First, let me add one reason to my last post...
Everett Aquasox baseball - In Ventura, I'm 90-100 miles away from the closest minor league baseball team. That just won't do for a baseball freak like me. In Edmonds, we'll be 15 minutes from the Everett Aquasox ballpark. Plus we'll be pretty close to Safeco Field and we're not that far from the Tacoma Rainiers.
Now, it's on to the things I'll miss about Ventura and Southern California. Yes, there really are a few things...
10. The beach - Yes, I talked shit about the beach the other day, but I do like that it is there for me whenever I want it. It's absolutely beautiful to look at, it's always a nice, relaxing walk and even, occasionally, I can go down there and relax. The first year I was here I went to the beach often and body surfed or read or whatever. I got a little crankier about it after that and especially now that we have the baby, but I will miss it and I'll definitely miss it when she's walking and running and playing.
9. No seasons/weather - Yes, I said that I miss the seasons. But after three years of no seasons, I'm not 100% sure if I will welcome real weather back in my life. When it is always 60-70 degrees it is very easy to do whatever you want at any time.
8. Mormon basketball - All three years I was here I played in the local Mormon basketball league for Ventura's 1st ward. Even though my game wasn't perfect, I still had a blast even if we lost way more than we won. And for the past few months, I've been getting up at 6:00 AM two or three times a week to play pickup ball at the LDS church. Mormons take a lot of crap, but between their strong sense of family and community and their love of basketball, I think they are my favorite group of religious people. They're just super nice people that love to ball.
7. Mexicans - Because they scare the shit out of the idiot white folks.
6. Softball all year long - This kind of goes back to weather, but I think it deserves it's own bullet point. I love playing softball, but in Seattle it's limited to a little bit of spring, summer and maybe a touch of fall and it's always iffy whether or not you'll get to play. But here, we can play ball all year long. Too bad the leagues never get their shit together and we always end up with a month or more off between seasons.
5. Jim & Rob's Fresh Grill/fish tacos/corn burritos - Mexican food everywhere is something I will miss, but Jim & Rob's quesadillas with their awesome chicken is one of the dishes I will miss the most. Same with fish tacos. There just isn't anything like Snapper Jack's or Rubio's in Seattle. And don't say Taco Del Mar. That place is rank. Finally, corn burritos, a unique Ventura dish that exists nowhere else. They are basically bean taquitos smothered in a red enchilada style sauce with cheese melted all over the top. Delicious. I began a quest to find the best ones in Ventura a while back and the winner is: Foster's Freeze!
4. Driving 45 miles in three hours - NOT!
3. Boccali's/Me & Ed's/Numero Uno/Santino's - Pizza! Boccali's is arguably my favorite restaurant ever, Me & Ed's makes my favorite crust ever, Numero Uno makes my favorite appetizer ever, and Santino's makes my favorite white sauce pizza ever. Luckily, there is good pizza in Seattle. Not as good as those four places though.
2. Built in group of people our own age - Death?'s residency is made up of 30+ people all in basically the same age group and the same situation, so it was easy to make friends or find something to do. I wasn't the most social and didn't take advantage of it as well as I could of, but it was nice that it was there.
1. College basketball everywhere - I love college basketball on all levels. The greater Los Angeles area has so many colleges it's unbelievable. I went to games at UCLA, USC, UCSB, Cal State Northridge, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Cal Lutheran, Westmont, Ventura College, Oxnard College and Moorpark College and I barely scratched the surface. I flew up to the Bay Area to see my brother and went to a Cal game and a Santa Clara game. And I also went to the John Wooden Classic, the Pac-10 Conference Tournament and the Big West Tournament. I saw my second favorite team, Gonzaga, more times than I will ever be able to see them in Seattle. I will probably get Husky season tickets, I'll be a big fan of Seattle U when they go Division I and Seattle Pacific games are always an option, but it will never replace the variety and frequency available in LA.
Everett Aquasox baseball - In Ventura, I'm 90-100 miles away from the closest minor league baseball team. That just won't do for a baseball freak like me. In Edmonds, we'll be 15 minutes from the Everett Aquasox ballpark. Plus we'll be pretty close to Safeco Field and we're not that far from the Tacoma Rainiers.
Now, it's on to the things I'll miss about Ventura and Southern California. Yes, there really are a few things...
