The airport was empty at this time of the morning. No bags to check, just my backpack as a carryon.
Got through security and they started boarding at 0600. With my fortunate boarding position in the A group, I felt generous and instead of muscling forward and saying, I'm A52, I stood at the end of the A group. For some reason I wanted to preserve and commemorate my noble sacrifice with a picture.
"Eatery" is the surest way to send me into an irrational rage. Are there not untold existing synonyms for restaurant already? "Excuse me waiter, can you direct me to the men's pissery?"
Off we go at about 0630.
I got a window seat which I always prefer (when travelling with kids, they get the window seat). Sky was pretty that morning.
Once over Los Angeles and preparing to land, I was a little taken by the scenery...the clouds were low but the San Gabriel mountains were well above that layer, so it looks like there isn't a city down there. But we descended through the cloud layer (thankfully it wasn't a zero visibility instruments only type landing, yikes).
LAX is a big airport and we had to go all the way around all the other terminals to get to Terminal 1 where Southwest is. Hawaiian Airlines getting ready to take some lucky folks to paradise...
Once off the plane, I immediately checked in for my return flight, and got a dramatically good A36 boarding position. Then I walked east out of the airport to the rental car company. Some trouble with them (they wanted the actual insurance policy number, which I didn't have, so I had to get it from Debra back home) but we got through it.
Then onto the road, and south towards Gardena. First stop, a Japanese market for breakfast.
We have Asian grocery stores in KC, and some ones that are de facto specialized (the one I go to has Asian goods from all over but is obviously catering to Korean folks) but nothing like this, which is a very large market focused specifically on Japanese goods and food.
Prop 65 warnings are everywhere here. First time I've seen it for potato chips.
Hawaiian section was cool...all the spam flavors you could desire (I did pick up some kulolo mix).
There probably was a section in the place to eat, but I left and then figured I'd find a park to eat in. The park turned out to not have a parking lot, obviously catering just to the local neighborhood. So I parked along the street and ate quickly in the car. Unagi-don (eel) and a salmon hosomaki roll...turned out to be too much food, I couldn't finish either. The Calpis soda is a soda made with milk solids. It was good, and reminded me of Squirt. Normally the stuff imported to the US is rebranded Calpico (since it sounds like "piss" in the original version).
From there, headed south into Terrance, towards the airport, to the Western Museum of Flight.
Home of the other one of the two YF-23s, the other one being at the National Museum of the Air Force.
The story of this museum, which is not large, is wrapped up heavily in the Northrop-Grumman corporation. Many of the volunteers and board members are former employees (some even executives) at Northrop-Grumman. So a lot of material here is focused on the company and its products (or prototypes).
The YF-23 was Northrop-Grumman's attempt to win the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition...from what I've heard, it may have been more stealthy than the winner (Lockheed/Boeing/GD's YF-22 which became the F-22 Raptor) but the Raptor with its control surfaces and thrust vectoring, is likely more maneuverable and certainly better in a dogfight. Lots of relics of its design, including early wind tunnel models.
Models of Northrop's flight simulators...like a version of Disney's "Soarin'" except for one person at a time.
Lots of models in this section, including the B-1 and XB-70. F-86 Sabre in the background.
The jet exhaust of the Sabre.
Various piston engines, and a Mi-24 Hind radio control model that was used to test anti-aircraft weapons targeting.
An interesting...somewhat complicated and confusion...manned glider that was a prototype for an -unmanned-, and jet-powered, cruise missile so to speak, during WWII. Northrop ended up terminating the program.
Wind tunnel models...
A reconnaissance drone.
Next up they let me hop into the F-5A, a Northrop light fighter (from the 60s) that was marketed for export, and is still in service. Obviously, everything still very analog...no radar even.
Pretty simple reflex gun sight.
Guy offered to take my picture and I felt like it would be rude to say, no thanks. The thumbs up was also his idea (Debra was amused).
Right side panel. Ejection seat handle on the right.
The throttle...push past the detent for afterburner.
The F-5 had twin 20mm M39 cannons, but each did about 1500 rounds per minute, so the M61 that has become the current standard, with 6000RPM, still put twice as many rounds onto target in the same amount of time as two of the M39s.
The whole museum was just two partial hangars, so I had to go kind of slow to burn the expected amount of time here...the F-5 was a capable light fighter but mostly served in other nations as an export, or as a trainer in the US. It was used as the fictional MiG-28 in Top Gun (despite not really bearing any significant resemblance to an actual MiG).
The YF-23 is an odd looking bird. The reason it is here at all probably has to do with Northrop executives "knowing a guy".
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, a smaller attack oriented fighter that served off of carriers.
The sleek, painted over belly and weapons bays of the YF-23.
Tailhook of the Skyhawk.
A Royal Navy Harrier, done up in an arresting gloss black. This model was a trainer, hence the tandem cockpit.
