California Trip - May 30, 2006

So Alex and I just got back from a trip to LA with Grandma and Grandpa.  On the first day, my Dad took us down the coast to Long Beach.  While he was showing us the house he grew up in in San Pedro, the neighbor came out of his house and asked if we needed directions (I think he was seeing who was taking pictures of his neighbor's house).  That evening we had dinner at Ante's, a Croatian restaurant, originally owned by a friend of dad's.  Now his son runs the restaurant.  The next day we visited the Aquarium of the Pacific, which Alex LOVES.  As soon as he knew where he was (he's been there once before) he went nuts and started yelling and bouncing up and down. "Yah, yah, yah, dah, dah, dah!"  Maybe he'll be a marine biologist.  They have a "Nemo" tank with clown fish and blue tang ("Dory") fish.  All the kids run up to it and say "Look its Nemo and Dory!"  After the aquarium, Grandpa took us to Joe Jost's, a bar that has been in Long Beach since 1924.  He frequented the bar as a student at Cal State University Long Beach.  We ate "Joe's Special Sandwiches" - Polish sausage on rye with Swiss, mustard and a pickle wedged in the middle of the sausage.  It was delicious.  They are also famous for their pickled eggs, served with hot peppers and pretzel sticks.  We then drove through CSULB, and stopped by the house of Dad's former Political Science professor. On Monday we went to Disneyland.  This time Minnie Mouse scared Alex and he started crying.  Grandme and Grandpa had to take a lot more breaks than I remembered when they took me to Disneyland 20 years ago.  This year Disneyland is 51 years old (it opened in 1955), but they are still celebrating its 50th Anniversary, so they have special exhibits around the park until the end of 2006.  The best new ride is in California Adventure called "Twilight Zone's Tower of Terror".  It is awsome - my dad loved it.  During the day, Dad was reminicing about the first time he came to Disneyland as a kid, back in 1956.  All in all, a great family trip!