Today was a travel day. We left Dallas en route to Chicago for our next baseball game. We had to get up very early and in spite of that, I did not hear one complaint from Charlie. I expected him to fall asleep in the car but much to my surprise he was very vocal and inquisitive.
Charlie seemed to be a non-stop source of questions. Patrice and I were struggling to figure out how to get to DFW airport but these jewels emanated from the back seat.
“If you were going two miles an hour on the highway, would you get pulled over?”
“If you are in the middle of nowhere and there aren’t any signs, can you park there?”
“Would you rather it be daylight all the time or nighttime?”
The questions continued throughout the day:
“If you were under UV light would you get sunburned?”
“How hard do you think it is to be a publisher?”
“Is there any other way to get oxygen except for trees and plants?”
“Do you think sitting behind the world’s tallest person at a play would be annoying?”
“Grandma, what is it like being married to an incredibly handsome, smart, and funny man like Grandpa?” Okay, okay, I made up that one.
But my all-time favorite occurred just before he got ready for bed, “Do you think there are more wheels or doors in the world?” I am still trying to figure out how he came up with that thought.
By the way, Charlie informed us that he plans to be a Major League Baseball player someday. We asked what Plan B was and he said there isn’t a Plan B.
Our flight today from Dallas was uneventful (I consider that a good thing). On arrival at O’Hare Airport, I saw a sign that made me certain that the head of airport security had a 10-year-old in their family. See below.
Logic that has to have a 10-year-old lurking somewhere.
There was this sighting of a future MLB Hall of Famer:
This morning we were greeted at our hotel by the celebrity I spoke about yesterday. No, it wasn’t Dusty Baker like yesterday but rather someone much more special. It was Uncle Marc who is Charlie’s mom’s younger brother. Marc has relocated to Texas after living in LA for a while. I really miss him because he has a great laugh and he kindly laughs at all my jokes. [Patrice here, Marc is a dear person but does he really have to encourage Robert by laughing at all his dumb jokes?].
Today was a baseball day and Marc volunteered to be our chauffeur. We went to see the Houston Astros play the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. The count is now 20 stadiums down with just 10 more to go.
Patrice, Uncle Marc, Charlie and me, waiting for the game to start.
The stadium is beautiful and the fans were great. Charlie did have a question. See below.
Charlie wanted to know why Santa Claus was singing the National Anthem.
It was a great game with the Astros winning 5-3. We had 4 Astros fans sitting in front of us. One was a gentleman who said he flew up from Houston the others were his 3 female friends who drove up for the game. They were wild. They got excited any time the Astros did anything good but the special moment was every time second baseman, Jose Altuve came to bat. They would go crazy and sing the refrain from the Ricky Martin song “La Copa de la Vida” which you might know is “Ole, Ole, Ole” but instead of Ole, they would sing “Jose, Jose, Jose”.
La Copa De La Vida (The Cup of the Life) by Ricky Martin. OLE, OLE, OLE
In the 9th inning, Altuve hit a solo home run and I thought they were going to tear the stadium down. They were jumping up and down and screaming. I finally thought I should video but by then they had calmed down a bit. I did manage to get a picture of one of their shirts. See below.,
So clever, don’t you think? But wouldn’t that be better placed lower down on the body?
After the game, Marc drove us back to the hotel and we arrived at the same time as the Astro bus. Lucky for me the team has a private entrance and enter the hotel at a different location thus avoiding my having to deal with Super-Grandma again.
Tomorrow is travel day. We head to Chicago where will see the White Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays.
Those of you who are familiar with John Steinbeck might have read his book “Travels With Charley”. In it, the author describes a road trip he took in a van with his faithful dog, Charley. Steinbeck was ill with heart disease at the time (he shouldn’t have been a life-long smoker!) but completed the trip and wrote a very famous book about his trip around the USA. Well, this will not be a trip around the USA and we won’t be with our dog. No, our travel buddy for this trip will be our grandson, Charlie. Followers of this blog might recall we took our oldest grandson on trips to Canada and Panama. Now it’s grandson #2’s turn. Charlie was put on this Earth for his grandpa. Unlike any other Reiss, Charlie is a baseball fan just like his grandpa. With that in mind what better trip than to visit some more baseball parks. My current count is 19 down with 11 more to go in order to complete my quest to see a baseball game in every MLB park.
