Headed West: Food

Sugar Cookie with Sprinkles on Olvera Street

                                Meat counter at L.A. farmer's market            Bennett's homemade ice cream at L.A. farmer's market                                                                

Rose-flavored ice cream! Intense at first, then subtle and delicious.

Watermelon frozen yogurt with strawberry beads.

Headed West

Photos by Bunny Ultramod

Was great spending time in New York City, but I decided I needed to even things out a bit. Spent last week in Los Angeles, having adventures in Hollywood, and even heading to the coast via the enchanting Pacific Coast Highway. Two oceans in three weeks? Can't complain.




Must admit there was some business to attend to out there; it wasn't all fun and games. Well, it wasn't all games, anyway. More to come, Chester!

21 Club (again)

Visited 21 again (never have to twist my arm really) to help ring in their brand new bar. It was September 17 and the bar was only about a week and a half old when I sidled up and ordered a martini (What? No orange bitters?), mom ordered a lavender lime rickey, and we shared an order of mini 21 burgers made from top ground round, chuck, dry-aged sirloin, and duck fat.

Had fun talking to the new bartenders, Risto and Matthew. Tried a beer by Brooklyn Breweries called Jack and Charlie's, named for 21's original owners. I'm not a fan of beer, but this is the only place that sells it, so I had to give it a try. Mom liked it, saying it had a really good, distinct micro-brew taste.

Mom and I then headed into the dining area and shared a 21-day aged sirloin steak. We sat under a toy Tru-Value truck, which may sound funny, but toys are actually part of 21's classic decor. It all started when Howard Hughes himself gave the restaurant a toy-sized Spruce Goose -- it's still there, too. It wasn't long before other barons of business followed suit. Now the entire ceiling has toys suspended from it.

The steak was delicious, by the way. And when Anthony, our head waiter, found out it was my birthday (I made sure to tell him) he brought me a delicious dessert, complete with candle, and kept my glass full of champagne.

Got another tour of the wine cellar, too. I love it down there.




Spoke a bit about my love for the 21 Club, its history, and my tour of the famous wine cellar on the Bunny and Coco Get Smashed podcast, which also features special guest, Susan Marks, who talks about her latest documentary, Of Dolls and Murder.

Have a listen, Chester!

Of Dolls and Murder, Dog Sitting, and James J. Hill

Roscoe meets Scott Seekins

I've been dogsitting for the past couple weeks. He's an adorable little fellow, Roscoe, unfortunately I've been too busy to keep him much company. So much so that he's begun taking himself on his own walkies. It's terrible, I know. And I felt really bad until I've seen what he's been up to.

Roscoe looking for giant table scraps

Went to the Minnesota premiere of Susan Marks' documentary Of Dolls and Murder. Great name for a movie,  isn't it? It's an amazing movie, too, and you must see it. Order it. You'll find out about Francis Glessner Lee, a woman and a pioneer in the early days of murder investigation, and how her dollhouse murder scenes continue to aid investigators today, and the influence on modern CSI tactics -- in real life and on television.

Recently did a podcast with Susan Marks, too, so you can find out more about her movie direct from her. Bunny and I also discuss cocktails with her, after all, the podcast is called Bunny and Coco Get Smashed. We named it after our book. Feel free to order that, too.
Listen:



Visited something much bigger than a dollhouse recently -- the James J. Hill house in St. Paul is massive. (You can vote every day to help restore the pipe organ) It's a pretty extravagant place; there are faces everywhere, carved in the wood that practically covers the inside of the house. I saw hand-tooled leather wallpaper, a golden ceiling, and a silver vault. Just getting decorating tips, really. Need to spruce my place up a bit. Didn't see a bar anywhere, though, but I don't really need inspiration in that area. I'm set.

Off to walk the dog, Chester!

New York Aquarium, High Line, Rum House

Why yes, Empire State Building, you are more than welcome to have a sip of my g&t.

