. I thought about Shake Shack that I frequented at Stanford Shopping Center in northern California for its unmatched spicy fries. But that didn’t have the ocean scenery nor the fish and chips, nor the large cheesy hotdog that my daughter had ordered.

That bench we sat on was hard and narrow, but it was the best seat on the hill right outside Shake Shack at Newport.  Customers were alert for available benches, and sharing was common. But we were fortunate to find one for three of us and Joy and Matt’s German Shepherd, Jackson. I didn’t finish my hefty serving of fish and chips, for I was full. But I didn’t have my fill of the magnificent view, so I reluctantly left the bench when it was time to move on.

Our afternoon leisurely drive ended at Dana Point, where the beach featured rocks of various sizes and forms, standing proud against the lashing waves.  The rush of water against the rocks resulted in tall splashes that sent mist to the onlookers on the higher plane.  The vista point was visited by many visitors that Sunday afternoon we were there. By the language spoken, the visitors came from various places, even countries. We met a group on a tour from the Philippines, and briefly exchanged pleasantries with them. Even Jackson barked a cheery hello to another German Shepherd that ogled back. Again, we were all strangers, like a class of raving nature admirers, enjoying the same awesome view. Most delightful.

Linda P. Jacob