Today we left for Dallas with plans to see the Astros vs. the Rangers on Sunday. Those of you who follow the news are aware that our planning hasn’t been the best. Texas is currently suffering a horrendous heat wave. The expected high in Dallas today is 97 degrees. That’s down from 102 a few days ago.
Our flight here was uneventful as was the trip to the hotel. The hotel is amazing and it happens to be the same hotel where the Astros are staying. Grandma Patrice wanted to hang out in the lobby hoping to see one of the Astro players and get an autograph or two for Charlie. The thought of that made me sweat thinking how embarrassed I would be. I couldn’t let them venture out without me so I took a deep breath and headed downstairs. I was much relieved when I didn’t see any players around. Patrice asked various employees about when the Astros would return from the stadium, how can we find one or two, etc. To say I was uncomfortable is a major understatement. Lucky for me the hotel employees were, hmmmm, how do you say it…………. yes, professional. They wouldn’t even admit the Astros stayed at the hotel which convinced Patrice to give up her search.
With our Astro hunt coming to an end we decided to venture out to look at the town. We first took a trolley but then got off and walked around. Patrice was loving the warm night air while I was thinking about calling for paramedics. Upon returning to the hotel I spotted the Astros manager Dusty Baker. I whispered to Patrice, “I see the Astros manager”. Immediately she went into Grandma-Mode, “Where is he, where is he?”. We had passed the group and I told her “The guy in the flowery shirt is Dusty Baker”. She took Charlie and off they went while I looked for a hole to climb into. I was within earshot and could tell that Dusty was being quite nice to the duo. I grabbed a picture and then approached the group. Patrice introduced me (she and Dusty were pals by then) and she then asked Dusty, “What do you do with the team?” WHERE’S THAT HOLE?
Tomorrow we will see the Astros and their manager, (Good old what’s his name). We will have another celebrity joining us for the game and he will be our chauffeur. You will have to wait until tomorrow to see the celebrity but hopefully, a picture of Dusty will hold you for now. See below.
Super-Grandma, Charlie, and Dusty BakerA boy who loves his grandma.
We got up early this morning to fly home. Patrice is a real sport. Not only did she accompany me on this trip so I could learn about tattoo removal and see a baseball game but she was willing to get up at an obscene hour to head home. As usual, I like to use my last post to show some unusual sights that I saw during the trip. This was a short journey so not a lot of photos.
I thought we went to Tampa, Florida? Looks like we are still in Los Angeles.And I thought WOMEN was plural?This was a sign we saw at a flea market at the St. Petersburg Pier. Isn’t all psoriasis handmade, locally?
But this last one has to be my favorite. On my way to the tattoo removal clinic, my Apple Maps instructed me as I exited the freeway, “Make a left turn at the next signal”.
Luckily I wasn’t sleep deprived and fail to realize that a left onto this one-way street would not be a good choice.
Enough for now, I need to get to work so I can pay for our next vacation.
Today it was back to spend some time with Loretta at Erasable Med Spa [4144 N Armenia Ave # 250, Tampa, FL 33607]. I got some more pearls from Loretta and her assistant Laura. This should make my work at Homeboy so much better and I am really excited to get back to my tattoo removal gig. They do all sorts of other treatments at the spa including “Cool Sculpting” (using cold to rid you of your fat), “True Sculp ID” (using heat to rid you of your fat), “True Sculp Flex” (get increased abdominal muscles letting the machine do your sit-ups for you), Avi Clear (for acne), weight reduction (using Ozempic), laser facials, and botox. Hmmm, should I leave UCLA and open a clinic? That is not going to happen but it was an intense two days of learning about tattoo removal here at the Erasable Med Spa. Look below to see with whom I spent the majority of the last two days working.
From left to right: Laura, Loretta, Me, Kyler, Liz, Jessica, and in the foreground, Ashley. It was a tough two days having to be around these women but you know I am so dedicated to Homeboy I just had to do it. Did someone ask about Patrice? Patrice who?
After spending all day with these ladies it was time to go back to my beautiful wife (quick recovery, no?) and do what we do best………….. GO TO DINNER!
We planned to have dinner at the hotel restaurant called Cane and Barrel. This didn’t sound too exciting but if nothing else it was convenient. Since we are scheduled to leave Tampa at 7:25 AM a late night out was just not what the doctor ordered. When we arrived we realized it was more of a bar scene than a restaurant so we decided to take a walk and see if we could find something more appealing. I told Patrice, “It’s good to get out and stretch our legs. Let’s explore the neighborhood!” After one block I had walked enough and we decided to eat at Oak and Stone, a self-proclaimed provider of “Artisan Pizza”. But the real draw to this place was the beer. They offered 48 different beers. You know what a connoisseur of beer I am (NOT) but you have to appreciate the look. See below.
