Ailantha - Blog

Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

BEACHES

...Continued from yesterday:
On Sunday morning we picked up a friend and drove to nearby Hermosa Beach.

We walked along The Strand, the walking and biking path that runs for 22 miles along the Southern California shoreline.

Our destination was the popular breakfast spot, Good Stuff,

...part of the appeal of which is that the place serves not only people but dogs as well.

While we waited for a seat we watched some beach volleyball,

...and played in the sand.

We humans enjoyed our Good Stuff breakfast,

...as did Pinky, who had the chicken and rice.

After breakfast we walked back along The Strand,

...to Pier Plaza, an esplanade off The Strand lined with shops and restaurants.

Then we headed for home.

That afternoon, as the rest of the family was busy with sports and playdates, my daughter asked me how I would like to spend the afternoon. I said I'd like to walk around Venice.
And so my daughter and I drove to Venice Beach.
On this beautiful afternoon Venice Beach was crowded with a diversity of walkers,

...bikers,

...and folks involved in other activities on and off the beach.

The stores and vendors along the Venice Strand seemed more garish than I had recalled from past visits.

"Do you have the feeling of being in some kind of dystopia?" my daughter asked me.
I told her that indeed I did have that feeling. And yet I had to admit that the place did have a little bit of an Ohio State Fair vibe.

But only a little bit.

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Looking At The World Through Pineapple-Colored Glasses

9/27/2022

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...Continued from yesterday:

I left Chicago on Friday, August 26 in the morning and by the early afternoon - Pacific time - I was 2,000 miles away in Los Angeles,

...for a ten-day visit with my daughter, son-in-law, and two grand daughters.
I was soon greeting Pinky, my grand pup;

...Yajou, my grand kitty;

...Mrs. Leafy, the tall backyard resident palm tree named by my grand daughters;

...and, when they arrived home from school, my grand daughters, who, between all their other activities and occupations, still love to build and re-build their Lego world.

I also made the acquaintance of the newest member of the family, Lily,

...a leopard gecko here stepping out of her gecko girl cave for her favorite snack, live crickets on a bed of calcium.

That evening my daughter and son-in-law hosted my grand daughter's girl scout troop for a pool party and cook-out in their backyard.

Among the party favors provided by the troop leader were pairs of pineapple glasses, which were a hit with the girls, and with some of us older girls as well.

But then, what's not to love about looking at the world through pineapple-colored glasses?

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One More Day, Then Off To L.A.

9/25/2022

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Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

ONE MORE DAY, THEN OFF TO L.A.

...Continued from yesterday:
It was just about dinner time when we returned from our trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden,

...(also known as the the Not in Chicago Botanic Garden, as it's located a good hour north of Chi-Town in the village of Glencoe. See previous post, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/the-chicago-but-not-in-chicago-botanic-garden).
And so we decided to go seek out some Italian for dinner, to which end we walked a few blocks through the neighborhood,

...to a place called Buona Terra,

...where the food was molto bene, starting with the warm bread and garlic spread that was set on the table.

Then we walked back home.

The next day, Thursday, August 25, was my last day in Chicago. All I truly wanted to do on my last day was have another brunch at the Yolk (see previous post). And so we walked back to the Yolk, where we were greeted by the friendly staffer who remembered us from the day before.

The side of potatoes I ordered was served up so artfully.

That night for dinner we once again headed out,

...this time to a cute vegetarian restaurant called ground control.

My vegan wrap was so yummy,

...and the others said the same of their choices.

After dinner we headed over to the nearby Tastee Freeze for a farewell cone.

Then early the next morning I walked back to the train station,

...to catch the train to O'Hare,

...then on to my next stop, Los Angeles.

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The Chicago (But Not In Chicago) Botanic Garden

9/24/2022

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Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

THE CHICAGO (BUT NOT IN CHICAGO) BOTANIC GARDEN

...Continued from yesterday:
The following morning, Wednesday, August 24, Claire and I set out walking,

...to The 606, a two-and-a-half mile long walking and biking trail that used to be a train line,

...and that offers some great views of of the cityscape below.

We descended from the 606 when we reached our destination,

...my favorite Chicago breakfast eatery, The Yolk,

...where we had the standard fabulous breakfast fare.

After breakfast we walked back home, this time through the city,

...passing on our way this intriguing sign for a circus school,

...and the neighborhood chicks of the Block Block Club (see post from 9/21-2022 https://www.ailantha.com/blog/next-stop-chicago).

We then took a trip out to the Chicago Botanic Garden, which is not actually in Chicago, but in Glencoe, Illinois, a scenic little town about an hour north of Chicago.
However the destination was well worth the distance, as the (Not In) Chicago Botanic Garden is a beautiful site on hundreds of acres displaying millions of plants.

Among the displays of flora and fauna that we saw were an English Garden,

...a Japanese garden,

...and a butterfly habitat.

Here and there one came across touches of whimsey.

