HBB On The Road
My running observations of what I see as I travel, in the comments.
The Housing Bubble
Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.
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Name:Ben Jones
Location:Northern Arizona, United States
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Yesterday, I drove from Flagstaff to San Diego. West of Flag, the huge Bellemont townhouse development looks overbuilt and unneccesary. Further west is Kingman, near the California border. Land for sale everywhere. Lots of McMansions and a few golf courses. The terrain starts to look like a cross of the movie Dune with a spagetti western and stayed that way until I got close to San Diego. One thing to note in Kingman; there was this giant etched out pre-subdivision of dirt roads all over some hills that looked like one of those indian desert things in Peru. One look at the gas stations should make the idea of this being a commuter market for Las Vegas pretty suspect.
Down south on 95 to Lake Havasu City; elevation 500 feet. Lots of big boats and real estate offices. I read yesterday that the cost of living in LHC is higher than Chicago. Good luck with that.
South to Yuma; I hope I never have to drive that road again in my life. Question; at the Yuma Proving Grounds - what do they prove?
So I turn west on hwy 8 to California. After 6 hours since Kingman, I stop at this gas station/store. I get one of those energy drinks I hate and ask the guy ‘what town is this’? In perfect spanish he says, ‘El Centrooo.’ It’s just about then I notice that on the counter, in the most prominent spot, are packaged crickets, dryed and flavored with chili powder. They are in this little box with clear plastic so their bellies are visible. And next to these are chocolate covered larve. And they had lollipops with worms in them. There was a newspaper outside called the Imperial Valley Times. I never saw so many dove in my life; white-wings.
Over these mountains covered with boulders, I start dropping toward San Diego. All of a sudden, the hills are covered with houses, and on very steep slopes. Then it gets very urban quickly. I must say, the freeways in California seem well organized. I make it over to Carlsbad near the beach. I got up this morning to the sounds of surfers skate boarding toward the waves and the hushed roar of cars on hwy 5. Carlsbad looks very coast-like, but with nice established trees. I guess they don’t get hurricanes here. More later.
‘The terrain starts to look like a cross of the movie Dune with a spagetti western.’
Oh. My. Sweet. Mercy!
Are you in a stillsuit? Did you spot wormsign? And just over in today’s ‘bits’ there was a Dune discussion. It’s one of them cosmic synchronicity thingies, clearly.
But, Ben, what I really want to know, the REALLY vital minutiae of road-trip-dom, is: How many SlimJims have you eaten, how much beer have you drunk, and how many sissy slap- fights have you gotten into with the other passengers over who gets to hold the gun?
It is the little stuff I notice the most. I’m a vegetarian, so OTR eatin is tough. A bag of sunflower seeds that refused to come out of the bag while I was driving. I had some good beer last night at the brewery down the street. Californians are interesting people. More polite than folks in Flagstaff. The girls like to tint their hair, I noticed. Pink, usually. Little strips here and there. I’m going stag on this one, so no backseat drivers. But I did berate myself for going off the road a couple of times after driving about 8 hours. Boy, did my friends at home lie to me about how long ot takes to drive to SD.
Here on the coast, it’s very nice. The plants are varied, the air is moist. The ravens at the Carl’s Jr are smaller than in AZ. I asked the lady, ‘do you have anything vegetarian’? She said ‘we have eggs.’ I got the coffee; twice.
Next door there is a mexican food drive up. The groundskeeper was wearing a Indian motorcycle vest. He worked for about an hour and then sat on his ass for two. He worked on a single bicycle tire for along time. Last I saw he walked off with it. The Alberstons I just went to was the best stocked one I have ever seen. Overall, first impressions on California are better than I expected.
I didn’t know you were a vegetarian, Ben. I’ve thought about being vegetarian myself, but while the spirit is willing, the flesh is tasty.
Hahaha! I made a funny.
Although I guess it’s likely not very funny for the meat.
Oh, yes, I love sunflower seeds for road trips, with a little paper bag for the hulls or it gets messy. I prefer FritoLay brand, regular roasted, myself. 2/$1 or 59 cents each. Which, I notice, now comes in bags that are only 2 1/8 oz. Didn’t it used to be 2 ½ oz? Those jerks!
Oh, I don’t get the ones with the hulls. Just the seeds. I could never understand how one is supposed to crack and eat those things without making a huge mess. Notice the bottom of a bird cage!
You should hit the Ocean Beach People’s Co-Op while going through SD. It’s just a little off ways off the road. They have amazing stuff. California is paradise for vegetarians.
I love pumpkin seeds. I also like the sunflower seeds with the hull. Love to suck on the hull, spit them out and munch on the seed.
I’m kind of a salt addict, so I like to get the sunflower seeds with the hulls caked in salt.
Olympiagal, I’ve been vegetarian on-and-off several times, but the grilly meats and bacon always beckon me back. The power of bacon is not to be trifled with.
‘The power of bacon is not to be trifled with.’
You are so right. Why, the worship of bacon is almost like a religion. In fact, forget the ‘like a’, it IS a religion, for verily, it is so super yummy.
I’m a former strict veg (I went back to eating seafood and poultry, but never again will I eat red meat) when I lived in San Diego, I found lots of good eats at Jyothi Bihanga’s in Kensington (I hope they’re still open), the OB coop txchick mentioned, and the Che Cafe at UC San Diego. Of course, you’ll do fine if you go to Whole Foods, as you already know. Aesop’s Tables was a Greek restaurant that was veggie friendly, at the UTC mall in La Jolla.
I don’t remember if there was anything good in North County. I vaguely remember some good veggie eats in Encinitas, but don’t remember the name. There is an outstanding pizza place off the Coast Hwy near Encinitas Blvd that plays surfing videos all the time, but don’t remember the name of that one either.
If you’re a vegan, God help you… :O
Aesop’s has changed ownership, and not for the better.
Henry’s or Boney’s markets (now owned by Wild Oats) is another pretty good option for good produce and vegetarian fare in SD County.
Salt addict #2.
Jyothi Bihanga’s in Kensington is still open, but it is an odd place for vegetarian food. Being a meat eater myself, I can’t help but notice that the veggie food there is almost exclusively pretending to be meat: “Neatloaf,” Boca-Burgers, BLT w/ soy bacon, Tofurkey, etc.
“Thanks, I’ll just have an apple…”
Paul
Good Chinese restaurants usually have very acceptable vegan dishes.
The “Neatloaf” at Jyoti Bihanga’s is homemade and I’ve never had anything like it anywhere else. It is their signature dish, but it doesn’t “replicate meat”, it just has a texture like meat but a light and healthy flavor all its own.
I don’t know about processed tofurky or boca-burgers. Jyoti Bihanga’s always had the philosophy of making their own stuff, so something must have changed since I lived there.
I think it is one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Southern CA, and I’m quite the food snob. Meat eaters will always be disappointed by food that doesn’t taste like the original.
Ben -
You should come to Solana Beach this weekend if you have time. There is a street festival going on that features the work of a lot of local artists, live music, and good beer…
Damn Ben did not know you where coming out this way.
I have to fly up to SF for the next two days but is your still in the area I live in Irvine love to meet you. Sure others would also.
mike.emmelATgmail
Re LA and eating meatless,
I’ve been a vegetarian and so have my kids, all our lives. Eating around LA is great fun but you have to know where to go. Greek and Indian restaraunts are great -just stay away from fast food/chain diners (you should know better, tsk tsk). Ha I just got off the graveyard shift- had greasy (large) fries, a brownie, diet soda, and coffee. Oh and a banana. Making up for it this morning with pizza and beer. Anyway, the best places are mid-sized owner/chef owned, in either ethnic or areas like Santa Monica/ Laguna Beach. Stay away from trendy places where celebrities go, the food sucks. Anywhere tourists are are usually bad. The food court at Century City mall is actually great, they have greek, mexican, and a real gelato place- all the cooks are actually greek, mexican, italian… unreal food and the people watching is amusing. Fake tans, highlights, bling, and wow some of the cars … wow. My mom who lives in Brentwood said I’ll never be able to afford it there, because prices will never come down, because “there is a lot of money here”. Very flatly. The entertainment industry is huge and there is so much feeding off of that. My son is back in LA and said two of his buddies are in ahem adult video production, he’s an IT manager with more business than he can handle … making more than me, with less formal education. Hmmph.
LOL! Don’t go where the tourists go….goto THE MALL.
bkiddo:
“My mom who lives in Brentwood said I’ll never be able to afford it there, because prices will never come down, because “there is a lot of money here”. Very flatly. The entertainment industry is huge and there is so much feeding off of that.”
More or less what I’ve said on this blog many times. It’s an accurate cliche for a reason - location, location, location. My sister-in-law’s place in the Hollywood Hills has stayed stable in value all through this downturn, while less desirable areas have taken a hit.
Btw Ben, SoCal is heaven for vegetarian’s - just ask around where to go. In Los Feliz/Calabasas/Larchmont Village - everywhere else, we had great variety. Enjoy. There’s little to compare to the better places in California.
I hate it when my mom is right.
And she almost always is.
Hmmph.
“More or less what I’ve said on this blog many times. It’s an accurate cliche for a reason - location, location, location. My sister-in-law’s place in the Hollywood Hills has stayed stable in value all through this downturn, while less desirable areas have taken a hit.”
