Today we were joined by our friend Mike Houser, who lives in Camarillo, CA. We met Mike on the 2024 World Cruise and traveled with him in Europe last fall. We had lunch at The Yard House in Long Beach, overlooking the beautiful waterfront harbor. The Yard House is famous for its extensive list of draft beer, but we really just wanted to be near the water. The weather was perfect and we sat outside. After lunch, we peeked inside the keg facility and marveled at the bar with 100 taps of draft beer.

Next, we went up the coast about 30 miles to visit the famous Santa Monica Pier. When we started the drive, the sun was shining brightly but by the time we reached the pier, the fog was moving in. We did get a few photos before we were engulfed. The pier was built in 1916 and has had boom and bust periods since. Winter storms in 1982 and 1983 destroyed much of the breakwater and lower pier. When repairs were started, another fierce storm rolled in, toppling the crane that was being used, dragging it into the water and banging it against the remaining pilings, destroying nearly 1/3 of the pier. Today the pier was lively, despite the fog, and we enjoyed strolling, had a cup of coffee and people watched.

Later, we drove to Culver City for cocktails and dinner at 33 Taps. The patio has a great vibe, with heaters that kept us warm. The tacos were fresh and tasty, and our server was friendly and attentive.

We had a lot of good laughs in our travels today and were grateful to Mike for driving us around in his slick electric car.

Tomorrow: Embarkation to Coral Princess