#14: Watch a Rocket Launch

Granted I wasn’t there, but watched this one live and it was more exciting than the Super Bowl. With a fair chance of failure, the biggest rocket blasted into space, but equally as cool was the sight of the boosters re-landing to be used again.

#46: Sit around a campfire

Visited mom and Jim’s campground for some family time.

New year, same result. We lost.

Keep dancing like no one’s watching!

Jonathon Gold is L.A.’s, and probably the country’s best food critic.  Whether it’s fine dining, culinary performance art or a value meal at a taco truck, he always puts together a solid top 101 list.  We need to try ten new ones, so I’ll start by crossing off the ones we have already eaten at and will not count towards the ten.

1. 1. Vespertine
   2. Providence (Top notch Seafood and truffle)
   3. Spago (Wolfgang’s original. Remodeled and as good as ever)
   4. Lukshon (Culver City Asian Fusion)
   5. Taco Maria
   6. Spring (Downtown French)
   7. Trois Mec (Tasting meal. Second time wasn’t as good as the first)
   8. Cassia
   9. Mozzaplex (All three restaurants are excellent)
   10. Rossoblu (Favorite new DTLA Italian spot)
   11. Rustic Canyon (Farm to table)
   12. Shibumi
   13. Q Sushi
   14. n/naka
   15. Lucques (Loved it, but it’s been about eight years)
   16. Cut (There are better steak places. Great asparagus dish)
   17. Bestia (Great small plate Italian)
   18. Lasa
   19. République (Another great small plate French place)
   20. Animal (Animal centric, but the snapper collar was the best)
   21. Kismet
   22. Manuela (Farm to table in the Arts District)
   23. Night + Market Song (Best Thai)
   24. Shunji
   25. Alimento
   26. Here’s Looking At You (Serving whatever the Chef found that day)
   27. P.Y.T.
   28. Guerrilla Tacos
   29. Chengdu Taste
   30. Orsa & Winston (Italian/Japanese from the Mexican chef building a DTLA empire)
   31. Michael’s
   32. Otium (Swedish minimalism)
   33. Vincenti
   34. Broken Spanish (Gourmet country Mexican. I ate cock’s comb)
   35. Soban
   36. Pizzana
   37. Sun Nong Dan
   38. Mélisse
   39. Holbox/Chichén Itzá
   40. Baroo (closed)
   41. Officine Brera (Elevated Italian)
   42. The Bazaar (Jose Andrea’s LA spot)
   43. Gjelina
   44. Salt’s Cure (unimpressed)
   45. Alma (A young chef succeeding)
   46. Salazar (Señora style Mexican. All outdoor)
   47. Sqirl
   48. The Tasting Kitchen (Venice Beach hot spot)
   49. Odys + Penelope (One of my favorite sharing plate restaurants)
   50. Petit Trois
   51. Sea Harbour
   52. Redbird (Another sharing plate staged in a convent)
   53. Jitlada
   54. Girasol (closed)
   55. Sotto (Excellent Italian)
   56. Le Comptoir
   57. Park’s BBQ
   58. Gwen (Australian chef, Curtis Stone’s meat restaurant)
   59. Jar
   60. Meals by Genet
   61. Church & State (DTLA French bistro)
   62. La Casita Mexicana
   63. Maude (Curtis Stone’s ingredient a month restaurant)
   64. Brobard Chateau
   65. A.O.C. (Simply great)
   66. Asanebo (Best sushi anywhere)
   67. Kobee Factory
   68. Craft (Consistent Century City lunch spot)
   69. Connie and Ted’s (#2’s casual seafood spot)
   70. Rosaliné (excellent Peruvian)
   71. Erven
   72. Angelini Osteria
   73. Adana
   74. Little Sister (Best Vietnamese spot in town)
   75. Mian
   76. Drago Centro
   77. Aburiya Raku
   78. Locol (closed)
   79. 71Above (Best views in DTLA)
   80. Grand Central Market (Great variety)
   81. Coni’Seafood
   82. Kogi BBQ (The Godfather of the food truck. Korean/Mexican)
   83. Guelaguetza (Most authentic Mexican. Biggest mezcal collection in the US)
   84. Manhattan Beach Post
   85. Rice Bar
   86. Bellwether (Had a great Nashville hot chicken sandwich)
   87. Playground
   88. Colonia Publica
   89. Attari Sandwich Shop
   90. Irenia
   91. Tsujita
   92. Gjusta
   93. Garlic & Chives
   94. Valentino
   95. Mariscos Jalisco
   96. Union (Pasadena’s gem)
   97. Sapp Coffee Shoo
   98. Mayura
   99. Howlin’ Ray’s (Two hour minimum wait for some decent Nashville hot chicken)
   100. Marouch
   101. Langer’s (The king of the Pastrami sandwich)

82 degrees and sunny.

