Ballona to Brickhouse

Trivia night at the Irish Times, is there nothing better on a Tuesday night. But I know those bastards are cheating, who possibly could know Engelbert Humperdinck wrote the score to Hansel and Gretel, which American city has the largest rodeo and France created Denim??? Damn these phones with internet!

On another note, I ended up in Venice today and had lunch at Brickhouse on Hampton. Tucked on a small corner behind the hustle and bustle of Abbot Kinney, this outdoor diner is perfect for the midweek breakfast.

It really is funny though, the type of people and conversation a Venice outdoor nook like this attracts. Overheard from my table in a 15 minute span were these conversations:
"Man this chick was a howler. She loved sex. Couldn't get enough. And the weird things she did when we were having sex... you don't even want to know."
and
"I don't know, I feel the Venice art scene is in danger. Too many wannabes are trying to infiltrate the scene. It disgusts me."
and
"So, yeah, my script is in the middle of devolopment. Got great financial backing. I figure when all is said and done, all of us should be walking away with a hefty little salary."
and
"The literary world is in shambles right now, not having any big blockbusters like Da Vinci Code in the tunnel. People don't read anymore. I sure don't read."
Funny thing is, all these conversations came from the same guy. Wearing a pink shirt and plaid shorts, this guy looked like he hadnt been laid in years, let alone found someone stupid enough to invest dollar one to finance his flick. And don't get me started on his art or literary credentials. Ahhh, LA peeps... you gotta love em.
To get a full feel, here are the other patrons sitting near my table: two bulky bodybuilders who most likey just got out of Gold's Gym next door, eating their eggwhite platters, two super hot ladies in their skimpy bikinis and an old lady, who like me, came to have an omelette and read the paper.
Speaking of omelette, here it is:

And damn good it was. Sure it was about $10, but every once in a while you got to splurge, enjoy life and eat some breakfast outdoors while listening to some Alt classics blasting from a solo blown-out speaker.

So the Brickhouse was great, but it was tough deciding where in the area to eat. I came so close to heading to Casablanca, where the food is cheap and plentiful, the tortillas are fresh and amazing, and no matter when you are there, it is always time for tequila.


But I am getting way ahead of myself.

The reason I was here in the first place, I wanted to take a ride down Ballona Creek on my brand new bike. This 8 mile path, starting in Culver City, ends up right at the ocean in Marina Del Rey. Although not the prettiest of rides in the beginning (damn my camera)...

...it ends up being quite beautiful once you get in the Marina (yey, I fixed it!)...





Along the way, ran into this mural from last year on Hampton by Buffmonster...

You know, I never really got the attraction to this guy. For some reason, people can't get enough of this clown. But hey, he sells... most of the time.

Back to Ballona, it was a nice ride despite my earlier negativity, very serene and quite, great way to get out there and ride, not have to worry about traffic, and get lost in thought. Of course, coming back home through Mar Vista, I definitely had more to worry about: dodging people opening their car doors, trucks waiting til you are right behind them before they decide to turn right, and of course all this while wishing you didn't eat that last piece of toast.

Up next, LA stop number 5 for Peanut Butter Wolf and more bike madness.

mike