The ignorance out there astounds me. The hills will get slammed over the next three years, just as West LA will. The hills are fine, but you’re tied to a crappy school system and you’re incredibly vulnerable to fires (does any insurance company even insure the houses up there?) I have a good friend who lost 400K in a matter of months in the Palisades (a much, much nicer place than Hollywood Hills) back in the 90’s when he made the mistake of buying the house next door before he sold his own house. He smoked the same crack you’re smoking, Ria, and he’s lived a long time to regret it. Million dollar homes are not supported by 100K incomes.
Go to Calculated Risk and take a look at the post on option ARMs today. When these start to reset, life will change.
Re: high end homes.
Just go to realtytrac dot com and enter the city of your choice and go to the map view. High end areas have lot less (P)re-foreclosure, (A)uction, and (B)ank-owned, but anywhere you look in SoCal, P’s already out number B’s, so you know there will be more and more REO’s….
“The ravens in the Carl’s Jr. are smaller than in AZ.”
(Some useless trivia:)
Those are most likely crows. Southern Calif is infested with crows. Crows have learned to dumpster dive and otherwise do quite well in our cities.
Ravens are larger than crows, don’t form large flocks like crows do, and are mostly found in rural areas.
More useless (but interesting) trivia about crows (a ten minute video) …
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/261
Just great stuff in the video. David Attenborough, the naturalist, is the narrator in the short clip shown on crows in Japan.
Approximately 10 years there was a nice piece on crows in the NYTimes. Crows are easily bored, so they have to think up ways to entertain themselves. A trick one crow developed was to take a plastic Dixie cup, and roll it down the hill with its feet. The crow liked the ride so much, that it would pick up the cup in its beak, and take it up the hill to repeat the process.
In a study of a single crow family, researchers found that one daughter would return to its parent’s nest, even after she had founded her own. She’d spend an hour or two with her mother each week, and then fly back to her nest. Hard not to think that she missed her folks, and wanted to spend some time with them.
I’m not sure that I would ever crows to be an infestation.
Here in Lake Forest Park, north of Seattle, crows are a huge nuisance. They are almost as bad as roosters in the morning with their caw, caw, cawing. they dive bomb the eagles and drive them away. They drive most other birds away. They are dumpster divers of the worst sort. When they build a nest, as they have done in a tall tree in our backyard, they will dive bomb anyone and anything to keep them away; fair enough, but pretty intimidating when you want to use the backyard. They form large communities and are really bothersome. A little action with a pellet gun to thin their ranks would not be unappreciated here.
I’m not sure that I would ever crows to be an infestation.
Crows are pretty efficient egg predators — they eat the eggs and fledglings of songbirds and waterfowl.
When I participated in field research on some particular songbirds in the Great Smoky Mountains in the ’90s, we found a fairly high number of crow egg predators in edge regions of the forest, near human development and roads. (Crows like their human creature comforts, I guess.)
I’m sure with all the Clownifornia comments posted on the HBB, you were probably expecting drive by shootings! If you have time, check out the meditation garden in Encinitas, by the Self Realization Fellowship (near Swami’s Beach). It’s free, beautiful and peaceful.
Ben,
If you make it over to Berkeley for a meal, check out this place:
Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant. I used to be a regular, and so far I have found nothing that compares in San Diego (or anywhere else, for that matter). If you ride the BART into Berkeley, get off at the downtown Berkeley stop and walk about four blocks north, and you are there.
More generally, some of the best reasonably-priced food I have ever consumed in my life can be found just off the Cal campus along Shattuck Avenue in the so-called Gourmet Ghetto, where student budgets meet refined palates.
I’m a vegetarian, so OTR eatin is tough……. I had some good beer last night at the brewery down the street.
Do you know how many YEAST were murdered to make that beer?
“I asked the lady, ‘do you have anything vegetarian’? She said ‘we have eggs.’ I got the coffee; twice.”
I too am a vegetarian… about 15 years now. I can remember trying to order take out over the phone one night from a restaurant in Corpus Christi, TX. I asked if they had any vegetarian sandwiches and the the lady replied “we have turkey burgers”.
Being a vegetarian and traveling adds a whole new dimension to things. Its interesting to see if places have embraced a vegetarian lifestyle or not. Every trip to SoCal has been positive so you should be able to eat well!
If you want to see some of California’s natural beauty, go for a drive up the PCH. Stop by Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and take a quick five-minute hike to see McWay Falls. You can have lunch in Santa Barbara and give us first-hand account of how bad it is up there, economically speaking.
Californians are friendly in a superficial sort of way, because everyone’s so busy working to make the monthly nut.
Oregonians are harder to get to know, but will help you out when you need it. They’re even more polite, but they are terrible drivers, generally.
Ben, this isn’t your first time in the Golden State, is it?
Ben,
Here you go for the Yuma Proving Grounds:
http://www.yuma.army.mil/index.asp
Twenty years ago, I spent a summer writing software in an air-conditioned (thankfully!) trailer in the middle of the YPG. Wild horses cantering about, huge tarantulas, clear scorpions, *huge* jackrabbits. It was wonderful. And I “proved” that my imaging system tracked weapons quite nicely.
Question; at the Yuma Proving Grounds - what do they prove?
I used to test parachutes in the ARMY there. We tested the C17 when it came online, every fourth jumper hit the side of the aircraft. Hurt like hell too.
“I used to test parachutes in the ARMY there. We tested the C17 when it came online, every fourth jumper hit the side of the aircraft. Hurt like hell too.”
Silly operator, life is better exiting off the ramp and deploying the pilot chute manually!
The ramp is nice. But they just don’t do that in a jet driven aircraft prop yes jets no.
Thanks, Ben - this is fun reading and I don’t have to use any gas to “see” what you’re seeing.
“I guess they don’t get hurricanes here.”
Not as often as in Florida, at least. Damaging tornadoes are also far less frequent in San Diego than are fires, floods, earthquakes and landslides.
(Caution: Link to .pdf file.)
“I make it over to Carlsbad near the beach. I got up this morning to the sounds of surfers skate boarding toward the waves and the hushed roar of cars on hwy 5. Carlsbad looks very coast-like, but with nice established trees. I guess they don’t get hurricanes here. More later.”
Hi Ben, Please by all means let the us Angelino HBB’er know when you approach LA. and long beach if you are going thru this way. If any one who lives in LA area has a great gathering spot for BEN lets us all know. Say in Santa monica, long beach, redondo, hermosa, even Dwtn LA somewhere.
Ben,,
PlS stay west and south of 405 fwy or PCH as it is cooler and less ghettoized than INland LA county. Avoid 5 fwy thru LA city if possible especially dwtn and burbank area unless from 10-3 only.
In fact avoid traveling LA freeways going thru heart of LA except from 10-3 period!! Or after 8 pm till dawn but breaking down in LA in middle of night has some undesirable consequences.
PeterM, where were you?
Been told by friends in LA that the traffic seems to be much lighter on the fwys throughout LA area… maybe gas prices?
‘Been told by friends in LA that the traffic seems to be much lighter on the fwys throughout LA area… maybe gas prices?’
It is lighter and I notice more carpools. I think people are carpooling more. I’m hoping for $7/gallon (what I pay in Europe) to be here soon.
why would you want $ 7.00 gallon gasoline, dorky butt ?
I too am game for $7 gas. Get the poor off our roads and leave them all for me :). Seriously, I noted between Del Mar and Solona Beach they just added a “mommy and me” lane. Hardly anyone in it and everyone else still crammed into 4 lanes. But at least politically correct which is worth something right? I would carpool, but finding anyone going my direction and on my schedule is all but impossible. Carpools do not work. Opening freeways up with more lanes increases traffic. I noticed the worst areas for conjestion in LA gave up on them.
“looks very coast-like, but with nice established trees. I guess they don’t get hurricanes here. More later.”
Ben, Once you leave oceanside and start heading up north along the 5 fwy route thru camp pendleton marine base and natural reserve area it is 20-30 miles of hilly lush CA coastal belt till you hit San Clemente, the southernmost community in orange county. On the way you will see San Onofre Nuclear power plant(run by Edison) which is actually sited just north of San Onofre state Beach. The road to get off is baselone road to visit the state beach. No personally familiar with this beach except it seems popular with the surfer crowd.
Once you hit the OC county line take a trip to Dana point. It is an attractive state park, beach, and marina. Used to be far better before DP got overrun by developers. If you like a slow drive along the pretty OC gold coast take the coastal PCH route fron DP to laguna beach, a nice walkable scenic village very touristy and with an artists colony. If you prefer to see Irvine( not much to see there except for the large OC modern industrial belt) just continue on up along 5 fwy thru laguna hills, mission viejo, aliso viejo, el toro, lake forest, irvine. This is the OC lush planned community region, very safe & clean but all boring exurban plotted.
One you get to the el toro’ y’ the split off the 5 and 405, I suggest taking 405 till you hit costa mesa, Where you can see tons of stalled hi-rise condos developments off Jamboree.
BTW CM is a decent middle class stopover with good tourist motels just south of 405 along the 55.
Peter, ben had no time to check out the coast because he was following this wild driver up to LA. where were you?
We must be thinking about different Costa Mesa motels. Most of the Costa Mesa motels I’m familiar with are at least half full of transients or people who don’t have the credit to rent apartments.