#47: See Ten Movies in the Theater

Loved it. Guillermo del Toro has never failed me.

These two will save the world.

#19: Read 8 Fiction Novels

Not the easiest of reads, but it has plenty of rewards.

As an empty nester, these are the nightly moments that get me.

#23: Five Hikes

Beautiful day for a hike.

Top Gun parody at the Regent. Pretty funny.

#13: Try 10 of Gold’s top 100 LA Restaurants

Brunch at The Bellweather in Sherman Oaks.  Very good.

#19: Read 8 Fiction Novels

Nothing special.

Hemingway

Rewarding myself with a pool day for completing one week without eating out (#56) or alcohol (#84).

#47: See 10 New Movies in the Theater

Not sure how I feel about the movie yet, but it does prove the rule that Daniel Day Lewis can make anything, not only watchable, but enjoyable.

Cheers to 2017. It was another year to remember. Here are some of the highlights.

Watched the drag queen drop in Key West on New Year’s Eve.

Tacked this dollar to the wall for good luck at Capt. Tony’s Saloon. It worked.

Caught lunch.

Supported Hemingway’s surgery and a grueling three weeks of radiation. He fought hard.

Had some amazing dinners.

Only visited the lake house once.

Celebrated Brittany’s retirement from soccer.

Saw the US win the Baseball World Championships.

Bid farewell to an old friend.

Took a few naps in Miami Beach.

Thoroughly enjoyed Cuba. Hope the next president allows us to return.

Had a perfect beach weekend with family.

Tried to reach a weight goal, but even starving myself for a week didn’t work.

Watched some horses without betting on them.

Played around with the kids.

Mother’s Day at Sherwood.

Was the highest bidder on a trip to Mongolia.

Explored Morrow Bay.

Watched Alex pitch his best and last game of his college career.

A star was born.

Sun.baked with the family in Palm Springs.

Watched Brittany graduate college.

Enjoyed Tom Petty and Mumford and Sons with Devin and Brittany in Pasadena.

Helped Rio survive the 4th of July.

Took a UK trip with my wife, dad and Georgeanne that I’ll forever cherish.

RIP Tom Petty.

Had plenty of pool time.

A great ride with Maserati.

Tried a dinner at a chef’s home.

Said goodbye to our first pet, Bella.

Enjoyed our visit with our niece, Anna.

Lost one of my most loyal readers, but was able to celebrate her well lived life with friends and family in Maryland.

Needed a reminder.

Read more books this year than any other.

Plenty of family meals at Dad and Georgeanne’s.

Took in a Dodgers/Cubs playoff game in LA.

Celebrated our anniversary at the Chateau Marmont.

Face time with clients in Nashville.

Visited a new American city. Chattanooga.

Explored a new N’awlins neighborhood.

Lots to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.

Bowled a lot.

Celebrated the end of my dad’s incredible career.

Saw a few good movies.

Finally got Sonia’s parents out of Puerto Rico.

Stayed in a new Chicago neighborhood.

Marquette strong.

Celebrated Dad and Georgeanne’s thirtieth.

Another great Christmas with the regulars.

Hemingway and Rio met their cousin, Seager.

Enjoyed the outdoors.

Made it to Mom’s new home in Prescott and was blessed with LA like weather.

And oysters….

#37: Eye Exam

With the exception of needing a pair of reading glasses, I continue to have 20/20 vision and do not suffer from narrow angles, the hereditary condition my mom and older sister have had treated. I will now focus my sense of dread on my blood pressure.

#47. See 10 New Movies in the Theater

Very good. Happy to know that couldn’t happen in this day and era.

#23: Five hikes

High above Burbank in the burnt hills.

186.4lbs. Those weight loss goals are going to be rough.

The only living thing drooling to be near me.

#20. Read 4 Non Fiction

Could have been one paragraph long. We give too many f*cks. We need to give less f*cks and only give a f*ck about the things that truly matter. No sh*t. Waste of time. I’ll save my other non fiction readings for history.

off road from henry james on Vimeo.

Took Jim’s jeep off roading in the Prescott National Forest on a perfect New Year’s day.

