We Are Ready To Dine (Page Two)
We are going to walk about 0.6 miles up Pine Avenue to go to George's Greek Cafe which is our favorite. Wonderful food and a fantastic staff make it like dining in Greece! We love the vegetarian selections and found a favorite wine in Julia Chardonnay!
A few short miles from Alamitos Bay to Long Beach and we are ready for lunch!
A few minutes walk away!
Best dining in town with wonderful friends!
Sue leads the way!
Blimy... We made it without a mishap!
The herd begins to move
The conversations never stop.... Neither does
the laughing and giggling!
Memories of the Pike!
It lasted 77 years... A pretty good run!
Did You Know? -
The Pike is an amusement zone in Long Beach, California. The Pike was founded in 1902 along the shoreline south of Ocean Boulevard with several independent arcades, food stands, gift shops, a variety of rides and a grand bath house. It was most noted for the Cyclone Racer (1930–1968), a large wooden dual-track roller coaster, built out on pilings over the water.
The Pike operated under several names. The amusement zone surrounding the Pike, "Silver Spray Pier", was included along with additional parking in the post World War II expansion; it was all renamed Nu-Pike via a contest winner's submission in the late 1950s, then renamed Queen's Park in the late 1960s in homage to the arrival of the Queen Mary ocean liner in Long Beach.
1979 was the year Long Beach city council refused to renew the land leases and demolished all of the structures and attractions it could that weren't trucked away. The Pike museum is located in Looff's Lite-A-Line at 2500 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90806.
The Convention Center seems to always be busy
Did You Know? - Anime is Japanese hand-drawn or computer animation. The word is the abbreviated pronunciation of "animation" in Japanese, where this term references all animation.
Outside Japan, anime is used to refer specifically to animation from Japan or as a Japanese-disseminated animation style often characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes.
In costume and having fun.... That's Nancy and Irene we think!
Strolling down the avenue
Benjamin and Grandma Nancy
Stop... Look... Listen
No kidding!
George welcomes his customers!
Big hugs for Nancy and Benjamin
"Welcome to a little bit of Greece"
Carefully lighting the brandy on fire...
...before pouring it over the fried cheese
Done! The kalamata olives add a special touch
Did You Know? -
Kalamata olives are grown in Kalamata in Messenia and also in nearby Laconia, both located on the Peloponnese peninsula. They are almond-shaped, plump, dark purple olives from a tree distinguished from the common olive by the size of its leaves, which grow to twice the size of other olive varieties. The trees are intolerant of cold and are susceptible to Verticillium wilt but are resistant to olive knot and to the olive fruit fly.
Kalamata olives, which cannot be harvested green, must be hand-picked in order to avoid bruising.
There are two methods of preparing Kalamata olives, known as the long and short methods. The short method debitters the olive by packing them in water or weak brine for around a week. Once complete, they are then packed in brine and wine vinegar with a layer of olive oil and slices of lemon on top. The olives are often slit to decrease the processing time. The long method involves slitting the olives and placing them in salted water in order to debitter them, a process that can take as long as three months.
Looking good!
Sue checks the menu... Vegetarian plates are excellent!
We adjusted the umbrellas to maximize the shade!
Thank you Benjamin for capturing us on "film"
Feels good to sit and have a merlot
All smiles!
Veggie plate anyone?
Brian liked his sandwich but thought the chips (French fries) were excellent
Benjamin tells grandma that she is eating raw octopus!
"Where is the octopus?"
Benjamin and Nancy did the lamb chops!
Greg works the table!
"So there I am... I did NOT get my 24 cents in change!"
Full tummies... Need to walk!
"I will never tell!"
We are in between two tall buildings
We are under the trees enjoying a nice breeze while the city goes by
Crossing Ocean Boulvard
Occasional flowers stick their heads out and say hello!
Walking off the calories
"Are we there yet???"
"Hey Brian.... Want to do it again??"
"Hark! I see the ship!"
"Stop with the camera already!
Having fun!
"It's OK Benjamin, I can carry you if you can't make it... Just like
I did thirty years ago!"
