I wont get into how Kim couldn't fall asleep on the flight, and looked as miserable as I felt. Nor will I bore you with how I got stuck with the 3 year old behind me who was trying his hardest to put his foot through my spleen. Why lament, everyone knows the redeye is a bitch. Instead I'll simply remark on what a gift it is to have an amazing sister, and really genuine friends. It was a simple and peaceful trip, the kind that I needed, exactly when it happened. It was easy. It all kind of fell into place. We didn't have an itinerary worth of events that we were beholden to, nor did we create any lavish plans for ourselves that would have required any scheduling. We did do a wine tour one day, but let me tell you, as far as wine tours go this was a walk in the park.
Santa Barbara was very pleasant. It was relaxing, but not dead. It was affordable but not cheap. It was a nice departure from NYC, I'll tell you that much. Venice has a sweet deal living in Carpinteria, nicely nestled between the quaint Santa Ynez Mountains to the east, and the great Pacific to the West. It was definitely a nice place for a person to call "home." And Venice really made it feel like a home to us as well. If theres one thing I've learned in my travels (quite literally), its that nothing beats a good host. Kim and I always try to be, and Venice was nothing short of stellar. The kid even did our laundry. Twice. But seeing her in her element and environment, and realizing she was truly happy there, was exactly what an older brother hopes for. She's self sufficient, she's careful, and she's smart. You just can't beat that.
After a week with Venice, we spent the last weekend of the trip in LA with Garvey. I've been to LA before, but this was Kim's first real look at the city. We didn't do "tourist LA." Our visit was more like "A day in the life of..." kind of visit. We went to the local spots Garvey likes to frequent, and contrary to popular belief, the kid's got taste. We caught an interesting act on Thursday night at this bar/venue called "Villains Tavern." We entered the joint from the back (gotta be a better way to say that), and made our way to the bar, intending to order three Jameson on the rocks. That was until the guy in front of us, who acted like he owned the place, ordered one of the most elaborate drinks I've ever heard of (it involved a clear-colored South American Brandy, an egg white, and bitters, among other things). Pretentious, I thought to myself. But, I was pleasantly surprised when the bar did have Jameson, and it was quite affordable. We made our way to an outdoor patio, where there was a large ensemble on stage called "LA Hootenanny." I caught 4 guitars, 2 harmonicas (one of which was played by the guy with the elaborate drink order), a bass, a banjo, a drum kit, and a guy playing the "gutbucket" (Washtub Bass). They were a folky rock group who covered traditional songs like "Man of Constant Sorrow," but also did their own renditions of Madonna and Snoop Dogg. It was quite a scene. And for those of you who enjoy the HBO show "True Blood," one of the band leaders was Todd Lowe a.k.a Terry Bellefleur (the cook at Merlotte's). Kim couldn't resist, and in true NYC fashion, flagged him down as if hailing a cab, during one of the set breaks. Turns out Todd Lowe is "Terry Bellefluer", as there is no discernable difference between his real life persona and the character he plays on the show, aside from perhaps the flashbacks.
Garvey, also being as gracious a host as one an be, put us up, and let us use his car on Friday, as he is still a hard working chap. So, Kim and I took a cruise down to Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. If you're ever in the area, Abbot's Habit makes one mean mother of a sandwich. Coming from New York, I didn't expect it, but I have to hand it to them, I was impressed with the quality. We proceeded to put the top down on Garvey's ride (yes, he lives in LA and has the convertible), and headed over to Venice Beach to meander around the boardwalk and paths. I figured Kim should get a look at all the freaks down there at least once. We even got her a t-shirt to commemorate the event.
By time we got home, Garvey was out of work, and ready to hit the pitch for his third soccer match of the year. Though they lost the first two games, he was confident he had a good team, they just weren't playing as a single "unit" yet. Unfortunately he was informed that four of their starters would not be attending the Friday Night Lights game, as they were hard-partying in Vegas. Garvey pulled a hamstring, the team lost, and some hard boozing was now definitely on the menu for the night. We wound up randomly catching the back end of a Radio Moscow performance at "The Satellite"(venue) which was awesome if you're into some heavy blues rock in the vein of oh, say, Jimi Hendrix. By the end of the night (which in LA is 2am, as opposed to our usual 4am forays), we wound up closing down Red Lion, sipping black label, listening to Pandora on Garvey's iphone. Yea, it was a hell of a trip.
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