May 18th: Newport Beach, $200 Ramen Dish, Pirates Invade Fresno
Hey Friends!
Another and another list of things that we felt were worthwhile sharing.
EnjoyYour Read!
Be Well! Stay Safe!
Mark & Patti
1
I have always loved a good pirate movie, story, and the legends that came with it. I was called a pirate one time, back in the day of my life as an Investment Banker and Hedge Fund Founder.
Those days of my pirating adventures are long gone and something for a future story, but I still, to this day, wish I was a 21st-century pirate. Imagine the fun times you could have now.
To kick off this week’s newsletter, FRESYES has some happenings in and around Fresno that are coming, including a Pirate Festival happening this weekend.
So, if you’re looking to go back in time, here is all the information you need from FRESYES for the festival and everything going on this weekend in and around Fresno.
Fresno Pirate Invasion
by FRESYES Team
2
How do you feel about rollercoasters? I know I used to love them. I would spend weekends on Cony Island riding on the Cyclone repeatedly. It was a time well remembered.
As I grew older, which I continually won’t admit happening, my skills as a rollercoaster rider diminished. Some of these issues include not having time to go and other problems like health concerns stepping in the way.
But, if you have that fever to ride a rollercoaster, we have the story for you from Amanda Bartlett from SF Gate.
Isn’t it time to give it a whirl, swirl, or twirl?
'I'll never be the same': The twists and turns of one of California's most notorious rides
by Amanda Bartlett, SF Gate
3
I enjoy pickles. It doesn’t matter if they are dill, garlic dill, sweet and savory, bread and butter, Gherkins, or any of the rest on the list. Pickles are great on almost anything, but especially sandwiches. Right?
The one place I never thought a pickle would make its presence known was a drink. I know people drink pickle juice, which I have done when I’m sick sometimes, but a drink, a lemonade, for that matter, is now made from a pickle.
Something only Disneyland could make part of their dining and drinking experience.
Here is the lowdown on the new pickle drink at Disney from Julie Tremaine from SF Gate.
The bizarre new Disneyland drink born from a viral TikTok trend
by Julie Tremaine, SF Gate
4
When I hear Newport Beach, even today, I think of my home back east and surfing at Newport Beach in Newport, Rhode Island, not Newport Beach here.
I’ve never surfed at Newport Beach in California. I surfed as a kid at Malibu, Huntington, and a few other beaches my Dad took me to when we visited California, but most of my surfing was done back on Cape Cod, Rhode Island, or Long Island in New York, all fantastic surfing spots.
While this story from Ann Douglas Lott from The Lonely Planet isn’t about just surfing, hearing the name brought back memories of Back East for me today.
It’s a great story about Newport Beach, California, and it’s something I recommend reading and, of course, visiting, which I plan to do this year.
Copy My Trip: Whale-watching, relaxation and sweet treats in Newport Beach, California
by Ann Douglas Lott, The Lonely Planet
5
Maybe it’s me and my mindset. When I eat ramen at home, I usually use one of those small packets that come in a box of 20 or 25, averaging 30 cents a package.
Paying $200 for ramen isn’t in my mindset of realism. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been to some ramen spots in Fresno and Clovis, where you pay upwards of $30.00 for a bowl for the best, but nowhere near $200.
Is that something I should know? That ramen is worth $200, which would round out to maybe 50 dents a noodle compared to 30 cents for the entire package of horrible-tasting ramen, but still ramen?
Columnist Drew Magary from SFGate takes on his journey of eating a $200 ramen meal in San Francisco.
SF's $200 ramen restaurant was amazing. It'll never last
by Drew Magary, SF Gate
Something Personal That I Want to Share
This final post is about a friend. A friend I met years ago through my uncle. This friend, like me, had polio as a kid and was advised to take a wind instrument to help his lungs get exercise.
I was told the same thing a year later when I was diagnosed with polio. I took up the tenor saxophone after a bad trine with a trombone. That’s a story for another time.
My friend, who was seven years older, took up the alto saxophone and, unlike me, became very successful and famous for playing all over the world. He was a winner of multiple Grammys and one of the best jazz sax players I have ever known, and I know quite a few.
Over the years, we talked about our life with polio and how it has affected our lives. We both took different journeys in life, but polio ties us together as friends.
Dave Sanborn is his name, and you should listen to him.
I haven’t talked to David in years, and that’s my fault. When things happened in my life that I was not proud of, I bowed away from my old friends.
Now I’m sorry I did. One never knows when things will end, and to say that today, I feel guilty is an understatement, but at the time, I had my reasons for pulling away.
Anyway, I just wanted to take a minute and write this personal piece.
Thanks for reading and listening as I am right now.
R.I.P. David
Mark