The engines outputted to four nozzles the pilot could redirect at will, for VTOL...or even potentially tricky dogfight maneuvers.
I thought this was an excellent summary, not too technical, of how a jet engine works.
Cutaway of a jet engine showing the turbine blades.
This little inlet reminded me of a Ferrari from the 70s...maybe a 308? Not sure, but I was like, ah, borrowing from the airplane designers are we, Enzo...
The list of F-5 customers worldwide (at the time), including "North Yemen", which now is a single probably antique F-5 operated by the Houthis, just asking to be shot down by a Raptor.
Let me be clear...this is a fine air museum, a worthy air museum. But if you attend an event here, I would think twice before drinking the coffee. (I guess, storage space is storage space?)
Next to the kids section they had a library of really old books on aircraft maintenance, design, etc. This one on aerodynamics went very deep, and I have to say, I can't hack this math any more.
The F-86 Sabre didn't have the 20mm cannons that other jet-age planes, like its nemesis the MiG-15, had started to carry...6 .50 caliber machine guns, like the P-51 Mustang, albeit nose mounted.
Next up, I asked them if they still had a YF-17, and apparently it was at an annex across the airport. Another volunteer arrived to take us (me and one other guy) over there, since you had to drive across the airport and badge in. The Robinson helicopter company headquarters and manufacturing facility was next door, a fairly large place which manufacturers most of the "lightweight" helicopters you see these days.
This guy was a former Northrop Grumman guy, who worked in the space sector. He gave us a lot of info about the planes. Like usual, I have to say "oh no, I'm not a pilot / veteran / aerospace guy, I'm just a hobbyist who likes this stuff". The other guy was an Aussie who lives in China, and flies Gulfstream jets for a living. This was the YF-17.
The YF-17 was Northrup's entry as a competitor for the Lightweight Fighter program, and it ultimately lost out to what became the F-16 Fighting Falcon. However, the Navy came along and said that it liked the cut of its jib, and with a few changes including beefing up the landing gear for the rough carrier duty, making the wings fold, and of course adding a tailhook, it became the F-18 Hornet, variations of which now comprise the Navy's entire fighter force.
Next up in the Annex, an F-14 Tomcat (of Top Gun fame). It's a large, heavy fighter.
Variable sweep wings meant all ordnance was mounted on the belly between the engines. There was a lot of space there, to accommodate a number of the large, long range Phoenix missiles which were its primary armament. It could also carry Sparrows and of course Sidewinders for close-in combat. The landing gear was much beefier as compared to the YF-17, which was the prototype for the Air Force and not designed initially for carrier duty.
Pilot and weapons officer in the cockpit. This particular F-14 was in service at the actual TOPGUN school in Miramar, and was taken out of service by the Navy after it suffered an engine fire, and they didn't want to risk it having structural damage.
M61 Vulcan would live in here.
The tailhook a lot bigger than on the Skyhawk, as it is a much bigger bird...and a lot of thrust out of these engines. The F-14, and many of the planes they have, are still owned by the military, and are on loan to the museum...they will, particularly for the F-14, send people to audit its condition. Because of the sensitivity of F-14 spare parts (the only military that still flies them is Iran, and Iran is under strict embargo...and would probably pay a very large amount for actual F-14 parts to keep them flying), they have to account for all of these that are out of their direct control.
We headed back to the main museum...it was about noon, so I decided to head out. Very thankful to the volunteers and guides here. I never would have taken such an in depth deep dive at a museum with the family in tow. Last look at the exhaust section of the YF-23...some kind of tile that is interesting. I would imagine they've stripped it of anything sensitive at this point.
Looped round the airport for a wildly busy visit to In-N-Out. I'm here, I have to go.
Ordered a single cheeseburger, no fries or drink, as I was still kinda full from breakfast. Got it with grilled onions, mustard, no spread, and the magical new ingredient...chopped chilies. It was fantastic! I ate it probably too fast for enjoyment, admittedly. Partly because the only seating was outside in the sun, and this particular stone bench seat and table were superheated to around 150 degrees Fahrenheit so I was lightly broiling while seated there.
Then headed west to Torrance Beach.
The necessary pilgrimage to the sea. An entire class, or daycare, of small kids was screaming with enjoyment at the water's edge.
I was sufficiently tickled by their shrieks of joy and/or fear (partly out of the contagious nature of it...some kids scream, you get a handful of other kids screaming in response) to take a bit of video.
For some reason I thought this was the pretty side of the beach to photograph...the other way was the hills of the Palos Verdes peninsula and a bit more picturesque.
Ahh, but the ocean. I changed into swim stuff from my backpack in the changing rooms and headed out into the sea.
Obviously I didn't wade in with my phone, these pics were taken later. But the surf was high but also manageable. This kind of thing is like my meditation.