They just fished an unconscious naked woman out of the spa in the Ramada Inn the other day; oddly enough, except for the suspected sexual assault, she seems not much the worse for wear.
Ben
This is a repost from another blog topic but it is offered here as you may find it useful if you happen to trip into LA on your tour:
LA does have some cultural sights worth visiting but they are spread out in widely spaced out locales separated by 10-30 miles of horrible tangled traffic and often slumified ghettos.
couple examples:
Universial studios is well worth visiting and is good for adults and kids but public transist there is complex and tangled. Very bad traffic problems in that area off the 101 . Santa Monica & Venice beaches are worth visiting but no metro lines go there. Only the Santa Monica blue bus line with connections to dwtn .
If you are limited in time and want to avoid unnecessary long round- about driving best to concentate in area netween dwtn and santa monica, and from 10 fwy up to hollywood hills. This is mostly the westside and hollywood. This is my tour route :
Day 1
Do dwtn, see disney concert hall, pershing square, olivera st union station, walk along 6th st or broadway and see some dwtn historical blgds. If U have time shoot down to exposition park and see the La county musuems. In LA dwtn Best to park car in some all -day live person guarded parking lot near little tokyo area and use DASH shuttle buses .Very cheap and they will take you all over dwtn LA in half a day. Stay at some Hotel around little tokyo. Or go direct to hollywood and do an afternoon tour, see below.
Day 2: take 101 to hollywood only after 10 am , get close to hollywood and vine, park car in some guarded parking space or just pay meter for 3-4 hrs, walk along hlywd blvd from vine west to graumen chinese, take pics, get back to car and out of there before noon, take hollywood or sunset bld to 101 fwy, go north passing hollywood bowl to Univeral studios, take tour and finish late, stay at some place in old hollywood near the bowl or off main drag, or you can reverse it and finish up in hollywood and stay there. Lots of affordable accomodations but watch where you stay.
Day 3: take slow drive along santa monica blvd or wilshire going thru beverly hills, see rodeo drive, may be some celebrity, then continue to santa monica . tour the beach and pier, then drive south along main st or lincoln to Venice baech, take in the wacky flaky cultural diversity, finish up , take 90 fwy at marina del rey to 405 and get out of westside . Either go to LAX or drive along 405 north or south out of LA .
This is a very rough guide but you see most of the places worth visiting in LA city in about 3 days. Traffic is always a mess and getting around by auto is nervewracking at best -best to travel between 9 and 3 for such nightmare rtes as santa monica blvd, 101 fwy, hollywood blvd or any road going thru hollywood, lincoln blvd, any roads thru LA dwnt , ect
Carlsbad is right up the coast from me. I am near downtown San Diego. Bankers Hill. A renter.
I’ve posted intermittently here, and have always watched; particularly for the California oriented updates. I want to buy… but not at current rates… nor when the market is sliding downward. Ideally I’d like to be in downtown San Diego (Little Italy) or in Bankers Hill just to the north.
To my chagrin, I may be visiting less often as my company has been hit by the economic slump and the response is to cut 28 positions. This morning I learned that I was a casulty. A first.
So, it’s difficult for me to imagine keeping tabs ont he market when replacing my income rises to top priority.
I started a blog, not knowing where it’s going to go, at the following: http://beingcanned.blogspot.com/
Brandon
Sorry about your job circumstances, Brandon.
Sometimes though, being laid off is one of the best things that can happen to a person (especially if they don’t have a family to support). Maybe you can try to do something on your own?
Best of luck!
“in the most prominent spot, are packaged crickets, dryed and flavored with chili powder”
You mean you’ve never eaten those before? Well lemme tell you - they taste OK, maybe a little too hot and spicy, it’s just that it feels funny when the legs get stuck between your teeth.
When I’ve eaten them in Oaxaca and at my parents-in-law’s house they were actually grasshoppers, not crickets. They’re put in a large cloth or canvas bag overnight to make sure that they empty their bowels before they’re washed and prepared. Fried with chili and lemon, they’re really good - although I can’t convince any of my Irish/Italian American family members to try them.
It is Ground, not Grounds.
Hey Ben right down the road from you, watch out for US Open traffic starting today on Hwy 1 and the 5.
“Yuma Proving Grounds - what do they prove?”
That we have bigger and badder guns than the other thugs.
I believe the introductory sequence to the new Indiana Jones movie may capture the rough idea.
There was this big derigible like balloon on a wire up above. So they can test the Kentucky windage?
Probably a Helostat- Radar mounted on a ballon keeping an eye on the Southern Border’s airspace. Try and get to San Clemente about 50 miles up the coast if you want to see overbuilt, overpriced, lalaland - didn’t used to be that way.
San Clemente - Paradise ain’t cheap and everyone wants to be there. Lalaland? just try Happy Hour at the Pier, walk the new elevated walkway from Trestles to North Beach, see the sunset ove Catalina Island, to name just a few. Thats why its well populated, a tad pricy, but in no way Lalaland.
Yes, a TARS (tethered aerostat Radar System). They’re used by the USAF for drug interdiction. When I was stationed down in Tucson, we forecasted for five such TARS sites (one in Yuma, one at Ft Huachuca near Sierra Vista, AZ, one in Deming, NM, and two other locations I can’t remember).
All these places from Arizona, Southern California, Las Vegas …
Got water ?
Actually, I did see some retained water near Williams AZ. And the Ocotillo were leafed out and blooming like crazy near Yuma.
Hey Ben
I wish I had time to meet you today, I live in Carlsbad…
You should check out the corner of Cannon Rd and El Camino Real for the newest housing develpment being slowly erected. It is called “Robertson Ranch”. Also take a drive down Palomar Airport Rd and look at all the commerical buildings that are going up and have gone up in the past year or so….they are pretty much vacant. It is going to be interesting around here in the next couple of years.
BTW I hope the brewery you went to was Pizza Port on CBad Village Dr. GREAT BEERS there! not to mention the pizza!
Pizza Port…yeah, I think that was the place with the surfing videos! I thought the pizza was amazing, and yes definitely some good brews as well.
Yeah, it was PP. We had a great time.
Hi Ben!
Yes, it was a fun time with good conversation and good people. Hope to see some of the HBB’ers more often.
Good night!
Many thanks to Ben all the other participants who made the PP outing a memorable event, and I wish Ben safe and enjoyable travels on the rest of his HBB odyssey.
Ben,
I had a great time. That was probably one of the more meaningful and intellectual conversations that I have had for a while. It was fun meeting and chatting with Barnaby 33, Rich, SD Greg, Professor Bear, SD Renter and Marty. I agree with SD Renter that somewhere down the line we need to get together in Las Vegas. It shouldn’t be hard to get a room. Rates are cheap and most of the hotels on the LV Strip are dying for business.
Good times, I remember PP from way back when. Shark Fin ale I remember. No place quite like it in the bay area. Lucky you.
Don’t forget the Stone Brewery in Escondido if you have a chance. Its just a couple minutes off the 78.
I don’t know much about what they have for vegetarian, but they have beer battered onion rings the size of house shoes.
Bummed I couldn’t meet up with you folks. I live in UTC and have been to PP many times…
Maybe next time!
Ben, will you be in LA.
I may just show up.
Time and location please.
Ben,
What type of computer/network are you using while on the road?
This really weak HP notebook, but I’ve gotten used to it.
Hey Ben,
I live in PHX but frequently travel to Carlsbad for business. I was there this week, just flew home yesterday. I’d offer some suggestions on restaurants, but, as a committed carnivore, I’m not sure you’d find much value in them. If you’re a fish eater (I believe some vegetarians define “meat” as “red meat,” correct?) then I can recommend the Fish House Vera Cruz on Carslbad Ave, just off the train tracks where the Coaster flies by at unnerving speeds on weekdays.
So, where are you staying? Last week, I stayed at the new Sheraton resort, which is lovely. But, on past trips, I’ve stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn, the Holiday Inn (with the kitchy windwmill), and the Residence Inn near the airport.
Bubble-wise, I’ve not seen a lot of new development insanity around Carlsbad, but I’ve mostly been near the coast (airport to downtown region), and I would assume most of the bubble-era development to be taking place more inland.
I do have 2 stories of colleagues who left Phoenix to work in the Carlsbad area. The first quit his job with the large semiconductor for whom I work almost 2 years ago. Wisely, he sold his ridiculously overpriced house in Chandler/Gilbert (not sure) for top dollar, moved to San Diego, and now rents as he and his wife wait for prices to adjust there.
The 2nd quit quite recently, and is moving to Carlsbad to work at Callaway golf (as a hard-core golfer, this is a dream job for him). He cannot sell his house in Verrado (far West valley, we jokingly refer to it as “East LA”…), so he’ll be renting it out as he “waits for the market to recover” and he & his wife will rent in Carlsbad.
Anyway, gotta get back to baby duty, just wanted to post a few anecdotes relevant to your trip…
Pizza Port is in Solana Beach, although there may be one in Cbad now.
I recommend that and second the rec on Fish House Veracruz. Che
Cafe is vegetarian but typically open for concerts and not regular meals
during the summer.
If you get a chance, go to Balboa Park. Amazing gardens. Also worth
checking out Torrey Pines State Park, although if the golf tournament
is going as others have said, there will be some traffic. Some interesting
trails which have signage indicating the uses of native plants by the
Indians. Torrey Pines are native to the area, and the nuts - if you can
get some - are tasty.