10. The beach - Yes, I talked shit about the beach the other day, but I do like that it is there for me whenever I want it. It's absolutely beautiful to look at, it's always a nice, relaxing walk and even, occasionally, I can go down there and relax. The first year I was here I went to the beach often and body surfed or read or whatever. I got a little crankier about it after that and especially now that we have the baby, but I will miss it and I'll definitely miss it when she's walking and running and playing.
9. No seasons/weather - Yes, I said that I miss the seasons. But after three years of no seasons, I'm not 100% sure if I will welcome real weather back in my life. When it is always 60-70 degrees it is very easy to do whatever you want at any time.
8. Mormon basketball - All three years I was here I played in the local Mormon basketball league for Ventura's 1st ward. Even though my game wasn't perfect, I still had a blast even if we lost way more than we won. And for the past few months, I've been getting up at 6:00 AM two or three times a week to play pickup ball at the LDS church. Mormons take a lot of crap, but between their strong sense of family and community and their love of basketball, I think they are my favorite group of religious people. They're just super nice people that love to ball.
7. Mexicans - Because they scare the shit out of the idiot white folks.
6. Softball all year long - This kind of goes back to weather, but I think it deserves it's own bullet point. I love playing softball, but in Seattle it's limited to a little bit of spring, summer and maybe a touch of fall and it's always iffy whether or not you'll get to play. But here, we can play ball all year long. Too bad the leagues never get their shit together and we always end up with a month or more off between seasons.
5. Jim & Rob's Fresh Grill/fish tacos/corn burritos - Mexican food everywhere is something I will miss, but Jim & Rob's quesadillas with their awesome chicken is one of the dishes I will miss the most. Same with fish tacos. There just isn't anything like Snapper Jack's or Rubio's in Seattle. And don't say Taco Del Mar. That place is rank. Finally, corn burritos, a unique Ventura dish that exists nowhere else. They are basically bean taquitos smothered in a red enchilada style sauce with cheese melted all over the top. Delicious. I began a quest to find the best ones in Ventura a while back and the winner is: Foster's Freeze!
4. Driving 45 miles in three hours - NOT!
3. Boccali's/Me & Ed's/Numero Uno/Santino's - Pizza! Boccali's is arguably my favorite restaurant ever, Me & Ed's makes my favorite crust ever, Numero Uno makes my favorite appetizer ever, and Santino's makes my favorite white sauce pizza ever. Luckily, there is good pizza in Seattle. Not as good as those four places though.
2. Built in group of people our own age - Death?'s residency is made up of 30+ people all in basically the same age group and the same situation, so it was easy to make friends or find something to do. I wasn't the most social and didn't take advantage of it as well as I could of, but it was nice that it was there.
1. College basketball everywhere - I love college basketball on all levels. The greater Los Angeles area has so many colleges it's unbelievable. I went to games at UCLA, USC, UCSB, Cal State Northridge, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Cal Lutheran, Westmont, Ventura College, Oxnard College and Moorpark College and I barely scratched the surface. I flew up to the Bay Area to see my brother and went to a Cal game and a Santa Clara game. And I also went to the John Wooden Classic, the Pac-10 Conference Tournament and the Big West Tournament. I saw my second favorite team, Gonzaga, more times than I will ever be able to see them in Seattle. I will probably get Husky season tickets, I'll be a big fan of Seattle U when they go Division I and Seattle Pacific games are always an option, but it will never replace the variety and frequency available in LA.
4 comments:
So it's a love/hate thing then. ;)
I really have to try one of those corn burritos you're always talking about. Oh, and on behalf of Mexicans everywhere - we like you right back, ese!
Mormon basketball. They take that very seriously. When I was a practicing mormon, I never played much b-ball, but used to watch a lot. A lot of physical action, some blood, some words here and there, but in the end, they seemed to all get along to meet up again the next time.
I would miss the beach. In fact, I am missing it now. Even in hot weather, the beach is always a fun place to go.
It is funny (sad?) that I have to go to California in order to see Gonzaga. I should have taken better advantage of it when I lived in the bay area and gone to the Stanford and Saint Mary's games too. I don't necessarily miss San Jose but there were definitely advantages to living there.
Don't be a fan of Seattle U when we go division 1. Please. It isn't like we have money to lure any talent in and I've been to the D2 games. :) (Wait I'm really not bitter about the amount of money we're shelling out to go D1 when it has divided the campus and was basically foisted upon us.) (Ok maybe I am) (Also I'm Peeved Michelle's friend)
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