And though we walked for a couple of hours, I'm sure we didn't begin to see all the natural and human-crafted wonders there were to see,

...in this garden of earthly delights.

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Humbolt Park

9/23/2022

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Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

HUMBOLT PARK

...Continued from yesterday:
After lunch at the Dove Luncheonette,

...we walked back to Claire and Miguel's house (see previous post, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/next-stop-chicago). After I unpacked my luggage Claire suggested that she and I go for a walk to Humbolt Park.
We walked for about a mile,

...passing along the way some captivating architecture,

...and a couple of sweet signs.

We arrived at Humbolt Park,

...where we strolled around some of the 200 acres of wetlands,

...meadows,

...and other scenic areas,

...including the park's beautiful community center.

The ladies' room was festively decorated, leading us to guess that there had recently been some sort of celebration in the community center. Maybe a quinceañera?

On our way home from the park we stopped at Cermak, the local Mexican supermarket,

...where the walls are painted to look like houses.

Once in a while even a trip to the supermarket can be a visual delight.

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Next Stop, Chicago

9/21/2022

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...Continued from yesterday:
And so, Tom's and my plan to drive from St. Louis to Chicago being foiled by a knee injury (see previous post, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/the-best-laid-plans),

...we instead drove home to Columbus and the following day I caught a plane to Chicago while Tom stayed home to rest his bruised patella.
Though my daughter and son-in-law -- both of whom had taken the day off from work in anticipation of our visit -- offered to come and fetch me at O'Hare, I assured them that I was quite capable of negotiating my way from the airport via the Blue Line train, which I did,

...buying my Blue Line ticket,

...and meeting them at the Damen stop in Bucktown.

We then went for lunch to the cutest little eatery across the street from the train station called Dove's Luncheonette,

...where the food was so good.
Miguel had and egg over tasty pork tips,

...while Claire and I had yummy salad-topped avocado toast.

After lunch we walked from Bucktown to their Logan Square neighborhood, a city stroll that I always love taking.

On our way we passed the whimsical fence,

...behind which live the neighborhood chickens.

The last time I had been to Claire and Miguel's house was the last week of February, 2020. Upon seeing their yard for the first time in two and a half years I was surprised - and enchanted - to see the wonderland of an urban gardenscape it had grown into.

I stayed in their cute, cozy guest room.

My grand kitties were thrilled to see me.

To be continued...

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The Best Laid Plans...

9/19/2022

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Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

THE BEST LAID PLANS...

...Continued from previous post:
After the wedding we walked from the reception at the Hotel St. Louis several blocks back to our Airbnb, still happily clueless of the fact that one should not walk through downtown St. Louis late on a Saturday night dressed in semi-formal attire. (See post form 9/6/2022, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/omg-now-we-know-why-the-streets-of-st-louis-were-empty).

But once again our good luck held, and we succeeded in traversing the streets of the most dangerous city in America unscathed.
Tom's and my plan for the rest of our trip was to spend one more day, Sunday, in St. Louis and then to leave the following day, Monday, to drive to Chicago to spend a few days with Claire and Miguel, who would be flying home from St. Louis on Sunday afternoon.
Things went about 50% as planned.
It was the general consensus of our group that, as we were in St. Louis, we should snag some of the barbecue that this city is famous for. Claire, the vegetarian among us, was nonetheless also agreeable to the idea.
So we met up a little before 11:00 am on Sunday morning and then walked about a half a mile through downtown,

...until we reached sort-of busy Washington Street,

...and our bbq destination, the Sugarfire Smoke House.

The ambiance was fun, the service good, the servers so friendly, and the food, served on butcher paper for a plate,

...was soooo delicious. Claire and I had portabella mushroom "barbecue" sandwiches, which were out of this world.

After lunch we drove Claire and Miguel to the airport where they caught their flight back to Chicago. That evening Romaine, Stanley, Tom and I met up with my brother Jim and my sister-in-law Theresa for dinner at Sauce on the Side, where we'd had dinner our first night in St. Louis (see post from 9/1/2022, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/meeting-in-st-louis).

Afterwards we all walked back to our respective quarters through the dark, empty, pretty, purportedly dangerous streets of downtown St. Louis,

...and, happily, once again lived to tell about it.
The following morning, all packed up and ready to leave, Tom and I were planning on setting out bright and early for one more delicious breakfast with Stanley and Romaine at The Docket, the eatery across the street from the St. Louis circuit courthouse (see post from 9/7/2022, https://www.ailantha.com/blog/seeing-the-sights-in-the-most-dangerous-city-in-america-part-1),

...before setting out on our drive to Chicago.
However by the dawn's early light it was pretty clear to us that our plans were about to take a U-turn. Tom awoke with a very swollen painful knee. Walking several blocks to breakfast was out. However by good luck it was a few steps away from our Airbnb to a wonderful supermarket called Schnuck's,

...that offered a take-out breakfast buffet where I was able to snag us a nice assortment of breakfast foods.