Don’t worry, Ben loved his African dinner he got at the farmer’s market.
Welcome to CA Ben! You should go through Barstow on the way home to get a good dose of the IE - bubble implosion.
Ben,
Take HWY #99 instead of I-5 on your way back if you want to see the reckless rural development that has occured in the central valley of Cali….
Hey Ben, careful on the driving and posting here at the same time.
I’m a vegetarian and have been for a long time. It’s hard being on the road and eating right. I take a cooler, then ignore everything in it and eat junk food all the way, an old tradition.
I was in N. Cally (Sonora area) a few months ago, and talk about culture shock! Have fun, enjoying your posts from my condo in Moab.
Hey Oly, get over to the Bits Bucket, I need your help…
I want to say a huge thanks to all the HBBers in San Diego that showed up. It was a blast. Special thanks to more people than I can name. Wow, just wow!
Thank **you** Ben!
Say “hello” to all the LA and SF HBBers from the SD HBBers.
It was a great time!
Ben,
Really great to meet you!…Cole / Bugs & Daffy say thanks for the autograph! To all who showed up…you’re quite the gang, Sand Diego is still a great place…I just wish housing was back to 1995 prices
I’m sorry I missed it!
Somehow I thought it was Sunday instead.
Enjoy your CA roadtrip, Ben!
Definitly need to do it again sometime.
Las Vegas, here we come!!!
I think that would be fun…
It was good to meet you Ben. For those who haven’t met Ben, know that he is a humble, modest guy - just like you would expect.
Thanks for the beer!
One thing that is becoming clear to me about California; there area lot of people here. I read the statistics, etc, but seeing it is another thing. And they are packed in on the coast, at least as I can tell so far. It’s quite a shock coming from Arizona, just to see the housing layed out on the hill-sides. It’s almost hard to focus on; sort of like looking into the Grand Canyon.
I can see the attraction. A local HBBer took me on a drive near the beach yesterday. A little snug for my tastes, but nice none-the-less. I have to wonder what long-term house-price deflation will do to the local economy. If there are much fewer HELOC dollars, what will happen to all the cafes, shops, etc? Consumerism is everywhere, which is a big attraction. The beach was nice, and free, but almost nobody was actually on it.
Well, good luck San Diego. Lots of good people and possibly the origin of the housing bubble for the US. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer place.
Ben, I hear you about all the people! Living in places like Flag and SE Utah, people can be quite the sight! It’s hard to understand how they can live so close to each other, then they come out here and wonder how the vast empty spaces don’t mess with one’s mind…
The climate seems to be the overall attraction. Having gone through a long, cold winter in Arizona, I can see how attractive it must be. The types of plant here could only exist if it never gets cold. And I hear it doesn’t get very hot on the coast either. But like many nicer places, is the coast too popular for its own good? If you don’t mind crowds and traffic, maybe not.
…and earthquakes…
“The types of plants here could only exist if it never gets cold. And I hear it doesn’t get very hot on the coasts either”
All this is thanks to the Pacific Ocean and the trade winds coming from the west.
The ocean acts as a gigantic heat sink; it absorbs heat in the summer, releases it in the winter. The west wind blows in from the ocean bringing with it its moderate tempertures and mild humidity. This wind is a gift to coast dwellers but dissapates its moderation as it moves inland; That’s why the Inland Empire is so hot in the summer.
Farther inland this moderating wind hits the mountain ranges and dissapates its moisture at the higher elevations. It’s on the other side of these mountains - in the mountain’s rain shadow - that the California desert begins.
I’ve been here for 8 years and I’m still not used to all the people. The small town ( if you could call it one) was less than 1,000 people back in TN. The freeways leading to Knoxville seldom had many cars. The fact that TN has less people in it for the entire state than LA is telling.
The huge numbers of people really affects daily life. You do a lot of waiting.You wait at the grocery store, restaurants, festivals, and of course- the freeway traffic.
Don’t get me wrong- the weather is indeed nice. But you pay for it, and perhaps too much for what its worth.
You’ve got to stop at the beach in San Diego and take a dip. The water is so nice and warm. Beaches get much colder the further north you go.
“And they are packed in on the coast, at least as I can tell so far.”
That is one of the two most striking things about California which did not occur to me until we relocated from the Midwest over a decade ago. The first time we flew into the SF Bay area was at night. After flying across most of the state and seeing only a few isolated towns with lights piercing the darkness, one suddenly sees the silhouette of the SF Bay, framed by the immense illumination of millions of lights from the cars, homes and businesses below. By contrast, much of the state is either wilderness, whether desert or mountainous, or in the case of the central valley, low population density due to agricultural use of the land.
I have not flown into LA at night, but the effect is quite similar driving from east of Barstow across the San Gabriel range and down into the LA valley. A few miles east of Barstow, one is in the middle of the barren SoCal dessert, and within one hour’s drive to the west, in the midst of a teeming and seemingly-boundless coastal megalopolis.
My take on all this is that the conservation of California’s wild and undeveloped lands coupled with an open-door immigration policy has come at the cost of a crushingly high concentration of population densities into the established coastal cities, with attendant urban sprawl when the urban core could not support further development.
The other most striking thing is that earthquakes big enough to feel (w/o a seismograph) are far more infrequent than the Midwest stereotype would suggest. In fact, I have felt a comparable number of CA earthquakes to the number of Midwest earthquakes I felt growing up (though I lived in the Midwest for much longer).
sorry I missed you guys last night. I called Ben back but I guess the event was over by then.
You can try me from the next stops if you want. I would have loved to have been in SD yesterday.
txchick57,
Come to SF. I would love to meet you.
I’ve done that drive!
Like other road trips, the radio gets switched around and I ended up driving through the San Gabriels toward LA somehow with Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 “Winter Daydreams”/Symphony No. 2 “Little Russian” playing the whole way down through the range.
I think Ben now sees that it REALLY IS DIFFERENT in California. But our prices are still going to continue to implode. But there is a good reason they got higher than most places.
California is a cool state. And when this implosion is over it will be even better.
BTW, San Diego has nothing on the beach cities in Orange Country. My sister in law lives in SD so I know the place well. OC is much better.
OC is much better. Hey, it’s “offical” now: “The O.C.”
Come on Joe…Beacon’s @ Leucadia or Seal Beach near the jetty..you gotta be kidding me.
We used to go to Crystal Coves near Irvine when we lived in CA. There is a cave with beautiful rock folds … there are some exposed layers of clay in between the rock strata. On the other end of the beach opposite the cave, you will find hermit crabs and other marine life in ankle-deep water.
Ben, vegan here.
There’s a chain called Sweet Tomatoes in the LA area, and SF Bay area. (They are also now in Portland, Denver and a few in FL.) Great place.
If you are going to be in Monterey, try Tillie Gorts - lots of vegetarian/vegan items and really good. Started as a hippie cafein the 60’s with all kinds of phots from the times too.
Also, if you like Thai food, there are many good Thai restaurants in the bay area and they pretty much all have lots of vegi options.
Good luck…
The sister store of Sweet Tomatoes is Souplantation. That should offer a lot to vegetarians, too! (I think the two restaurants are identical.)
I’m so proud of you guys! It wasn’t that long ego when it was so not macho to admit to be a vegan. My husband is vegan, and he’s a strapping guy too, so to all those gender stereotypes out there, fooey to you. FYI, I’m the dainty red meat eater in the household…
I’d like to see someone call this guy a wimp.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mahler53.htm
I’ve taken his kettlebell clinic and can assure you, the knuckles are not far from the ground at any time. But he does have a beast of a physique.
Salad, where were you?
I’m sorry I missed y’all. Had some pressing family matters to deal with this weekend.
The Sweet Tomatoes chain is in the Las Vegas suburbs too. Gotta love their tomato carpet! Great place.
Ben: Thank you for posting nice things about my State.
On most occasions, sellers & realtors (who depend upon outside money coming in because local wages do not support their idea of a “cash-positive sale”) trash California to the max, hoping we will move to their locale to up the comps, so-to-speak.
In my experience in driving to AZ every month on my way back to NM, Californians are comparatively polite drivers, although we like to drive fast.
Arizonans and New Mexicans: could you please practice lane courtesy and pull over to the right lane in order to allow a faster driver by in the left lane? It is illegal to refuse to move over: termed in 3 states: “Impeding the Flow of Traffic” (even if the other driver is speeding, you still have to move over). And please signal! Thanks!
~Misstrial
When I become Supreme Ruler of Colorado, my first official act will be to establish a goon squad to cruise our highways looking for left-lane bandits. When they find them, they will pull them over, flog them mercilessly, then confiscate their cars for public auctions. Nine times out of ten it’s some jackass with an F250 pickup and a horse trailor, just tooling along in the passing lane at 50 MPH.
We have local ordinances in my home town of VT where pulp/log trucks are required to pull over and let passenger vehicles pass or get cited for impeding traffic.
“Arizonans and New Mexicans: could you please practice lane courtesy and pull over to the right lane in order to allow a faster driver by in the left lane?”
*****
How about Californians? They are the absolute worst - and particularly on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
After many cross country driving trips, spread out over a decade, I have found this “left lane going slower than traffic flow” affliction gets worse the farther west one goes in the United States.
