THE FRIDAY MARTINI

Once again it's Friday and time to begging thinking abut the weekend.

Today's concoction is in Long Beach California in honor of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, being run whiz weekend.

What do you have planned?

MONDAY, MONDAY

It's a busy time of year both during the work week and the social season on the weekends.

If you're having some trouble with your Monday morning, here are some aspects of coffee to get your week off right. From the red beans to the finished product.

Coffee growers, Maui

Kona

Maui

Smart Mouth Cafe, Vancouver

Starbuck's, New York

Peppermill Lounge, Las Vegas

Viento y Agua, Long Beach

CAFFEINE WITH A VIEW

Morning cup of coffee at the Belmont Brewing Company. the "BBC", 

in Belmont Shore - a part of our home town of Long Beach.

LONG BEACH TO ANNAPOLIS AND BACK! Day 2: 542 miles, 9 hrs

Beaver, Utah to Denver.

It was a very long day, hence the upload this morning (Monday) versus the intended last night.

We began the day with a pleasant breakfast at the hotel in Beaver. It was your typical hotel "free breakfast" fare, with scrambled eggs, sausage patties (which are quite flat and suspiciously uniform), hash browns as the "warm" breakfast, along with a variety of toasts, bagels, cereals and the like. Coffee and juices, of course.

Make it a double?

Particularly coffee. I found myself in need of several cups, knowing full well we'd be on the open road and away from facilities for a good chunk of the day.

We left the Best Western at around 8:30, just about on schedule. Heading up Interstate 15 we transtioned to Interstate 70 a half hour or so into the drive. The morning sunlight and partial clouds gave some beautful lighting to the central Utah valley, but almost as soon as we started east the terrain changed.

Spotted Wolf Canyon

Utah, I will say without too much fear of contradiction, is blessed with a stunning landscape. Each curve in the highway inevitably leads to another gasp as you encounter a spectacular vista of one sort or another. I would suggest that the portion of Interstate 70 between the I15 cutoff and the beginnings of the Utah desert is perhaps the most spectacular stretch of asphalt in the interstate highway system. (And for our readers who have never driven the system, that's saying quite a bit. There are staggeringly beautiful stretches of highway through New Mexico, California, Colorado - and others I'm sure will be screamed at the screens of offended travelers in other states).

I will, at some point, attempt to do it justice in a future column, but the drive was jawdropping, as you can make our in just one vista to the right. This is the overlook down through Spotted Wolf Canyon (above left). It's a divide through which the interstate feeds like a wandering python.

Once we emerged from the mountainous wonderland, the desert floor beckoned. We stopped briefly Live in L.A.) and counted the miles until we passed into Colorado.

in Green River for a bio break and water, then headed back out across the eastern Utah desert. It's a lovely drive, and the temperatures were kept relatively cool by the previously mentioned cloud cover, and a seasonal haze which obscured distant landmarks. We simply kicked back, popped in some Rippingtons (

After a stop for lunch in Grand Junction the highway heads up into the Rockies, but not uuntil after passing a bunch of vineyards off to the south. I'd known they produce wines in Colorado, but hadn't internalized it - seeing the large nature of some of the operations was bit of a surprise. However, due to the nature of a cross-country drive it's not a good idea to do much wine tasting. I chalked this up to "future reference" and watched them disappear in the rear-view.

The Colorado...in Colorado

The Rockies get off to a gentle start, but clearly you are mountainous terrain. The slope is gradual in some parts an steeper in others, with large open meadowlands interspersed. Our altitude kept on a general upward direction and you could begin to feel the effects of the height. A light dizziness - nothing serious - and the feeling of breathing just a touch more deeply.

One of the rarely mentioned aspects of this portion of the drive is that the Colorado River parallels the highway - or, more accurately, the other way around. In some of the deeper grooves the river takes on a whitewater flow, whereas at others it might be a gentle float. And, as expected, there were dozens of rafters, fishermen and others willing to play. We pulled over at one point into one of the several rest stops to wander around and take a few shots of the river. It was both a great way to stretch the legs, and a pleasant respite from the heavily trafficked scramble up the hill.

A second stop, more extended than the first, came in Vail. Considered to be one of the premiere ski

Very expensive coffee

resorts in the world, Vail is a lovely little resort with shopping, restaurants and other activities, and it's directly off the interstate at 8000', meaning it's pretty convenient for a quick drop-by. We spent an hour or so sitting and watching some school-aged children playing soccer in the main square's play area, sipping at lattes and munching a couple of bagels. (Just an hour of parking cost a whopping $20, making the lattes and bagels the most expensive snack ever.)

From Vail it's a steep ascent to the summit - there are two, in fact. The first, at roughly 10,000' is misleading. The highway continues to ascend to the cities of Frisco and Silverthorne, and from there it's a steep grade up to the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels at 11,158', a statistic which worried us greatly considering my wife's well-documented altitude sickness. (She passed out on Mt Haleakala in Hawaii. At that's only 10,032'.) Other than a splitting headache, which receded quickly once we achieved lower elevations down the far side of the tunnel, she reports no lasting ill effects. I am now for-sworn to much lower altitudes for the remainder of the trip.