I stayed out there for over an hour before I realized...Debra is going to -eventually- assume I've been eaten by sharks if I don't respond. So I came in.
I recall missing the mountains when we moved from California to Missouri, and I kind of doubt I missed Disneyland much (most of the memories I attributed to Disneyland turned out to be Worlds of Fun later), but nothing compares to how I missed (and still miss, when away for too long) the Pacific ocean.
I didn't bring a towel (..don't forget to bring a towel!!)(stop it Towelie) so I drip dried for a while in the shade. Palos Verdes in the distance. At some point I was floating ideas of living here for a year temporarily, getting Disneyland passes, as a long term working vacation. Not the most reasonable thing ever but I was in an exuberant state of mind. Maybe I should just see what it costs to come out here every once in a while like this.
Then when partly dry, I changed into street clothes in the bathroom. There were really awkward, almost inhuman moaning noises in there. I couldn't place it, but it sounded...not great. I overheard people outside saying "what is that sound...moaning...nature's warning stay out of THERE...". Thankfully they were not still there when I emerged so I didn't have to explain, but I was kind of curious myself, and right by the door, I saw these guys. It was THEM. Weird cooing that sounded like moaning or something, very inappropriate you two. Get a nest!
Pretty white pigeon.
View from up top. I still had a lot of time before my next plans, reservations at 5:30 at Torimatsu, so I found an open public library in North Torrance, I would go there and just relax and read for a while.
At the library, a K9 officer...only reason I took this picture (even though it is pretty bad quality) is I thought at the time how chuffed my kids would be to see it.
This isn't a "how to learn this language" section...these are for people who want to read in their native tongue! Kind of cool.
HOLLYWOOD'S DARK PRINCE. LOL. OMG did they put a stereotypical antisemitic hooknose on the shadow?? I just saw that.
I read most of this book...skipping over a couple sections that sounded more like fine dining establishments than true izakaya. I was going to one soon!
The whole place took me back to my three years working as a teenager in a library.
From a Janes warship recognition guide...the Moskva, Russia's current flagship of submarine fleet!
Walls and walls of audio CDs. This is not a library any more, this is a museum to what libraries of the 90s and 00s were.
But they've got good taste in their limited selection...one of Wodehouse's best.
And a wellworn Hitchhiker's Guide.
Uncle Roger voice "five ingredient??! I bet first four are chili jam HAIIYAHHH"
A travel guide to Maui, featuring Hamoa beach which we came upon nearly by accident. Looks pretty by air as well, though we saw it from ground level obviously.
Having burned enough time, I headed to the izakaya. Torimatsu, a small but amazing yakitori shop in Gardena.
The yakitori master told me (in some broken, mutually misunderstandable conversation...we later just reverted to smiling and saying thank you / arigato gozaimasu) he is using ogatan charcoal. The tare pot is next to it on the left. Bars are adjustable to fit the skewers.
He was working steadily...
There was just one other guy there at the time...I imagine business would pick up in speed later. A yakionigiri and some chicken skewers on the grill, some for me, and some for the other patron.
My first skewers, a tare dipped tsukune meatball skewer, and what for me is the ur-skewer of yakitori, negima (they call it neginiku), a chicken thigh with spring onion or Japanese leek skewer....this one I think seasoned with shio/salt, not tare.
Kawa, or a skin skewer. The form is perfect, even spread over the skewer. Drinking lots of icewater to rehydrate after my time in the ocean, and from the salty food that day. Normally in an izakaya the expectation is you drink sake, shochu, or beer, but I had a long trip up to west LA through bad traffic, so nothing degrading my mental acuity was permitted here.
Shiitake skewer. It was a little bland for me, so I tried it with some shichimi togarashi and sansho which are at the table. Probably a faux pas, or just not a great seasoning blend but I don't know what I'm doing.
A well worn and slightly singed fan for the charcoal.
Shisomaki! Ground chicken wrapped up like a sausage within shiso leaves. Some people call it the Japanese basil...it's a unique taste.
And a tare basted uzura skewer, quails egg. This one lived up to my expectations! Probably the best skewer of the night. I had felt the same about quail's egg skewers when we visited here in...was that 2021? Not sure, but when we first came here over Christmas. Then I had the skewer at Shin-Sen-Gumi this summer, and thought...you know, OK, not bad. But having this again at Torimatsu...whatever they are doing, they are doing it right, and you should always order uzura at Torimatsu. Soft, creamy but not runny, both the smell and the flavor is top-notch.
I had only downed a weak 6 skewers at this point, but I had to be on my way. The price was low so I tipped, I don't know, nearly 50% to partially make up for taking up their time, not ordering expensive alcohol, etc. But Torimatsu remains undefeated in yakitori places I have visited. I left bowing slightly and expressing my thankfulness (decided not to try to employ the Japanese customary phrases I had looked up...there's a fine line between respectfulness and cringiness). And then off...directly into traffic on the 110.
