By Michael P Coleman
I’m always happiest by a body of water, so I don’t know what took me so long to visit Santa Monica Pier. Once there, it was hard to pull me away.
The view of the coastline is stunning. Parking is very accessible and shockingly inexpensive, and just a short walk from the pier.
In addition to the midway and a dozen or so shops, the Santa Monica Pier is home to restaurants for almost every palate, and there are a variety of smaller food vendors there, as well. The Japanese-style hot dog cart, Japadog, and their Kurobuta Terimayo was CALLING ME. That frank is made up of savory kurobuta pork that’s nestled in a warm, fluffy bun and slathered with white onions, teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayo, and a generous serving of savory seaweed.
Yup. Seaweed. I wolfed that dog down like I hadn’t had a meal in weeks.
The performers on the pier caught my eye, as well. I almost regretted eating the hot dog — almost — after I saw the six packs on the group of acrobats performing. I made sure I stayed at least 10 feet away from the guy with the…
…nine feet long Burmese python around his shoulders! Do I want to take a picture with that man-killer? Sure. And then we can take a joy ride on the back of a Great White Shark.
Singer Jimmy Rodriguez, who billed himself as “a happy Mexican singer,” made me a happy Negro listener with a new CD to enjoy on the way home.
Rodriguez’ voice is utterly gorgeous. He’s been a contestant on Tengo Talento Mucho Talento, a Spanish language television talent competition. If there’s an iota of justice in the world, Rodriguez is going to be huge.
Santa Monica treated me well. I won’t wait another half century to come back!
Jimmy Rodriguez’ music is available on digital platforms including iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. He’s also on Facebook and Instagram. @jimmyrodriguezw
Info on Japadog is at japadog.com. If you check out the Spicy one — it has jalapeños on it — let MPC know how it is at michaelpcoleman.com.
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