The rush down the hill, despite encountering weekend homeward-bound traffic, was eventless, and finally checked into our hotel at around7pm, retiring for a light dinner and what was, in the end, a very disappointing sleep - the hotel, a Doubletree, was among the loudest I have ever encountered between a noisy ice machine, noisy neighbors and the constant horn-blowing of a light-rail train as it passed the hotel only a few dozen yards away.

(All of which was finished off with a nice Ultimat Martini, of course...)

Today we're off to Topeka. Follow along of Twitter and Instagram for regular updates....

LONG BEACH TO ANNAPOLIS, AND BACK!: Day 1, 8 hours, 504 miles

 We departed Long Beach at around 9:30am, a little later than expected. The weather was excellent but quite warm. Already 83F.

Traffic was light - not real delays until we hit Las Vegas.

 The first major transition was onto Interstate 15 as it wove up into the Cajon Pass. The pass is a miles-long gouge through the San Bernardino Mountains, carved by the infamous San Andreas Fault.

It is here that the North American and Pacific tectonic plates are locked together, storing energy for a future megaquake that is predicted for the region.

 Safely past the fault, we stopped for a brief time at Peggy Sue's Diner, just north of Barstow. It's a quaint little place and well worth the stop.

 The aptly named Devil's Playground.

This is an area of the Mojave Desert which takes few prisoners and is as stark and forbidding as the name suggests.

As long as you don't leave the interstate you'll be fine.

 Entering Nevada. Our first state border.

 The Las Vegas Strip. Southern end.

Typically this would be our final stop, but needs we must push on. It's probably the first time since college when I haven't stopped for even a single night.

 The vast and empty esert north of Las Vegas, nearing the Arizona border.

 We stopped for leg-stretching next to the Virgin River, in the Virgin River Canyon.

The rain from a wet season is wtill in runoff, and the river was a dark and swirling brown shade as it tumbled down the canyon.

Final stop. We're in Beaver, Utah. It's a very small town with a long history, including as the birthplace for Butch Cassidy.

Even on a Saturday night, the streets rolled up around 7pm, and we went back to the room to rest for tomorrow's drive to Denver. Another 8 hour sint, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Hoping the weather holds.

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - THE QUEENS' CITY

A decade ago, in 2006, the Queen Mary 2 paid a visit to her linear predecessor, The Queen Mary.

Too large to fully enter the inner harbor near the original queen (that's how much bigger she is), the QM2 floated in the middle of Queensway Bay, blowing her horn and receiving a blast from the original Queen in return. 

Since this original visit, Cunard has made a tradition of new ships visiting and paying respects to the Queen Mary, including visits from The Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.

By the time of the RMS Queen Elizabeth's visit, the cruise ship port next to the original Queen had been depend  enough to allow her to dock next to her sister.

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - SUMMER'S COMIN'!

The temperatures are rising and the days are lengthening. 

Can only mean that Summer is coming. And not a moment too soon!

THE FRIDAY MARTINI!!!

Once again we've nearly made it to another weekend!

To get things off right, heres the Friday Martini, and a link to the sample chapter of my book. Some cool things happening on that front, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy this tasty little number courtesy our friends at Roxanne's Cocktail Lounge here in Long Beach. They have a wonderfully cool "Speakeasy" room in the back...authentic from the days of prohibition. Going to need to grab a drink in there one of these days.

Tito's.

I LOVE LA

Over the weekend we watched the terrific film La La Land. 

It's a beautifully shot, well acted, well written love letter to the City of Angels, as has been noted so many times before. I have lived and worked in the Los Angeles metro area for some 38 years at this point, starting in 1979 when I moved to LA from San Diego to study film and broadcasting at the University of Southern California.

The city has changed a lot since then, growing from what some writers* once called a bunch of suburbs in search of a city, to a strong and vibrant community of neighborhoods gathered around the central core and a handful of alternate downtowns**.

I actually live in the equally attractive Long Beach, a large city twenty three miles south of downtown LA. Our own metropolitan area, Long Beach and the South Bay form one of the several hubs which surround greater LA. Others include Orange County, The Inland Empire, and The San Fernando Valley (aka "The Valley").

It's a city I love and am proud to consider my greater metropolitan home.

L.A.

And since some of the film's more iconic moments happen at the Griffith Park Observatory, here are two samples from my archives of this beloved structure.

* - The comparison has been attributed to Aldous Huxley, Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and others.

** - LA proper has three: True downtown, Hollywood, and Century City. Surrounding cities Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, Beverly Hills and other also have strong downtown cores. Perhaps the quote ought to be modified to be "multiple downtowns in search of a hub".

LONG BEACH, CA - FIRST LIGHT

Dawn over the downtown marina.

LONG BEACH, CA - STRONG COFFEE TO BEGIN THE NEW YEAR

My introduction to coffee came at a relatively young age. A special treat for us was upon that rare occasion when Mom would allow us to have a cup in honor of something special or a special day (like Christmas). It was served up with a large percentage of milk and two teaspoons of sugar.