Took me about an hour to inch my way up there. Passed through some rougher neighborhoods. Pico Blvd and Hoover in sort of the Westlake area...lots of good ethnic and street food options (a plus!) and also a lot of homeless...apparently drug activity here is high, and this was heavily populated by Central American folks, and this is partly why Pico/Westlake area is where MS-13 gangs took hold. Good times. On a lighter note, I like that some homeless guy has taken a window unit with him. Might come in handy.
Parked at the destination, the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. Line already forming outside.
It's a large and pretty church. Theology probably a bit weird, but all theology is a bit weird depending upon your perspective.
Getting signed in 40 people at a time. They gave us a bottle of water (the show was explicitly communicated as "dry"...I guess you can't trust people not to assume you could order a beer at a church).
Making our way in...
It's basically a cathedral. Nearly took my breath away.
Part of it is the lighting, part of it is the architecture. But it was pretty glorious to see.
Bits of the organ were all around...behind the stage, up in the upper left and right (and later I would find at the back of the room, too). Later I would see the usual Louis Cole / Knower sound guy Daniel Sunshine running things from up here.
Spotted Jacob Mann (keyboardist that plays with him a lot) up front. Someone said they say Sam Wilkes, my current favorite bassist, milling around the place looking lost...I didn't see him.
Then the choir shuffled out. Followed by the maestro who made his way up to high pulpit...
After which he just sat there stoically as they started on the first song.
Not going to try to describe too much of the music...all written by Louis Cole, as an experiment. If you are a music nerd, there would have been much to like for you, I think. The first one was ominous and dark, with heavy organ backing, and quite strange. The second was probably my favorite of the night, just achingly beautiful. A couple songs had Sam Gendel step in to play saxophone too, which is a strange addition, but it worked.
I didn't realize at first that the conductor (who evidently initially walked out on stilts...I briefly saw an enormously tall woman for a split second but didn't realize) was Genevieve Artadi, of KNOWER.
Louis thanking the organist and other contributors. Sam Gendel on the left. I took a minimal amount of photos out of respect...let's call it stretched respect...of the request for no taping or photography. I interpreted their meaning as to prevent people from trying to bootleg and upload to Youtube, or for those people constantly holding up cameras blocking other people's view. I just wanted a couple quick snaps to remember it by, on the blog. ("Oh, so the rules don't apply to YOU now eh")
It was an absolutely amazing concert. Afterward, we filed out rapidly. It was late. A glance at the organ pipes in the back.
Then a long drive back to LAX, where I dropped the car off at the rental after hours. Walking by this Subway, which happened to be the one we ate at in 2019 on our trip to Hawaii for the first time.
Finally checked into my hotel room. Unpacked my haul from the Japanese grocery store, and decided to have the mango habanero chips, as well as some imo shochu now that I was safely at home base. Didn't finish either...listened to more of Louis's just released album that day, with Metropole Orkest. And went to bed.
Might as well link to his album while I'm at it. Good stuff.
I had actually set what I thought were redundant alarms to make sure I was up in time to catch my flight. I still don't know what exactly went wrong...user error, accidental stopping instead of snoozing, the Tri-Lateral Commission hacked my phone, who can tell? But my plan was, to wake at 0500...definitely by 0530. 0630 rolls around, Debra texts me, "you up?". No response (probably on do not disturb). 0650, she calls me. I wake up, answer the phone...instantly realize what time it is and what a situation I'm in. I throw everything together and roll out immediately towards the airport.
I do a lot of jaywalking, but I get there, make it through security with no issues, and am at the airport for a (little) while before boarding at 0730.
Initial mild pleasure at the uncommon provision of USB power turns to annoyance as I realize, I left my charger and phone cord in the hotel room in my haste. Ah well, its a short flight.
Because of my luxurious boarding code I have a seat kind of towards the front of the plane, that affords nice views.
The Colorado river somewhere upstream of the Grand Canyon.
My neighbor was an adorable little lady who apparently likes Disney princesses, according to her headphones and plush toys. She was very cute and well behaved!
Back in green country, coming up on the airstrip.
A slight last rant...I very clearly marked my car as being next to B3 in this lot. I walk to B3 and my car is nowhere in sight. Mild panic buttressed by some cold logic ("who would steal that 12 year old base model Versa Neufeld seriously") ensued.
Then I realize...there is a second sign, further away, that also says B3. COME ON guys you have infinite numbers. Just increment them. B3, B4. Even B3.5 would work. Having two signs in two different spots with the same number is confusing.
Drove back on the MUCH less stressful highways of Kansas City to reunite with the family. A very fun, at times mildly stressful, and overall pretty packed daytrip for me...and an opportunity to be at what probably is a once in a lifetime concert. Bravo to Louis Cole!