The last time we went to Los Angeles, we drove down to see my brother who was in town just a couple of nights. We met him at his hotel in West LA so we didn’t need to drive into or through the city. On the way, I had a little tour of Beverly Hills and Sunset Boulevard, remembering those childhood times we’d come visit family.

This time we took the coastal drive through Malibu, where Wade grew up. I always thought Malibu is the Malibu we know today. Before Hollywood moved in, it was country. People used to ride their horses down the ravines, to the beaches. What a childhood – the last place he lived was steps away from the gated access to Little Dume. Surfer paradise. Just two minutes from the house.

Little Dume is a cove that faces south, near Big Dume and the public part can be reached from Pacific Palisades and Big Dume. Residents who live on specific streets have direct access. They have a key to the gate. Originally there were four areas, four home owner associations. And then it was Riviera 1, 2, and 3 when Wade’s family lived there. It was quite a lot of work to look after the gates. Whenever there was a south swell, outside surfers would sabotage the gates which would remain unlocked until fixed. Or people would buy a copy of the key. Before his family moved, the locking system got more sophisticated.

The waves are really good there, according to Wade. “It was an incredible place for a kid to live, to learn to surf because the waves are so good.” His dad remembers how Wade and his friends spent hours down playing on that one peak. The trail down isn’t long, about a five to ten minutes to the ocean.

“Little Dume was amazing, right in LA,” Wade’s dad said. “It was a treasured little beach. The sun would hit it and it’d be warm. We’d go with our morning coffee and LA Times. We’d also go down for bonfires.” It had more than five surf breaks and it would go off with a south swell, off-shore and all glassy. The coastal commission wanted to open up all the beaches to the public while the homeowners did not as the public beaches got thrashed and was so impacted.

After a tour of where he lived, we continued into Malibu as the sun set, the traffic rather flowing.

San Pedro

From how Wade described it, I expected a small town tucked away from LA. It’s already been more than five years since his last visit and it’s grown. Twenty miles from downtown LA, San Pedro is a neighbourhood in the South Bay, a straight line from where we had just been, across the Santa Monica Bay, on Palos Verdes.

Driving through the unavoidable LA traffic, we arrived at our friend’s for dinner – an organic tri-tip, rice, and chimichurri sauce. I was just talking to Wade the other day about how much I did not like parsley. At all. Guess what is a key ingredient in the sauce?

Much to my surprise, and probably because our friend also didn’t make it spicy, his chimichurri sauce was so delicious and went so well with the rest of the dinner. The menu was perfect and I felt nourished and satisfied. Here’s a chimichurri sauce recipe if you’re wondering.

It was fun hanging out with Wade’s old friend and his family, listening to some vinyl over dinner and playing with the family dog. While their son played a video game, we chatted and they caught up.

The next morning, before continuing south to San Diego, we went to his partner’s place. On the way, at their strong recommendation, we stopped at Colossus. By the time we got there mid-morning, a long line greeted us. The line only got longer as we waited for our order. Opened just in 2019 by a pastry chef and baker, Colossus not only survived the last several years. A second location opened in Long Beach a couple of years later. Impressive.

With our coffee and chai and a pastry to share, Wade and I headed to meet up with the others. We were taking our friends’ two dogs, littermates, for a walk along the coast and up toward the Korean Bell of Friendship in Angels Gate Park. This is where the US army base Fort McArthur was. To celebrate the bicentennial of US independence and to honour Korean War veterans, the people of Republic of Korea donated $500,000 to this gift, the 17-tonne 12-foot-tall bell and ornate pavilion that houses it. Here’s a Discover Los Angeles article with more details about Korean Americans’ role.

The walk gave us fantastic views of the Channel Islands. Catalina Island is just over an hour by ferry from San Pedro.

San Diego

Back in May, we were in San Marcos, outside of San Diego, for a family reunion. This time we stayed downtown, close to Mic Drop Comedy, where Tyler Fischer had his show that Friday.

Tyler Fischer is not everyone’s cup of tea. Even at the show, we noted a few stern and sour expressions. No one was off-limits, and certainly not himself and his height. We got VIP tickets and the staff seated the four of us right at the front. It was non-stop laughs.

Before the show, we ate at Common Theory Public House with Wade’s son. With so many options in the area, it was their Duck Fat Fries that caught Wade’s eye. Knowing that I love duck, he had a feeling about this place. We all loved the fries, a dish with succulent pieces of duck topped with an egg. So, so delicious.

We ordered a second appetizer, Crispy Calamari, which was also tasty. Wade and Kai both had a burger and I, the Bulgogi Bowl. Common Theory’s menu has Korean, Chinese, and Mexican influences. That egg makes sense.

It was a fun trip, just a couple of nights away. With lots of laughs, with friends, family, and Tyler Fischer.