If you are on the Mass Pike or the Jersey Turnpike and you do this kind of thing… you will be lucky to live. And if you do survive, you will hear a lot honking horns and aggressive language, not to mention getting to see a lot of middle fingers.
I cannot agree with you regarding drivers on the bay bridges: my personal experience is that the average speed is 73 mph and drivers maneuver around the slow drivers.
Apparently, CO is the worst for traffic deaths directly related to a lack of lane courtesy. So when Sammy is annointed Supreme Ruler of CO, *many* drivers there will be incredibly happy since CO is apparently #1 in the US for slow drivers who, in camping out in the left lane, are the direct cause of fatal accidents.
On one of my recent trips to PHX, some lady in a Prius was going 55 mph in the passing lane. Talk about oblivious to reality!
Californians: in AZ, the left lane is the “passing lane” and can only be used for that purpose. I have no idea what AZ law provides on multiple lanes such as the freeways around PHX. There are AZ motorcycle cops perched on freeway overpasses on the 10N about 3 miles outside PHX waiting to ticket Californians for any possible legal reason.
~Misstrial
The Oakland/SF Bay Bridge has a speed limit of 50mph (?) .. anyway, whatever it is it applies to all lanes.
Going west there’s exits from the left lane, like onto YurbaBuena/Treasure island and more further on as the City approaches. The left lanes are not higher speed meant for speed or passing. The right lanes are not for slow traffic.
And by about half way across, you best pick a lane that aligns with your prefered exit up ahead, as the freeway splits left right and center..
The limit is painted in big white numbers on the asphalt in the center of all lanes. There is no “fast” lane.
“The limit is painted in big white numbers on the asphalt in the center of all lanes. There is no “fast” lane.”
Didn’t say there was…I only stated that my experience was that drivers are going about 73 mph on the bridges. When I have traveled across the bridges, I do not go during rush hour(s).
~Misstrial
sorry mistrial.. i shoulda specified i was responding to sfjack’s post, not yours.
Jack seems to be suggesting the left lane on the bridge is for faster cars.
..particularly on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge… “left lane going slower than traffic flow” affliction..
ben.. if you’re still up and reading this, i suggest you get to sleep.. it’s a long drive from LA to SF ’specially on a Monday.
Mistrial, where were you?
I live in 2 States: SLO, CA & southern NM.
Legal res of CA.
~Misstrial
Thank you, Joey for clarifying that legal point. Everyone should learn that in California, the same speed limit applies to all lanes, except when there is a truck lane, wich may have a lower limit. If you are speeding, there is no law that says anyone has to pull over for you. In fact, such behavior amounts to aiding and abetting a known criminal. If people want to speed (which I often do), then they are going to have to learn how to maneuver their cars in and out of traffic while simultaneously avoiding cops and accidents.
-Big V-
Ben, if you are ever in San Luis Obispo County - email me.
Oh yeah - dinner is on me.
Hi SLO Bear:
Sorry to see your blog go….
btw, after reading the Complaint, I think the Plaintiff has an idea who these Doe defendants are.
Take care,
~Misstrial
SLO, let’s meet up next winter when I’m in MB. - az_lender
No problem - just email slobear-at-yahoo-dot-com.
Ben,
What’s your schedule going to be like this week? Specifically, when do you think you will arrive in San Francisco?
BayQT~
I talked to the gang in L.A. an hour or so ago. My understanding is that the SF gathering is tomorrow at 6 (I don’t know if that was 6 my time or 6 PST).
I’m going to try and be there well before 6PM.
Ben has strick instructions to drive up the 5, avoid the trucks, go 90, and no blog monitoring. So no swear words or poli talk.
So politics and swear words get you censored here? Or are you just kidding?
I think I missed where all the meets were being planned. Is there a location for the tuesday San Fran meet?
I don’t have any details either. Tuesday will work for me….just need to know where to go and what time. That information needs to be noted here.
Ben?? Did we miss the info?
BayQT~
You need to e-mail Ben. See link on side bar.
I highly recommend going!
By my calculation, Ben should be arriving at the bar about this time. Have fun tonight….I will be there in spirit, and had I known about it in advance, it would have been worth an airfare to experience SanFran and meet up with you all.
Great day here in Salinas. For those that don’t know the area, summer is like out winter as far as fog is concerned. Woke up to a foggy morning and by 8:30 the fog gave rise to a beautiful sunny day. The sun was a very welcome sight after a longer than usual cool winter.
And for all you vegans, the farmers market was great! Back to our wonderful fruit selection. Fresh hugh, and I mean hugh, sweet cherries, delicious apriums and the sweetest snow peaches I’ve ever tasted. I’m a meat lover only second to tree ripened fruit.
I lived in Salinas in the late 70s . . . my parents were renting a SFH near Monterey Park.
I’ve gone back a few times and when I do I’m always surprised at the no-growth south side. 40 square miles of prime farmland that would be profitable to subdivide, but the owners are sitting on it so the city hasn’t moved southwards (much) for 30 years.
Governator: Enjoy your visit to Caly Ben….don’t forget to pay the hotel taxes…ve really need it now…maybe ve can call you ‘drive by Caly Ben’ hahahahaha. Send more AridZonens here also. Stop by ‘heeeeres my NOD’
Ed’s place in LA if you can…just watch out for the mold.
Make an offer…make him feel goods…and such.
My thanks to the LA people who attended the meetup. It was great to meet so many long time posters. Especially great to finally meet Ms Penelope!
Some general observations; the escorted trip up to LA went smoothly, thanks to Ann! The hwy 5 traffic was rather light. I noticed much fewer concrete “walls of death’ than one sees in Arizona and Texas. And where they were, there was more room away from the actual wall. Got driven around San Marino and Pasadena. SM is a very nice area, but the prices are obviously out of whack. It was also pointed out that they don’t put for-sale signs out there.
Pasadena is an interesting downtown. Wide streets, lots to do and clearly a well to do place. Much warmer than SD and the architecture is more urban than SD. Very nice people and again, friendlier than I expected. Thank you Pasadena!
Hi Ben
It was a pleasure and a great honor to finally meet YOU !!!!!
Brian and I had a great time … we thought everyone that showed up was so warm, kind and friendly. Hopefully we get to see you again soon! Great big ’safe trip’ hug!
Hey Jacolyn (I hope the spelling is correct … probably not … sorry),
I really enjoyed meeting you and Brian - I enjoyed our conversation. I hope that I will see you guys at any future la hbb events. By the way, for everyone who was there today, this is the Spitzer article I was talking about, that the media conveniently didn’t mention :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/13/AR2008021302783.html
Also, here’s the Ben Stein article I brought up :
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05E3D71538F93BA35751C1A962948260
Take care - thanks for the good company this afternoon!
Hey Tim (did I spell that right… just kidding)
and YES you are right (about the ‘probably not’ ) my name is spelled the original French way, like Jacqueline Kennedy spelled and pronounced her name.
THANKS a million for the links to the articles.You will definitely see us at future hbb’s events…… especially since we owe YOU lunch….. which btw, talking about lunch (it seems to me you have a VERY open mind ) here’s a link back for you…..
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2384105525501310962
I’m thinking you probably know all about this too!
And last…. thanks for being so nice… Brian and I enjoyed your company too!
Hey Ben,
So great to meet you! That was a great way to spend an afternoon. You mentioned that you are a Veggie, so I wanted to recommend a Vegan restaurant called ‘Real Food Daily’ (http://www.realfood.com/) - the WeHo location is within 50 paces of my house. I’m not sure of your schedule, but if you decide to hit it up, ring me at 310.621.1327 and dinner is on me.
Cheers!
Thanks Dude! It was fun and listening to the personal stories like yours has been the unexpected joy of this trip. It really puts the Cali bubble in perspective for me.
Are you going to pass through the “Silicon Valley” area?
I should add that there are a number of great 100% vegetarian indian restaurants up here…including one that’s a 10 minute walk from my house.
I walked around downtown Pasadena this evening. Really nice area. It’s a little surreal, as people seem to be oblivious to the greater trends surrounding them. I picked up a RE mag. Glossy, full of over-priced SFHs. Then, toward the back are page after page of short sale and REO listings that looked to be 30%+ under the rest.
LA makes me glad I have some distance from the big city fall-out, in a way. Listing prices are still near bubble levels. I know the incomes are high here. But the denial is clearly deep. It is a little worrying to see just how expensive most houses are. If people HELOCed a lot or purchased recently, I can’t see how this can end in anything other than a wipeout. Good luck folks, I suspect you may need it.
“I walked around downtown Pasadena this evening. Really nice area. It’s a little surreal, as people seem to be oblivious to the greater trends surrounding them. I picked up a RE mag. Glossy, full of over-priced SFHs. Then, toward the back are page after page of short sale and REO listings that looked to be 30%+ under the rest”
Pasadena may be the most ‘cultural city’ in LA region. That says a lot for LA, which is generally barren of culture. I like the bridge over the arroyo seco at colorado blvd span. Very nice ancient span bridge. A trip out to Cal tech and Jet propulsion lab may also be worth it.
Best thing about pasadena is you can escape the LA traffic clog by shooting up over the 210 san fernando fwy over the mountains and bypass the 5 fwy thru burbank and end up in sylmar, an ugly city but you are soon out of LA crowded metropolis but have to negotiate the 5 thru santa clarita. And keep on trucking over the Tehachapis and shoot straight thru 100% burning central valley heat. Better to divert down 126 to ventura/santa barbara for a real CA central coastal tour starting at Santa Barbara all way thru the scenic Ca central coast to Monterray and SF.
