Our phenomenal weekend in Long Beach...
We were invited by Tom and Chris, another uniquely acquainted set of friends, who we met in Spoleto for the first time. If Italy was any indication, we were going to have an awesome stay!
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| The road to Long Beach was full of stops in the town of Buena Park. I had a hankerin' for Mrs. Knott's Chicken Pot Pie at Knott's Berry Farm. The history along with the high caloric biscuits consistently intrigue me. |
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| "The Knotts had also added a small dining room to the original coffee shop and began serving fried chicken in 1934. On opening day, Cordelia Knott served eight chicken dinners at 65 cents apiece. By 1941, the restaurant, called the Chicken Dinner, had been enlarged to seat 600, and the neighboring farmers' wives and children hired by Cordelia Knott were serving an average of 10,000 dinners a week. On a banner day in 1941, they served nearly 6,000 chicken dinners." |
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| Our expanded waistline encouraged us to take a walk across the parking lot to Knott’s Independence Hall, an exact, brick-by-brick replica of the original in Philadelphia. Walter Knott’s personal labor of love, it is the nation’s only exact replica of the Philadelphia landmark. |
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| The replica was built by the Knott Family as a permanent, free-admission reminder of two famous events: the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the signing of the U.S.Constitution. An avid proponent of America history and values, Walter Knott constructed the building for the millions of West Coast families unable to travel to Philadelphia to tour the original. |
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| Each time we visit, I feel such patriotism and emotion. It's truly worth spending time here. Grab some of Mrs. Knott's Chicken-to-Go and have a picnic. The grounds are a beautiful place to reflect on all that we are thankful for. |
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| Next stop, the sadly closed, Movieland Wax Museum. With over 300 wax figures in 150 sets, this was the largest wax museum in the U.S. and one of the most popular for decades. After changing hands several times, it closed in 2005, after forty-three years in business and 10 million visitors. In the museum's heyday, several actors and actresses attended the unveilings of their wax likenesses, and even went so far as to donate costumes to be worn by their likenesses, accompanied with sets replicated from well-known movie scenes. Movie themes and sound effects also added to the authenticity of the museum. |
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| After coffee at Starbucks, the former Starlite Gift Shop, we found reminders of how wonderful this place once was. We oohed and aahed at the hand prints and footprints of celebrities in cement, dating from the early 1980s, located in front of a crumbling faux Grauman's Chinese Theatre façade...Long ago actors from a long ago time. I'm pictured with the very tiny feet of Hervé Villechaize (Fantasy Island). Movieland Wax Museum is a little more special for me than for Steve because, in 1980, this was the location of my high school senior prom. Wild. |
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| Tom and Chris have the most amazing home. Wonderfully and warmly decorated with an interesting history. The Douglas Aircraft Company arrived in Long Beach and needed homes for its huge work force. The two- and three- bedroom homes included luxury features such as oak floors, stainless-steel sinks and garbage disposals. Prospective buyers could choose between 52 floor plans and 39 color combinations, all prefabricated and assembled on the spot by some 4000 construction workers. Between 1950 and 1953, 17,500 homes were built (some on their street are original owners). |
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| We met their wonderful friends, Chuck & Toddy and Bill & Cathy. Each had interesting stories to share and a special history with Tom and Chris. |
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| We met Tom because he was doing his externship for Le Cordon Bleu in Italy. Food is a big part of what he does and we were willing recipients! |
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Tom was lucky enough to "win" a coveted membership in the Long Beach Community Garden, an 8 ½ acre of piece of land with 20 by 30 foot garden plots. Since learning about his plot, I was eager to see what all the fuss was about. This oasis, located alongside the freeway is a beautiful state of the art community garden, so magnificent that many cities have come here to copy it. Being a garden newbie, Tom was patient in explaining how to condition the soil, when to plant, what creepy-crawlies to kill and what went into bringing a vegetable from dirt to table. The garden was teeming with people because like all associations, LBCG has its rules. "All tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant must be removed from all garden plots prior to Dec. 1 and not to be planted until after March 1st of each year." It was a glorious day and Tom had some tomatoes to plant so I was happy to lend a hand. | | | |
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| We harvested this interesting Cheddar Cauliflower, the result of a naturally occurring mutation that first showed up in strains of Canadian cauliflower. It’s not just a pretty face; ‘Cheddar’ cauliflower contains a stunning 25 times more Vitamin A than the white varieties and was delicious at dinner along with homemade risotto, fresh-from-the-garden salad, sauteed mushrooms and a perfectly grilled steak (I'm drooling while typing). |
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Their daughter, Erin, joined us for dinner and convinced us that we needed time in the jacuzzi. I can't remember when I slept more soundly.
With all the chaos of an upcoming move, being with these comfortable people was a phenomenal way to spend a weekend. | |
“Eating, and hospitality in general, is a communion,
and any meal worth attending by yourself is improved
by the multiples of those with whom it is shared.”
-Jesse Browner
4 comments:
Ahh. I didn't know the Wax Museum was closed. I too have fond memories of going there when I was a kid and we made the trek down for Disneyland and Knotts and the wonderful chicken dinners. I have grown that beautiful cheddar cauliflower and purple. Love them.
D1
Wow looks like a wonderful time for sure! At truly a nice way to spend a weekend! I wish we lived closer. Keep the posts coming I love seeing all the wonderful adventures the two of you have!
It looks like you had a wonderful weekend! I love the jacuzzi shot (great lighting).
I have never heard of cheddar cauliflower. Was the texture the same?
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I grew up in Long Beach, back when the Pike was in full swing and sailors would walk down Ocean Blvd. I still love that town and consider it "home"
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