1. Sleep in a treehouse
2. Grow LA Fashion Insider
3. Ring in the New Year
4. Do something I wouldn’t do if not for this blog
5. Go to a Marquette game
6. Travel w/an empty suitcase
7. See a Waterfall
8. Off roading
9. Go Snorkeling
10. Go to a playoff game
11. Ride a Camel
12. Visit an American City we’ve never been to
13. Try 10 of Gold’s top 100 LA Restaurants
14. Watch a Rocket Launch
15. Soak in a hot spring
16. Start a new retail website
17. Build a new pool equipment fence myself
18. Wipe out 50% of Business Debt
19. Read 8 Fiction Novels
20. Read 4 Non Fiction
21. Go to a game at Wrigley
22. Go on a pub crawl
23. Five hikes
24. Visit a Hemingway Haunt
25. Sell the Bronco
26. Colonoscopy
27. Bake the perfect sausage biscuit
28. Complete 2017 Cuba album
29. Go to five live music venues in LA
30. Spend a day at a lake
31. Go to a baseball stadium I’ve never been to
32. Sleep in a tent
33. Draft our wills
34. Lunch at a seafood shack
35. Eat at Vespertine
36. Small town festival
37. Eye Exam
38. Watch a sunrise
39. Watch a sunset
40. Star Gaze
41. Nap in a hammock
42. Lounge by 5 hotel pools
43. Attend a music festival
44. Three Beaches
45. Walk across a bridge
46. A seafood bake
47. See 10 New Movies in the Theater
48. Visit something ancient
49. New workout
50. Train Ride
51. Kayak
52. Go to One of hardest to reach bars in the world.
53. Have a picnic
54. Out of State Concert
55. Staycation
56. Don’t eat out for two straight weeks
57. Revisit the Hermosa early years
58. Have a drink in a bar over 200 years old
59. Commission a Pear Jam/MU Concert poster from 92’
60. Eat at a top 100 restaurant
61. Visit a National Park
62. Visit a Museum
63. Bike ride in another city
64. Jet Ski
65. Explore a winery
66. Aurora Borealis
67. Set my watch to 5 different time zones
68. Make the most of a layover
69. Control Blood Pressure
70. See a Play
71. Buy a new suit
72. Have a Catch
73. Go to a professional sport match I’ve never been to
74. Write a novel synopsis
75. Go to an island
76. Eat a NY Hot Dog
77. Five rooftop toasts
78. Garage Sale
79. Landscape the curbside
80. Art for the dining room wall
81. Rain 2
82. Remove a tattoo
83. Explore a New N’awlins Neighborhood
84. No Alcohol for one week (5 times)
85. Go to the mountains
86. Double Online Retail Sales
87. Hemingway’s One Year Scan
88. Full Physical
89. Host a summer party
90. Helicopter Ride
91. Palm Springs
92. Go to a Giants game
93. New Dining Room Chairs
94. Work Out
95. Weigh 175
96. Weigh 170
97. Weigh 165
98. Complete Dad’s 70th Video
99. Tall Cacti for the Backyard
100. Move my photos to the cloud

IMG_0809 from henry james on Vimeo.

#3: Ring in the New Year

Watched the boot drop with my family on Whisky Row in Prescott, Arizona. No Ubers, so Mom picked us up at two a.m. and then cooked us some quesadillas. Mom and Jim have been very patient with this crew.