I have to escort a beautiful Philippina immigrant all over LA and will use my LA road skills & expertise to guide her to the best spots in LA. Will have fun doing so as i have an unmatched skill in negotiating thru LA TRAFFIC CLOGS AND rough ghetto districts.
Safely returned from my excursion to the wilds of Pasadena. Ben, what a delight to finally put faces to posts; thank you so much for hosting the meet-up, it’s even more fun in person than it is online! Thanks also for the special telephonic appearance by Txchick…having contact with two legendary figures in one day –following my first visit to the Pasadena Whole Foods market– was almost enough to induce this poor country hique to stick forks in her ears in order to mellow out from the excitement of it all!
I’m home now. The animals are all fed. Soaking my feet and sipping a nice Duckhorn merlot I scored at WF…and, of course, relaxing with the HBB. WHAT A GREAT DAY! Anyone in SF contemplating-but-not-yet-decided about attending the meetup, do GO. You’ll not be disappointed.
Thanks again to all of you. I’m a better person for having you in my life.
ahansen,
Yes it was a bunch-a-fun. Funny about WFs. It’s about 100 feet from where I’m staying tonight. I walked thru it. Nice place. When I was leaving, the alarm went off. Everyone was puttin their fingers in their ears. It really wasn’t that loud. I thought to myself that these people were a little soft. But, it was just a small thing, really.
Anyhoo, glad you made it safe. I’m enjoying my over-priced Shipyard IPA at my smoke-free inn. California, ya know.
Ahansen;
What a great bubbly personality you’re sporting. My own pales in comparison to your sparkle. And I’m an Ouro Verde!
It was nice meeting you yesterday!
I’ll ditto that. It was great meeting everyone.
Hi Ben,
Thanks for arranging the meeting in Pasadena. Mike and I had a great time conversing with everyone and feel more than ever that this is going to end very badly. Sorry we had to leave early, and wished we could have spent more time meeting the group.
Toaster.
Both ahansen and Ouro Verde were such lovely and energetic ladies. They brought so much to the group. I’m sorry that the basketball game scared you guys away!
Maybe the next la hbb meeting should be at Huntington Gardens. What do you two think of that?
I took Ben by the Huntington gardens on his San Marino tour. It is old Pasadena and a tree lover’s paradise.
Yes, the world wide HBB convention should be held at the Huntington gardens.
I asked Ben if I could be the press secretary if his blog turns into google.
I’ll bring my little rubber gloves and a trowel and maybe, if everyone’s really good, a trug. Let us weed as one until the soils are receptive and the gardens once again in bloom*…we’ll save the full-contact gardening ’til(l) later.
(YOU were DARLING, waiting!) What a gorgeous group we all are. Oh, and smart?
It’s probably good thing that the HBB is segregated regionally. The lot of us in toto might be more than this poor country could handle all at once.
Ben is a wise wise man.
*Chauncey Gardner. (Jerzy Kozinsky)
I snapped some pics. My big money shot is The Bear and Ben.
I will figure out photobucket.com after I walk my dogs, and do my nails.
Wouldn’t that be “BJ and the Bear?”
You back down here, Ouro?
I’d love to hear about your LA trip. Will e-mail you later.
So much fun to meet you!
Now back to the recession.
Lurker, … I know you are here. Are you going to come out and grace us with you virtual presence?
If not, it was nice to meet you. Give me a ring if you are ever in my neck of the woods, Culver City or WeHo. 310.621.1327.
De-lurking.
Very nice to meet all of you that made it to the LA meetup. I look forward to future get-togethers in SoCal. I’ll be posting my observations from the San Fernando Valley from time to time.
Hark, he joins us!
You figured out the “send” button!
Ex-cellent.
So I just checked into my funky but clean motel room here in downtown SF. There is a martini bar, a wash, dry and fold service, oriental massage and liquor store right across the street. Now if I could just get some food. All I’ve had today was some cereal I carry with me and some Taco Hell.
I must say, SF makes a big entrance driving in. WIth the bridge, the skylines and the ships in the bay. There was a big Shea homes project advertising just past Livermore on the way in.
A little bit on getting here; I got out of LA faily easily thanks to some good advice about the route. It took me about an hour to get to the mountains on I 5 from Pasadena. After going over those, I dropped onto this big plain, with lots of agriculture and some feed lots. It was a hot and long drive. I am still impressed with the highway system here. Not a bunch of under-construction stuff like AZ or TX.
Dropping into SF wasn’t as steep as SD, and the housing looked older. But make no mistake; this is a big city!
I wanted to mention Pasadena again. The neighborhoods are slightly older and well established. So the houses are of a better quality. It’s obvious there has been wealth there for some time. I understand the private schools are a big draw as is the quick commute to downtown LA. I should also note the beautiful trees that line the streets and yards. Not exactly a place I would have associated with LA from what I’ve read, etc.
So I am near the ‘colorful’ Castro Distict for tonight. I’ve decided not to try and drive all the way back to AZ in one go tomorrow, so I’ll be half-in for one extra day. But I’ll have more time to blog in the morning and then I plan to do mobile posting from Bakersfield, Barstow, etc.
I’ll be in and out this evening if anyone wants to chat. I appreciate your patience while I’ve gone walkabout.
BTW, I hope there hasn’t been much confusion about meeting up this evening, but I’ve gotten an email to that effect. Send me an email for info.
Welcome to the City by the Bay. 80 and sunny in the city today, which is exceedingly rare. Enjoy. Not sure where you’re staying, but I’d highly recommend a walk through Golden Gate Park before you leave - it’s in rare form as everything is blooming. And you should have no problem finding a proliferation of fantastic vegetarian dining options here, although you may get sticker shock in the restaurants depending on where you end up.
Check out the Soma district for signs of the building boom in SF - that’s where all the new condo towers are. Not that I’m complaining. Unlike most of the rest of Cali, this city has had a housing shortage for decades, driven mostly by local politics. That said, there are few locals who can actually afford those condos at current prices. Going rate is currently ~$800/square foot. Not many places in this country where “million dollar home” is synonymous with a 2-bedroom condo in a highrise…
Ben,
I must tell you this. If you drop your keys on Castro Street, kick them around the corner before you pick them up.
Mike
I hope you get to Marin and especially the Wine country. I would love to get your impressions of that area.
Benster, if you’re coming back down through Bakersplat, (or 395 over Tioga Pass,) give me a call? I’ll fix you a home-grown veggie lunch on your way back through the rear (Joshua Tree via 178,) entry to AZ…MUCH nicer scenery, faster than I-5, and a lot more fun to drive.
Ben,
Good to finally meet you in Carlsbad on Saturday. You should go up on Twin Peaks before leaving SF, day or night. It’s the big hill just to your west. When not fogged in, there’s the most awesome view of the entire Bay Area from up there. But take at least a jacket at night. It can be very windy and cold.
So I just checked into my funky but clean motel room here in downtown SF. There is a martini bar, a wash, dry and fold service, oriental massage and liquor store right across the street.
Is that the Tenderloin? …or, as real estate agents put it, “Lower Nob Hill.”
“wanted to mention Pasadena again. The neighborhoods are slightly older and well established. So the houses are of a better quality. It’s obvious there has been wealth there for some time. I understand the private schools are a big draw as is the quick commute to downtown LA. I should also note the beautiful trees that line the streets and yards. Not exactly a place I would have associated with LA from what I’ve read, etc.”
Pasadena does have some old wealth, and it has retained itself quite nicely as the rest of LA has decended into a third world pit. BTW the quality of the pasadena hoods is due in large part to it being settled by New englanders in the late 1800’s, and Pasadena actaully had a large Bostonian contingent at one time. The New England culture is still manifest today in the quality educational institutions abounding there as well as the distinct charming historical buildings.
Pasadena is a rarity , a slice of New england transpanted into LA .
LA has always been largely about transplants and immigrants from all over the world-the new melting pot of USA- but unfortunately way to many from south of the border bringing in their wake poverty, low skills & education, and a host of other problems.
“So I am near the ‘colorful’ Castro Distict for tonight. I’ve decided not to try and drive all the way back to AZ in one go tomorrow, so I’ll be half-in for one extra day. But I’ll have more time to blog in the morning and then I plan to do mobile posting from Bakersfield, Barstow, etc.”
Ben, i would guess you are returning back to arizona via 5 down to bakersfried, then taking 58 hwy eastbound passing thru town of tehachapi and then connecting to rte 40 in barstow.
That would be the fastest most direct rte back to Arizona.
Bakersfried would provide tons of examples of overbuilt housing tracts put out in former farm fields. Lots of trucker stopovers & ranch restaurants in the CV and Bakersfried.
Bastow just a quick pit stopover for las Vegas- bound crowd out of LA , though you might SHOP AT THE OUTLET MALLS there to get bargain in clothing or sunglasses.
immediate eastbound out of barstow along rte 40(which is the old famous rte 66) about 10 mile out is Daggett, which has some examples of old western ghost towns and taverns around there, and there is calico ghost town nearby. Time of year too hot to spend much time out there in that historical mohave region and i am sure arizona has much nicer desert redrock scenery than anything Ca deserts can offer.