After spending a good part of the day on Coney Island's boardwalk and beach, we headed into the New York Aquarium. It was a great day to be there -- practically had the place to ourselves. I saw some seahorses there, and sharks. And some really odd fish that had both of their eyes one side of their face. They swim low and flat near the sand, flat like a pancake with their eyes on top rather than vertical like a sail with an eye on either side. Strange!

And I think one of their seals is magic. See if you can tell:


A couple of highlights the next day involved walking along the High Line -- an elevated train track turned elevated park and playground. It absolutely requires people relax and enjoy themselves up there, with places to sit everywhere -- chairs and lawns -- and tons of plants and trees. In some spots it's hard to believe you're above one of the busiest cities in the world rather than walking through a wooded backyard. My favorite part of the High Line is a fountain that is part of the sidewalk. Water streams across the top and people are allowed to walk through it. It was such a huge relief to pull of my socks and step into the cool, trickling water after a long day of walking the city streets! (Here's another story about its history.)

Enjoyed a night cap at a couple of places, including the La Quinta hotel. Doesn't sound terribly glamorous, but their outdoor rooftop bar has a stellar view of the Empire State Building.

Day after that we got burgers at P.J. Clarke's, I met my editor at CBS, and got drinks at Hotel Edison's Rum House. It was a chilly evening and the Rum House was a perfect place to get out of the wind. It's a cozy, dark bar that serves only drinks, no food. It's easy to linger there, especially when the live jazz begins.

The JC Hopkins trio played the night I was there. Have a listen, Chester!

Richard Branson, Joe Allen, and a Times Square Jumbo Tron

Our first stop on this trip was in Queens, where our favorite deli is located. We got there in time to see the longest sandwich I've ever seen -- it was 5 feet long.

Then this happened:

My mom met Richard Branson, creator of the Virgin empire. He was in a little bit of a hurry to make his segment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but was nice enough to stop for a quick photo. Wish I had time to tell him I would be happy to be one of the first bloggers to be sent into space via his Galactic project.

Afterward, mom and I went to Joe Allen. It's our favorite place to drink Sidecars -- they make them with lemon juice, but are always happy to accommodate my request for lime juice instead.

And then, while walking through Times Square, we noticed we were on one of the jumbo trons.

Those waving, blurry figures are us.

So we waved to the masses before heading to Greenwich Village, where I stumbled upon Sockerbit, a brand new candy store that features sweets from Sweden. My sweet tooth got the best of me here, so I ended up getting a selection of goodies to bring back to the hotel.

Have a sweet day, Chester!

Sunsets and Shrieking on Coney Island

Visited Coney Island twice during our trip this year -- on September 14 and, when we found out the rides weren't in service that day, we went back on the 18th. No big deal. Not like it's a problem to have to visit a seaside amusement park twice in a week, is it?

Mom and I brought some Nathan's hotdogs to the boardwalk, had some lemonade, and flew kites on the beach (she brought them from a Dollar Store in MN). Before heading back to our hotel, we stopped in at the aquarium in time to see the penguins eat a late lunch. They're quite refined when it comes to dining -- they each waited their turn, ate a couple of fish, then moved out of the way for the next well-dressed fellow. Messy on their finish though -- look out. They shake their heads instead of wiping their beaks with napkins. I was expecting more manners from such refined dressers.

On the 18th, I saw a tweet from @NYCTBusStop about a special nostalgia train running limited stops from Times Square to 96th street. So our second trip to the beach was delayed a little while. What a wild ride! This train was originally in service beginning in 1917, had ceiling fans and we got to have the windows open. It was fun seeing people on the platform realize this was not a regular train. Mom cracked up some lady by shouting out the window, "What century is this?"


After that we rode the Wonder Wheel, and I got to the Cyclone in time to sit in the very first seat. This coaster is liable to break a person, so I figure I better ride it while I can. I had to shut the camera off after the first dive because, well, I needed both hands to hang on, dang it. My arm was sore for the rest of the trip.



Played on the beach until sunset, ate ice cream, and met my doppelganger -- Coney Island's very own Lola Staar. The rest of our trip consisted of eating and drinking, of course.

Will report more soon, Chester!