They had a very extensive menu for a coffee shop (think upscale, but without the upscale prices). I was more in a lunch mood, so I chose the short rib tacos. Wendy had her favorite, the Smoke Salmon Benedict, and Thom ordered an omelet with mushrooms and sausage. The tacos were juicy, but without the bbq sauce, would have been terribly bland. The meat wasn’t seasoned – but the sauce did make them tasty. It was served with a side of white beans. I did envy Wendy’s Benedict as I do love salmon…..it looked so delicious, but for the eggs (I am not an egg person). Maybe I should go back and order it minus the eggs! Thom said his omelet was very good. Overall, not a bad experience. Given then use very fresh ingredients, and Wendy’s recommendation, I will try it again and opt for something else on the menu.
After brunch, we just walked down the street to Segway Los Angeles (www.segway.la). This is the mothership to the Long Beach location we went to last month. We had a Groupon that we needed to use (plus, we just love Segwaying). After being overcast in the late morning/early afternoon, it cleared off in time for our tour at 2:00pm. It was clear, cool and breezy….a welcome respite from the blazing hot Valley!
Since we’ve done a few of these already down in Long Beach, they didn’t need to really train us, so we just waited around until they trained the others, and also put some of the other riders at ease by letting them know that it really was pretty easy , and a lot of fun once they got used to it. Our guide for the afternoon was DJ. He took us down the hill from their Ocean Ave. location to the boardwalk near the Santa Monica Pier.
It was a busy afternoon on the boardwalk, but we still were able to go along at a pretty good clip, coasting down to the Venice boardwalk and pier. It really was refreshing to be cruising down the boardwalk in the salt air, sun on my face and watching the waves crash on the beach (the surf was amazing since they were still getting some intense waves from the storms in the South Pacific). We stopped at one point where there was a grassy peak that gives you a great outlook towards the beach. It was a great picture spot.
We went all the way down to the Venice Pier and went out to the end of it. This was a good spot to get off the Segway, stretch out legs, and get some pictures. It was little brisk, which had a few people shivering (but I was really enjoying it!). Then we slowly made out way back, cutting through the crowd on the Venice boardwalk (it was packed!). The entire tour lasted about 2 hours, which is enough time as the Segway can be tough on your legs and feet to be on it non-stop (I’m sure it gets better if you do it all the time).
Keep an eye out for the Groupon deals for Segway tours. Segway Los Angeles has two locations: one in Santa Monica and one in Long Beach. They seem to be offering deals about once a quarter. The normal price is $79 for a two hour rental or tour. The Groupon is usually about $39 – a steal! If you get to the Long Beach, be sure to ask for Anita – and tell her CJ and Thom sent you. She’s one of the best tour guides, and a lot of fun. Oh, and after having several tours now, I’ve decided that I would like to become a guide and will be looking into that.
Good for you, future tour guide! And it was very fun seeing you and Thom!
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