One person suggested going over tioga pass and hopping onto rte 395 to connect to rte 40 but it would take 3-5 hrs longer but that route is tremendous passing over the tioga pass and seeing the eastern sierra wall. Great beautiful country in the eastern sierra and owens valley.
Ben, you’re also welcome to visit us down here in Hellhole, Arizona.
Or, since AZ is a little warm at this season, come to Maine!!
az_lender in 04681 with spare rooms
Vegas? Has anyone ever suggested an HBB convention? Something for the future maybe?
Ben, are you taking photos along the way? Is CA the first step towards doing a national tour? A coffee table book showing pics of the RE boom’s excesses might make a good companion to your other work.
Yes, we were talking about a big, (inter)national HBB event in Vegas.
I think, if we plan it enough in advance, many people might be able to use it as a family trip or ?? so it might justify the expense.
Thinking multi-day with a party suite that we can use 24/7 and people can stream in & out as they desire. Maybe one night in a restaurant/bar that’s reserved for a big party.
SD RE Bear is doing lots of research on some options.
It would be tremendous fun meeting as many HBBers as possible. Who knows? Maybe we could make an annual event out of it (could be camping or a Disney World vacation or whatever).
I’m in - just tell me when.
“…a big, (inter)national HBB event in Vegas”
Wait until this Fall… Donald Stump’s new place will be giving rooms away, the hotel gift basket will include: 100.00 in Euro’s ($200.00 USD)for chips, x1 breakfast with bacon, including drink of choice, x1 lunch & show: “How to make a million in real estate as condo/hotel room/ time-share owner-lessee ” voucher, x1 Dinner at the Stumps “All Stripped Down” Cabaret, first 100 guests will get an autograph pair of Stump Hotels casino pajama’s designed with lip-stick kisses & hearts in Gold trim.
As a special bonus: x2 tickets to see: “Donald Stumps greatest moments from “The Apprentice”… includes 3-D glasses
Heh. I can’t help but notice that the normal Cali bashing from the native Clownifornians who live there has taken a bit of a backseat as folks try to show Ben the nicer parts of living here. Balance is good.
We used to live in Carlsbad during much leaner times. We got acclimated so fast to the weather it was frightening. After having worked in Chicago, living in Texas, etc. we became total wusses and anything above 80 was sultry and anything below 55 required starting a fire. I used to live within about two blocks from the Carlsbad Pizza Port in Carlsbad. Back then, we didn’t have much money and going to down to the Mikko for sushi or Jay’s was a big deal for us. Lean times but still good times.
If you’re a vegetarian and coming up to the Bay Area, consider making the extra trek up to Wine Country and giving Ubuntu up in Napa a spin.
Well, I’m just trying to understand this market. Keep in mind these things have been here since before prices took off.
Most of what I drove through today wasn’t that great and prices soared there too. And what will Pasadena do for an economy without all that HELOC money?
BTW, I just saw an asian guy sleeping in his lexus outside. More homeless people than I’ve ever seen in one spot and the pidgeons are completely unafraid of man.
Ben; ‘Chili Cha Cha’; Haight and Filmore,
will make most any dish on the menu vegetarian or vegan if you wish. Thai food, very inexpensive.
http://www.chillichacha.com/
‘Tu Lan’ Vietnamese food 7 6th st
just S. of Market
has many vegetarian or vegan
dishes, very inexpensive.
Julia Childs said Tu Lan was the best Vietnamese food in San Francisco.
Both places are dives; I wouldn’t have stepped foot in Tu Lan if not for this book; ‘San Francisco: The Unknown City’ By Helene Goupil and Josh Krist.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3rupuy
“And what will Pasadena do for an economy without all that HELOC money?”
Ben, heloc money in Pasadena, say it ain’t so.
From what I can tell, South Pasadena was where most of the recent gentrification happened. I say that because many people at (insert major film studio here) bought condos and houses there during the bubble.
I had one smart friend rush to fix up his house (South Pasadena) in ‘05 - finally sold it in ‘06, and he couldn’t believe that someone paid $650k for it. I can’t remember what he said he paid for it, but I believe it was in the $2’s, and I believe he held for like 6 years.
He’s a happy renter of an apartment in South Pasadena now, laughed all the way to the bank.
There are FBs in Pasadena, don’t kid yourself.
Oh, … I just remembered that I have an even better story. A former senior shader writer of the vfx studio I work at bought a house in San Marino. I was sharing an office with him in ‘05, and during one of my rants about option ARMs, he mentioned that is what he had. But, he said that ‘everyone is rich in San Marino, so the house will only go up in value’. … he got laid off. Before he got laid off, he got to the point a few times where he was panicking about his house payment.
Is this proof enough that we have some FBs in San Marino / Pasadena?
I’ve been to every big city in this country and San Francisco has by far the worst homeless problem of them all. I remember New York from the 80s and early 90s and San Francisco has that beat.
I think the secret way Guiliani got rid of many of the homeless was to pay bus fare to California.
SF is pretty bad. Is that dude with the fishing pole/donation bucket still doing his schtick on Van Ness and, say, Polk? Used to see him there, circa 1996.
What about Chicago? I visited in 1992 and couldn’t believe the number of homeless and I’m from Cleveland! Homeless were pretty intense in Chicago, like one on every block.
On the other hand, at least most of them were selling the Tribune or Times or whatever the major paper is in Chicago. Verbally abusive, however, when you told them no.
Hi Ben,
Sorry you didn’t make it to the west side, I would have liked to hear your impressions. I had to work all weekend so I completely missed that fact that you were going to be stopping in the LA area.
Anyway, enjoy SF and I hope you get a chance to see a little of the wine country - but it sounds like you are making a beeline for home from SF. Hope you have more time on the next trip…
“…and the pidgeons are completely unafraid of man”
Psst, hey Ben…do not talk when the pidgeons are nearby…latest technology…Homeland Security Urban “predator drones”… the white/yellow sh!t… is gps tracking gel…cut out & wear a 33 gallon trash bag & a FBI baseball cap, dispose of them when you get in your car.
And don’t feed them… that’ll mark you as an anti-NRA zealot…if you think one is talking to you, just move slow, twitch you head..mumble incoherently and pretend you’re talking to a homeless realtor with one silicone boob from Beverly Hills named: Gigi
LOL!!
Hope you’re enjoying your vacation, Hwy!
Yeah, heading home sweet home Thursday / Friday… it was really cool to meet all you SD folks near my old rental town of funky Leucadia…I was renting a 2 bdrm 900sf w x2 garage on Hermes with a small backyard & veggie garden…rent was $1250.00 circa 2003…then: sold to a flipper… “you know the rest of the story”
I almost bought there in 1975 for $32,000
“Charlie Brown…you such a BLOCKHEAD!”
Let’s all do a Barbee-Q @ Moonlight this summer…they still have fire pits? Maybe I can get a week-day campsite @ San Elijo or South Carlsbad
Yes, let’s do!
Well, Ben, the household went to Ubuntu on your behalf tonight anyway. Vegetarian tasting menu was fabulous with the wine pairing (as was the price tag), and this is from a guy who really likes eating critters.
I am running Ubuntu Linux os….how do I get food out of it? Give me the commands.
“sudo make me a sandwich” at the command prompt, minus the quotes.
http://xkcd.com/149/
And the explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudo
“Most of what I drove through today wasn’t that great and prices soared there too. And what will Pasadena do for an economy without all that HELOC money?”
The only highly paid positions in all of Pasadena are the professors at Cal Tech and the scientists at JPL. Thats it . Pasadena has little industry or any high paying sectors -most pasadeneans who reside in those fancy digs commute to hi-paying positions dwtn or the westside. Note: pasadena is a city of over 200,000 residents and i’d say only half of it is really hi- end estate style tracts and homes. One zip out of pasadenas 6 or 7 is definitely low end almost barrio. The eastern half or third is just so so tracts. Much of rest of pasadena is way overpriced and entire city has gone down 30% in median price according to april data quick .
Pasadena is a pretty well kept community overall with nice palatial estate homes in many of it’s hoods but the income base just is not there. It is mostly heloc money which keeps those homes up to well groomed standards, which is true for most of the overpriced La zips as well, including the westside.
‘I can’t help but notice that the normal Cali bashing from the native Clownifornians who live there has taken a bit of a backseat as folks try to show Ben the nicer parts of living here.’
That because I wasn’t there!
I would have delighted in talking about the foolishness of CA RE, complete with chart, graphs, and eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.
Ben, if you get the chance, take the 80 out to Solano and Yuba Counties and then travel the 99 down the middle of the CV. Sacramento, Stockton, Merced, Fresno, and down to Bakersfield. That’s where you will see miles and miles of vacant homes, many brand new. I’d also suggest the inland areas of LA, through the SFV and down to Riverside and beyond.
Coastal CA and Inland CA really feel like they are separate states.
Ah, i fear all the travelling and malnutrition has affected poor Ben’s ah, observational judgment. ALL of SoCal is a hideous, graffiti-tagged crime-ridden steaming tenement of pollution, undercooked sewage and human suffering not fit for habitation where no life form can take root, ESPECIALLY Pasadena. Pls don’t even think about moving there. Ask peterm if you don’t believe me.
And San Francisco is not much better ever since they passed the law where you can’t park your motorcycle on the sidewalk. Lunacy. ruined the place for me, really.
