Friday, February 14, 2025
Vacation day 2 of 4. Walked to breakfast with Patrick at La Terraza Cafe. We shared a La Terraza omelette and a yogurt parfait with granola and fruit, a complimentary chocolate concha, latte for Patrick, chai latte for me. All food and drink were delicious. We walked south along the ocean. We walked back to our Airbnb then walked to pick up a Turo rental a few blocks away. We drove to Hermosa Beach and walked around and along the pier. We drove around more trying to find where the giant Redondo Beach King Harbor sign led and decided it was nowhere interesting. We drove to Manhattan Beach and parked at metered parking paid by credit card. We walked around but not the length of the pier. We lunched at El Sombrero #One Mexican Restaurant. Chips and salsa to start. We requested a non-spicy salsa and they brought us what seemed like enchilada sauce instead of what I expected: pico de gallo. Patrick had Combo #7 with one hard shell beef taco and one cheese enchilada with rice and refried beans; horchata. I had one shredded hard shell beef taco; lemonade. The hard shell tacos have flat bottoms. $40.95 after a $6 tip for server Carmen. Afterwards we walked to Manhattan Beach Creamery for sweets. Patrick had mocha almond fudge ice cream in a cup, I had a microwave-heated chocolate chip cookie. They microwaved it on low heat, and it wasn't very hot. It was very droopy, but I didn't mind too much. We drove to and visited the free Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden and then visited Polliwog Park where part of the park had been consumed by the lake. We drove back to our Airbnb. Rested and napped. We drove to dinner at Primo Italia, sitting at the corner table (table 54) by the piano. We chatted briefly with owner Lou and pianist and singer Ayline Amirayan. Lou sang Fly Me to the Moon. Cocktails: classic Manhattan for Patrick, tequila daisy for me. We shared: pappardelle con cinghiale (wild boar), filetto di Manzo. Wine with the mains: contucci rosso di Montepulciano, nebbiolo funsu langhe. Dessert: we shared one order of tiramisu. Double espresso for Patrick, decaf coffee with cream for me. $166.65 before a $30 tip for Juan S. All service was very good. Afterwards we attended The Greatest Love of All: Belinda Davids in Concert at Norris Theatre, Palos Verdes Performing Arts. The show is a tribute to Whitney Houston. The opening song was Run To You, and the first half closer was The Greatest Love of All. The second half closer was I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me). Encore: I Have Nothing. At intermission, we had a brief, nice chat with a woman seated behind us. Belinda Davids sings impeccably and seemingly effortlessly. Her voice is extremely reminescent of Whitney Houston yet she sets her own style. Her band and backup singer were all more talented than we had expected. Patrick especially liked the saxophone solo. Almost everyone in the audience was our age or older. The venue was comfortable. Drinks with lids were permitted, but not food. The show included several large screens which provided visuals and animations during the performance. I could have done without these, but they did not detract. The sound quality and lighting effects were both excellent. We had a great time. It was a very entertaining show. Drove back to our Airbnb.