Sunday, June 28, 2009

Hilltop Park - Signal Hill

So here we go. First post that actually has some juicy content to talk about! After finally getting home from a 26 hour work shift, Pauline and I decided we should go out to lunch and run some errands. On a sudden whim (Pauline remembered a friend talking about a park you could see downtown LA nearby), we decided to go check out the local park.
After having a mediocre lunch at Black Angus in Lakewood (food: mediocre, service: great, can't beat the lunch specials for 6.99 w/ coupon), we made our way to this gem of a park. Just 2-3 minutes south of the 405 on Cherry, a short winding road took us up, up and away!
Quarter of a mile later, a small patchy green area appeared on the left hand side. This had to be it! Parking was easy alongside the sidewalk on both sides of the street, but also in a parking lot for the park itself. Considering we were there at noon, in the dead heat of summer, there were a surprising amount of people milling about. Not crowded in the least, but surprising nonetheless.
As we walked and observed the people, we found a group of ham radio operators at one of the two BBQ areas, they brought their antennae so they could broadcast and receive transmissions. We noticed an elderly man in his wheelchair with his family, who got out of the wheelchair to walk with his walker and take in the view. We also walked by some young Filipino young adults taking lots of pictures. The air was relatively quiet and tranquil. The park was small, but well taken care of. Lots of benches in the main circular promenade with binoculars so you could take in the views:


That is myself and Pauline, enjoying our little excursion!

Of course what people really come here for.... um most people...:
the VIEW!


The Good: Free. Amazing view despite the hazy smog of summer. Probably romantic in city lights view at night. Two BBQ grills there (although small). For the road bikers out there, the initial hill goes up at average 13.5% grade for 1/4 km before leveling out. A good little test.

The Bad: Can't imagine staying all day here. No room for the kids to run and play. No room for sports. Probably overcrowded with smooching teens at night. The amazing views unfortunately are of oil tankers, ship loaders and petroleum factories.

Overall: Go take a visit if you are in the area! It is only a 5 minute detour, and at the bargain basement price of free, you can't go wrong!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Intro

Hi, this is me:



I'm just your average Joe.... oh well, in my case, your average Mike. Since my marriage to my wife Pauline, temptations have mostly come from the three T's (Taste, Tech and Travel). This blog will focus on following our exploits encountering these tantalizing treats and what we think of them. Enjoy! Hopefully this can be at least entertaining if not informational!