There, that’s better.
“Your wife looks like a million bucks…all green & wrinkled” : Groucho Marx
I have to admit, Pasadena (and some of the surrounding cities/towns) is one of the most beautiful cities in So Cal. Good choice for Ben if what he wanted to see was the nicer part of the LA region.
Of course, they could have lunched in Pacoima, instead.
He needs to come back when the smog is in the LA basin….then Pasadena sucks bad.
What about Santa Monica, West Hollywood and South Bay? I think they are all wonderful, pedestrian-friendly communities with all kinds of great restaurants and cafes. Been here 6 years and still not tired of hanging out in any one of these places.
I haven’t been able to attend any of the CA events and I’m bummed. While reading this, it occurred to me that being blog buddies is similar to on line dating and mating to a certain extent. Bear with me here - By the time you meet face 2 face, you have already gotten to know and bond with people and found your common ground. That way the in person meeting is just icing on the cake. It seems we are all such a diverse group in how/where we live, backgrounds, interests, intellect, education, career, etc. I wonder if meeting under everyday circumstances, how many would ever get to know each other or form a relationship. In some ways it’s kind of fun not even looking at pics of anyone - I have pictures in my head of what I think certain folks should look like so seeing Ben was shocker enough for me!
That’s what makes the internet so great, IMHO. You really get to know the person, rather than having a visual bias.
Ben, come to Tampa and throwdown with Palmy, Dime, Diogenes, myself and anyone else.
We can throw an HBB rave in some foreclosed beachfront mansion. I’ll mow the lawn the day before so it looks like we’re out-of-state owners in town for the weekend.
As for veggie, sorry dude. I can hook you up with some strawberries, grapefruit and oranges. Otherwise, Tampa is solid steak & grouper territory.
Imagine if Snaith comes.
By the way, have any of you seen N. Redington Beach. WHOOOA.
No, I haven’t been there for ten years. What happened?
All I remember is some funky little motels on the beach.
Walls of just-finished condos. Price reduced!, of course.
Yep, Muggy, but he’s gotta come to the Tampa area sometime during the bearable months, from November to May. And it has to be well planned. A couple of us need to be free to drive him to the places of interest, like Northport, Cape Coral, Pasco, Royal Highlands, Pinellas and North Tampa and South Hillsborough. Oh, and Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County. I’d want to chip in to fly him in and put him up at a sort of centrally located halfway decent place, with maybe a conference room for a lunch or dinner for local bloggers.
Anyway, that’s how I’d do it, but I’d have to see how my finances are down the road. We’re talking plane fare, rental car, hotel, conference room, gas for travel. Here’s hoping this “energy crisis” knocks off and the speculators stop squeezing our collective nuts.
Speaking of which, here’s some food for thought. Imagine that, the old US still has a few tricks up its sleeve, with more oil than the Saudis. Gee, wonder why we don’t hear too much about this?
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601170&refer=home&sid=ayj1uo_gdNI4
I agree Palmetto, I’d be happy to help Ben visit. Maybe by next October or November the energy bubble will be more like a souffle. Haha!
“Imagine if Snaith comes.”
He might, too, just to clean my clock. I think he’s posted here as “saneposter” and accused me of huffing glue after I squashed one of his souffles. Geez, that’s what they pay him for, to compare Florid RE to a souffle?
“I squashed one of his souffles”
I think we need to be cautious in taunting Snaith. He might become the next Skyway flyer.
“I’ve thought about being vegetarian myself”
This is a response to OlympiaGal…
You should try it for a month. I was straight vegan for 2 years in college after seeing Howard Lyman speak (madcowboy.com). I was crazy healthy and felt great all the time. Not to mention I had ultra-low food bills. I don’t know why I stopped, but it was the healthiest time of my life.
Wait, I stopped because filet is fanfrickintastic and I embrace hedonism/self-destruction.
When I am blue I get a fatty rib eye with a salad and finish it off with four mini white chocolate reeses peanut butter cups. Slurp!
You know - it brings a whole new dimension to this blog to have faces for some of the names … just had to randomly point that out.
I stopped veganism because it was too hard to eat out, socially awkward and not all that tasty. I lasted only 8 months.
I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 8 years. That was much easier, but fell off the wagon because I had a job where I was traveling too much, working late hours, and eating out most of the time. Those are hard things to manage as a vegetarian because in order to eat right you have to do most of your own cooking, unless you are in a very veggie friendly community. It just got too time consuming, and I hardly knew any other vegetarians to lend support.
Besides, I grew up mostly around the Pacific Rim and never lost my craving for seafood. I like poultry, but try to eat it in moderation. I still never eat red meat (mammals) or anything with high fructose corn syrup. I still think it is a healthy diet.
Yep, sure is, nosingle. That there’s good eatin’, IMHO.
Don’t eat the tomatoes Ben…or is it tomaters
Ben Jones said:
“Well, I’m just trying to understand this market. Keep in mind these things have been here since before prices took off.
Most of what I drove through today wasn’t that great and prices soared there too.”
Are you going to drive through some of the Central Valley (Stockton, Madera, Fresno, etc.) on your way home, Ben? I’d love to hear your observations, particularly if you head down the 99 to Bakersfield instead of taking I-5. It still boggles my mind to know that most of these cities tripled in price, especially if you see what they are really like and the type of jobs actually available there! California, but a world apart in many ways.
Ben,
Be sure to check out my old stomping grounds in Visalia when/if you take route 99 down to Bakersfield. Visalia is certainly a microcosm for the housing bubble. A fairly nice, clean, small community that suddenly saw dollar signs in the face of all the big builders (Centex, McMillin) that came circa 2001-2003. Then, the bust. These outfits are abandoning property and homes at breakneck speed. And the residents now get to endure the blight of foreclosure and business decisions gone bad. You’ll be in for a treat!
I am not a vegetarian Ben, but my wife (and a lot of family/friends) are. So I know how hard it is to find eating around that. I am a veteran on the road. I just finished driving 2500 miles last week. I made the drive from Albuquerque to San Francisco many times (20 hrs straight and 1100 miles). Would pass through Flagtown everytime. Would think of you each time I passed through. I am looking forward to the Ben CA story.
all this food talk caused me to just ingest a lovely rib-eye, big baked potato with lots o butter and nice salad w/ greens and tomatoes from back yard. still working the merlot… over.
Do cats spit?
i always install spitoon right next to cat box whenever i live with a cat. just in case. you know how they are. i had one cat who would spit right on exhaust pipes of my moto, and i would never notice until stopped at first light on way to work, when the fumes would begin to waft up visibly… wait, that wasn’t spit come to think of it.
Note to self: Catspit1 can be trusted with the password.
Governator: Everything is always Ben Ben Ben…doesn’t anybody vont to know vat I am going to do on MY summer vacation..and this that and the other?
Sorry I missed you Ben..but my security and makeup team vould have filled up the room……actually just my makeup team vould have filled it.
Ben, come to Albuquerque and I will get you the best Indian (India) cooking in town. My wife is from India. She is a great cook. And we know all of the restaurant owners. Dinner would be on me of course. Nothing to good for the keeper of this great blog.
Big thanks to the SF folks that came out tonight! I really enjoyed meeting you all. We’ll have a special photo bucket for all the meetup pics soon , so don’t bother sending them to the gallery.
By the time stamp on your post, it looks like you didn’t beat the 8 hour beer record set in SD, huh?
I was kinda bummed when I headed out, as I got a couple of emails that made it looked like I sent out the wrong date. But I walked in almost an hour late and all these people were waiting. It was a blast. But yeah, being a Monday evening most had to go to work the next morning.
Some people drove over an hour just to say hi. That was really something.
I’ll elaborate on downtown SF later. Lets just say that the impression the SoCal people have of the area isn’t what I saw, at least in this small section. It’s more like I what I read about NYC.
So, my Uncle bought an awesome loft on 18th & Arkansas in Petrero Hill (hill up the street from the ballpark, away from downtown). He’s got full on skyscraper views, it’s my free hotel everytime I am in town.
He paid either $175k or $225k (can’t remember which) in ‘95. In ‘06, he was bragging to me that a unit in his building sold for $830k, and his unit was appraised for $1M (although he tempered it with the disclaimer that he felt that was much too high, but if the bank believed it - hey, alright!). So, he refied it with Neg-Ams to the max allowed in order to buy a (…ahem…) “entertainment” business. I worry about him these days, he is VERY stressed.
But, bubble or not, his neighborhood is incredible.
That was fun. The Lower Height where we met is so energetic that it makes the Castro seem staid. It seemed that just by being present and raising the bubble issue Ben triggered far more conversation than he had a chance to participate in. Lots of different people have all kinds of experiences related to this bubble, and this event enabled a lot of stories to be shared.
Ben, if you go through Bakersfield go to Dewar’s candy and ice cream shop in the downtown area for some good home made ice cream. Try the black and white sundae or peanut butter chews. Happy Jacks downtown also has delicious peanut butter pie.
Funny you’re starting your travels in CA. How far do housing values have to drop before Ben Jones shows up in your town? It’s a sign I’m telling you, a sign!
Ben if you go through Barstow, make sure you drive the length of Main street to see the businesses and many of the people that live there. You won’t see a ton of new developments, but it will you give a marvelous view of just how crazy the bubble was. Something like a third of the residents are on public assistance, yet prices almost tripled.