Then, as I grew older and coffee became more of an everyday affair my tastes changed away from the highly-diluted, very sweet childhood recipe. In college I continued to add sugar, but it was one teaspoon and less milk than before.

Just after college the sugar gave way to artificial sweetener with the advent of Equal. (I hated the taste of Sweet & Low. Just never worked for me.)

Then came the coffee revolution, fueled by Starbuck's and its kin. Lattes, mochas, etc. But I mainly stuck with the tried and true "single sugar, some milk" combination of my youth.

Then came Paris. And despite discovering the wonders of Cafe au Lait and Cafe Creme, one day I happened upon a dark roast cup of coffee sans cream in a coffee and pastry shop a couple of blocks from the Eiffel Tower. I was hooked, and overnight changed my coffee preference to black with sweetener. And stronger than before. I began to use a coffee press as well as the coffee maker in our home. 

Coffee serves an important role in my life. The basics of my cup have evolved, just as I have, and will continue to do so.

THE FRIDAY MARTINI - CARY GRANT AND THE LEGEND OF THE HALF-ASSED MARTINI

"The barkeep has murdered this martini!

 He's bruised the gin and muddled the olive!"

                      Cary Grant

It's Friday yet again, and that means it's time for the Friday martini!

This week a bit different, however. This little gem will be included in the book, but here's a preview.

Most drinkers, those who drink for enjoyment and not for sport, are specific when it comes to how they like their preferred beverage. I have a friend who demands his Rob Roy be served very specifically. When I'm drinking a martini on my own I will make my preferences known. (When shooting entries for CHASING MARTINIS I will basically see what the bartender recommends and drink it their way...)

This last week I was at lunch with two close friends who told me a brilliant anecdote regarding one of my favorite actors, Cary Grant, and the ever-fascinating Howard Hughes.  My friend is essentially unimpeachable when it comes to Mr. Grant, so I regard this as a true story.

As you might know, at one point Howard Hughes was involved in filmmaking and, like many filmmakers, would often pre-screen his films. It is a chance for a director to gauge the audience response to specific scenes, after which he would return to the studio and edit appropriately.

On one occasion Cary Grant was with him. This is the story:

Many years ago, in the heyday of Hollywood, Howard Hughes and Cary Grant developed a "bromance" that extended to a mutual appreciation for a well-made martini. Grant, of course, was well known for his love of the drink, being quite specific in his criticism of anything less than a perfect martini.

One evening they found themselves at the State Theater in Long Beach after a prescreening of one of Hughes' upcoming films. After the show they searched around for a place to get a drink, settling upon the Saratoga Bar on Pine Avenue, named for the Navy's aircraft carrier which used to homeport at Long Beach Naval Station in the post-war years.

Downtown Long Beach, at the time, was a rough around the edges Navy town, and the Saratoga Bar was very much in keeping with that setting. Hughes and Grant entered and sat down at the bar. Only a couple of other patrons were in the room. Grant, iwth his mellifluous British accent, ordered a martini.

The bartender, given more towards serving beer, rum, scotch and bourbon, scoffed and asked in a disbelieving voice "What is a martini?".

According to the legend, Hughes offered to demonstrate and slid a hundred dollar bill across the bar. The bartender pocketed the bill and stepped aside as Hughes mixed up the first attempt at the drink.  Hughes, naturally, was no bartender and despite having consumed many martinis over the years wasn't quite sure what proportion the ingredients should be, nor was he terribly sure of the mixing process (this was a bar that probably didn't have a shaker...). In essence, he was making it up as he went along. Trial and error.

Grant tasted it and made a frown. Not yet. Hughes tried it himself and was similarly unimpressed. So he tried again. The second round, of course, was to neither of their satisfaction. Nor was the third...

And so it went for some time until both Hughes and Grant were completely plastered, at which point the car was summoned and they headed back to Hollywood to sleep off their martini-making evening. My friend isn't sure if they ever got it right -- Grant was too far gone to know whether the last few hit the mark. As far as he knew, none of them was any better than just half-assed.

Years later Cary Grant related the story to my friend, labeling it the Making of the Half-Assed Martini.

And while it's a true story, I prefer calling it a Legend.

BTW - In researching a photo of Mr Grant I ran across this page. You might enjoy.

CARY GRANT'S FAVORITE COCKTAILS

LONG BEACH, CA - A PARKING LOT AT MIDNIGHT

Who among us doesn't fear the walk through an empty parking lot late at night? The familiar becomes the strange and the shadows hold a thousand moving possibilities. It's a scary place, for reasons both real and imagined. Our imagination works overtime, but caution is more than warranted.

In the October Country, anything can happen.

LONG BEACH, CA -- SHOOTING THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Photographing sunrise. It's a shot I've gotten myself from close to this person's position.

The Long Beach coastline, unlike the majority of California coastline, faces almost due south. The sun rises over the mountains east of Orange County, casting a beautiful reflection on the bay. 

It's a beautiful and serene standpoint, worth the chill air and cooling coup of coffee one has to endure.

But I like this shot and the way it depicts an artist capturing the moment.