1. 1. 1. Help Hemingway beat Cancer
      2. Grow LA Fashion Insider
      3. Ring in the New Year
      4. Do something I wouldn’t do if not for this blog
      5. Go to a Marquette game
      6. Travel w/an empty suitcase
      7. See a Waterfall
      8. Off roading
      9. Go Snorkeling
      10. Go Waterskiing
      11. Visit Mom’s New Home
      12. Visit an American City we’ve never been to
      13. Try 10 New LA Restaurants
      14. Watch a Rocket Launch
      15. Watch Brittany Graduate
      16. Open up the kitchen
      17. Remodel the master bathroom
      18. Wipe out 75% of Business Debt
      19. Read 10 New Books
      20. Go to a game at Wrigley
      21. Salsa
      22. Five hikes
      23. Visit a Hemingway Haunt
      24. Get the Bronco Running
      25. Colonoscopy
      26. Eat a fish I’ve caught
      27. Enjoy a country drive
      28. Smoke a Cuban
      29. Spend a day at a lake
      30. Go to a baseball stadium I’ve never been to
      31. Sleep in a tent
      32. Draft our wills
      33. Go the road to sell Basically Me
      34. Trace the family name back another generation
      35. Small town festival
      36. Eye Exam
      37. Watch a sunrise
      38. Watch a sunset
      39. Star Gaze
      40. Nap in a hammock
      41. Buy a pair of Berluti’s
      42. Lounge by 5 hotel pools
      43. Attend a music festival
      44. Three Beaches
      45. Walk across a bridge
      46. Finish a Writing Project
      47. See 10 New Movies in the Theater
      48. Visit something ancient
      49. New workout
      50. Train Ride
      51. Kayak
      52. See a band in Preservation Hall
      53. Have a picnic
      54. Out of State Concert
      55. Stay at Chateau Marmont
      56. Don’t eat out for two straight weeks
      57. Launch a Basically Me Tee Shirt Line
      58. Have a drink in a bar over 200 years old
      59. Commission a Pear Jam/MU Concert poster from 92’
      60. Eat at a top 100 restaurant
      61. Visit a National Park
      62. Visit a Museum
      63. Bike ride in another city
      64. Jet Ski
      65. Explore a winery
      66. Aurora Borealis
      67. Set my watch to 5 different time zones
      68. Make the most of a layover
      69. Go to a drive-in movie
      70. A photography project
      71. See a Play
      72. Buy a new suit
      73. Have a Catch
      74. Go to a professional sport match I’ve never been to
      75. “Publish” a mezcal cocktail book
      76. Launch new LA Fashion Insider, Inc. website
      77. Eat a NY Hot Dog
      78. Five rooftop toasts
      79. Garage Sale
      80. Landscape the curbside
      81. Art for the dining room wall
      82. Rain 2
      83. Remove a tattoo
      84. Explore New N’awlins Neighborhood
      85. Remove the fireplace in the den
      86. No Alcohol for two weeks (3 times)
      87. Go to the mountains
      88. Double Online Retail Sales
      89. Add at least 25 new quotes to The Tragic Muse
      90. Full Physical
      91. Host a summer party
      92. Helicopter Ride
      93. Palm Springs
      94. Go to a Giants game
      95. New Dining Room Table
      96. Less Clothes
      97. Weigh 175
      98. Weigh 170
      99. Weigh 165
      100. Complete Dad’s 70th Video

We completed 51% of 2017’s list. Certainly not the greatest completion rate, but I’ve made the goals progressively harder over the years.  Nevertheless, it was a year to remember and this blog keeps me motivated to live life to its fullest.

#35: Small Town Festival

Took in the Prescott, Arizona New Years celebration.

#87: Go to the mountains

As usual, we brought the sunshine, so no snow. But, mountain living it was.

IMG_0657 from henry james on Vimeo.

#22: Five Hikes. Snuck the fifth one in before the close of 2017. Watson Lake, Prescott, Arizona. Beautiful.

#11: Visit Mom’s Home.

Finally made it to Mom and Jim’s in time for sliders and charred oysters.

#67: Set my watch to 5 different time zones

One of my favorite annual goals. Where we’ve been.

Pacific: Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Marin County, Las Vegas, Oxnard, Marrow Bay, Riverside

Mountain Time: Prescott, Arizona

Central: New Orleans, Nashville, Cookville, TN

Eastern: Key West, Chattanooga, TN, Washington, D.C., Gaithersburg, MD, Miami, Havana, Cuba

UTC: London, Bath, Cardiff, Wales, Dublin, Ireland, Cong Mayo, Ireland.

#7: Picnic  #53: See a waterfall

It’s days like this I’m happy to be a Californian.

#70: A Photography Project

#19: Artemis. A smartly written Sci-fi novel worthy of his debut, The Martian.

Five Golden Rings from henry james on Vimeo.

Rosie, George and friends managed to pull off a surprise party to celebrate dad and Georgeanne’s thirtieth wedding anniversary. A great evening.

Untitled from henry james on Vimeo.

#14 Done: See a rocket launch. SpaceX

We managed to video a minute of a spectacular rocket launch into space. At first we thought it was a huge meteor, but after a couple of minutes it became clear it was a rocket. The booster rockets detaching was the best part of the show.

#47. See 10 New Movies in the Theater

Finished this one off with a pretty good chapter in this saga. Brittany liked it too, especially the nods to the original three, so that made me happy.

Back to the LA sprawl.

Gene & Judes

20 plus years strong.

Never too cold for a rooftop view.

City wake up view.

Lots of changes going on at Wrigley Field.

Best way to combat the cold.