Before and after
Apr. 26th, 2016 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
howeirdThis is the beach I expected to relax on, taken October 2014
This was that same beach today:
Someone decided that this was the best way to protect the beach from erosion. It is not working, and it has robbed Ventura of beach access. I'm sure it was the cheapest short-term "solution".
So instead of spending the day on the beach, I spent about 2 hours walking the concrete promenade, dodging the bicyclers, joggers and homeless, had lunch at the base of the pier (the pier itself was closed for major repairs without any visible advanced notice - another FAIL for the tourists and fishermen) and then walked back to the hotel for laptop time and a nap.
slept fitfully, with many short, weird dreams. Surprised that my bedtime & morning hgl levels were good. Walked to the office for their continental breakfast. This one is grab and go, there is barely enough space for the food, none to sit & eat.
After my nap I did some research, was reminded the big mall is a short 60-cent bus ride away. And the Starbucks is a 4-block walk.
It was warm end calm enough to walk to dinner a couple of blocks from Starbucks. A new Thai place which took the place of either the Thai-Peruvian place or the same-name place. There were two restaurants with identical names a block apart, run by cousins who apparently were feuding. The new place is called, in English, "Savory" but the Thai sign says "Thai Kitchen".
I had the pot see heuw, which was delicious. Best I have had in ages. The Thai iced tea was perfect, and it was a huge glass. The waitress was very young, maybe 18, maybe not, and she speaks perfect American. She understands Thai but did not want to speak it.
Service for me was very slow, I didn't get a chance to ask about dessert (after waiting 10 minutes after I was done eating). And for a $14 charge they gave me a $5 bill in change, so they got a minimal tip. If I go there again, I'll chat with the manager, who definitely speaks Thai better than English.
Back to the hotel after a very quick look to see what else was on main street. It was starting to get chilly, and i was wearing cutoffs and a Hawaiian shirt over a T-shirt.
Plans for tomorrow:
Take out the real camera, and shoot beach scenes from similar angles from 2014.
If the swap meet is on, see about finding a beach chair
Visit the mall
This was that same beach today:
Someone decided that this was the best way to protect the beach from erosion. It is not working, and it has robbed Ventura of beach access. I'm sure it was the cheapest short-term "solution".
So instead of spending the day on the beach, I spent about 2 hours walking the concrete promenade, dodging the bicyclers, joggers and homeless, had lunch at the base of the pier (the pier itself was closed for major repairs without any visible advanced notice - another FAIL for the tourists and fishermen) and then walked back to the hotel for laptop time and a nap.
slept fitfully, with many short, weird dreams. Surprised that my bedtime & morning hgl levels were good. Walked to the office for their continental breakfast. This one is grab and go, there is barely enough space for the food, none to sit & eat.
After my nap I did some research, was reminded the big mall is a short 60-cent bus ride away. And the Starbucks is a 4-block walk.
It was warm end calm enough to walk to dinner a couple of blocks from Starbucks. A new Thai place which took the place of either the Thai-Peruvian place or the same-name place. There were two restaurants with identical names a block apart, run by cousins who apparently were feuding. The new place is called, in English, "Savory" but the Thai sign says "Thai Kitchen".
I had the pot see heuw, which was delicious. Best I have had in ages. The Thai iced tea was perfect, and it was a huge glass. The waitress was very young, maybe 18, maybe not, and she speaks perfect American. She understands Thai but did not want to speak it.
Service for me was very slow, I didn't get a chance to ask about dessert (after waiting 10 minutes after I was done eating). And for a $14 charge they gave me a $5 bill in change, so they got a minimal tip. If I go there again, I'll chat with the manager, who definitely speaks Thai better than English.
Back to the hotel after a very quick look to see what else was on main street. It was starting to get chilly, and i was wearing cutoffs and a Hawaiian shirt over a T-shirt.
Plans for tomorrow:
Take out the real camera, and shoot beach scenes from similar angles from 2014.
If the swap meet is on, see about finding a beach chair
Visit the mall
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