By even better luck, across the street from Schnuck's was a twenty-four hour urgent care called 24/7 Healthcare,

...to which Tom was able to limp.
The diagnosis was bursitis and the treatment was ice, Aleve,

...and no walking all around Chicago.
And so Tom and I said good-bye to Romaine and Stanley (who were staying another day) and to the empty streets of St. Louis,

...crossed over the beautiful Veterans' Memorial Bridge,

...and headed back to Columbus, Ohio, where Tom rested his knee and soon recovered.
As for me, I bought a last-minute plane ticket and the following day I flew by myself to Chicago.

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James And Samantha's Wedding

9/15/2022

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Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

JAMES AND SAMANTHA'S WEDDING

...Continued from yesterday:

The following afternoon, Saturday, August 20 at 3:00 pm, we celebrated the wedding of Samantha and James.
The wedding took place at St. Francis Xavier College Church,

...located across the street from St. Louis University, the couple's alma mater.

We were cordially greeted at the door by a couple of the nephews,

...before entering the interior of the church, which was beautiful French Gothic in the style of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

It was requested that the guests refrain from taking pictures during the mass, so I did refrain, but it was a lovely ceremony.

The reception was held at the Hotel Saint Louis,

...where some of the guests were staying.

Hors d'oeuvres were served on the mezzanine.

Karen and Eric, parents of the bride.

Louise and Michael, parents of the groom.

In a little while we were joined by James and Samantha,

...who looked so happy.

We then proceeded to the dining room,

...where we were served a delicious wedge of iceberg topped with brie, apricots, and pear slices.

The music was provided by a wonderful live band,

...and so who could resist getting started on the dancing?

The bride and groom made their grand entrance then cut the cake,

...after which the father of the bride gave a heart-felt speech.

For dinner there were several choices of entrée: chicken,

...steak,

...and vegetarian pasta.

For dessert there was a beautiful array of over-the-top delicious petits fours and cookies.

Then came the first dances, James with his mom,

...Samantha with her dad,

...and Samantha and James with each other.

Then we all spent the evening dancing,

...or otherwise enjoying the celebration,

...and wishing the best for Samantha and James on their way to their happily ever after.

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Celebrating James And Samantha

9/14/2022

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Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

CELEBRATING JAMES AND SAMANTHA

...Continued from previous post:
The St. Louis wedding celebration of my nephew James and his bride-to-be Samantha began on the evening of Friday, August 19 with a rehearsal/welcome dinner on the beautiful terrace of Vito's Sicilian Pizzeria and Ristorante across from St. Louis University, the couple's alma mater.

Family members and friends had arrived from all over the country, from the East Coast to the West and points in between,

...to celebrate the soon-to-be-newlyweds.

The food was wonderful,

...as was the music provided by my bother Michael on the bass, Stanley on the violin, and my nephews Chris on the guitar and Gil on the mandolin,

...with another young violinist joining in.

It was an unforgettably lovely evening,

...and an unforgettably happy one.

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Seeing The Sights In The Most Dangerous City In America, Part 2: Union Station

9/11/2022

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Books By Patti Liszkay
Available On Amazon

"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
Available on Amazon.

SEEING THE SIGHTS IN THE MOST DANGEROUS CITY IN AMERICA, PART 2: UNION STATION

...Continued from 9/7/2022 (https://www.ailantha.com/blog/seeing-the-sights-in-the-most-dangerous-city-in-america-part-1):
Having spent a pleasant Friday exploring downtown St. Louis, and still unaware that we had ventured into the most dangerous city in the U.S., we planned to continue our walking-around tour on Saturday, having the morning and early afternoon free before James and Samantha's wedding. (See https://www.ailantha.com/blog/meeting-in-st-louis).

As Claire and Miguel had arrived from Chicago the night before and were staying nearby at the designated wedding hotel,

...we had all decided to meet up on Saturday morning for breakfast.
Romaine, Stanley, Tom and I having really liked The Docket, the nearby eatery where we'd had breakfast the day before (See https://www.ailantha.com/blog/seeing-the-sights-in-the-most-dangerous-city-in-america-part-1), I suggested that we meet Miguel and Claire there.
And though The Docket hadn't been particularly crowded when we were there the day before for brunch, we worried that a Saturday morning might be a different story, and so we agreed to meet at 9:00 am to hopefully beat the big breakfast/brunch crowd if there was one.

However when we arrived at The Docket we found that our concern was unfounded, at least at that hour. By the time we left at around ten that the place was quite crowded and folks were waiting to be seated.

The service and food were every bit as good as on the previous day.

After breakfast our group again split up, with Miguel, Claire, Stanley and Romaine heading towards the Arch,

...while Tom and I set off in the opposite direction towards our destination,

...Union Station.

Built in 1894 and once the largest train station in the world serving 100,000 passengers a day, St. Louis Union Station is now a hotel and entertainment complex.