48 different beers. Help yourself.
Here are my favorites.
Funky Buddha: For those who enjoy hip hop while they meditate. Eat My Schwarz: For those, who are stuck in the 70s and studied German in school.
And finally for our golfers
Otter Palmer: Yes, the sea animal who changed golf forever.
Instead of any of these, I had my usual favorite, Dihydrogen Oxygen.
We have an early flight to catch, so see you tomorrow.
Today I got off to an early start because I needed to be in Tampa by 9 AM and I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going nor was I sure of the traffic situation. When we drove there last night for dinner, traffic was crazy (not LA crazy but still quite heavy) and I didn’t want to be late today. So I got straight out of bed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Patrice was still sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb her so I silently slipped out the door and was on my way.
The breakfast buffet was excellent and I had a very luscious meal but I noticed everyone was looking at me in a very strange manner. Did I have ketchup on my chin? I knew that couldn’t be the case since I didn’t eat any ketchup. Did I forget to put on my pants? A quick look confirmed that I was completely clothed. The situation remained a mystery as I finished my meal and started back upstairs. I quietly entered the room since Patrice was still asleep. I slipped into the bathroom to get ready to leave and was greeted by this guy.
No wonder people were looking at me in a strange manner.
The reason I was in a hurry was that I didn’t want to be late for my visit to Loretta Zanetti at her Erasable Inc Med Spa. I met Loretta last year at a meeting in Los Angeles and reconnected when she agreed to give a webinar on tattoo removal for my friends at Homeboy Industries. As I mentioned on Day #1 of this trip I have been volunteering at Homeboy removing tattoos. When I met Loretta it was clear she is an expert in this area and I wanted to learn as much as I could from her. I asked if I could shadow her for a couple of days and she agreed.
I arrived on time at Loretta’s workplace, Erasable Inc [https://erasablemedspa.com/]. The office is beautiful and I spent the day watching Loretta and her staff treat a number of patients. Between patients Loretta and her assistant gave me things to read, showed me some of their cases, and consulted on some of my problem patients. It was the most productive hours I have had learning this new skill. The best part is that I get to go back again tomorrow.
At night it was finally time for baseball. I was all set to watch the Astros end the Tampa Bay Rays 13 game home winning streak. Unfortunately, the Rays had other ideas and are now 14-0 at home this season. Apparently, the citizens of this community haven’t gotten the message because the attendance was less than 11, 000. I would be willing to bet the Dodgers had more fans show up tonight and they didn’t even have a game scheduled. At the game, we were accompanied by our friends Zara and Chuck from Jupiter, Florida, and Loretta’s husband, Mike. Loretta is not what you would call a baseball fan. Mike on the other hand makes me look like a baseball no-nothing. Luckily he is young so I could spout out some information about little-known players from before he was born. It was great sitting next to a baseball fan since it is rare for me to find one. Apparently, they are very rare in Tampa Bay.
One of our grandsons is collecting small bats from MLB teams and we got him one from the Rays tonight. I find it interesting that they put you through a metal detector and won’t let you bring an opaque bag into the stadium in order to prevent anyone from bringing in a weapon. But once you are in the stadium they are willing to sell you a bat. Hmmm, not sure of the logic.
Okay, I am not going to knock in any runs with this thing but I could certainly bash in a few heads.
No head-bashing for me. Instead, it is back to Erasable Inc Med Spa for more education.
The 3-hour time difference hit us hard this morning as we crawled out of bed in order to go to the nearby Dalí Museum. The museum and its bistro were recommended by our friend Loretta and neither disappointed us.
After arriving at the Dalí Museum we went straight to the bistro named Gala (Dali’s wife’s first name) for our breakfast/lunch. The place had a Spanish Tapas ambience so we had a Tortilla Española and Melon Salmorejo with Burrata. The latter dish was described as “Spain’s most popular sopa” (soup). That’s very interesting because I have been to Spain numerous times and never heard of the dish. I messaged our daughter, Erica, who lives in Madrid and she told me that she has seen Salmorejo with watermelon or tomato but never with canteloupe as sold at the bistro. So much for truth in advertising. Whether or not it is the most popular sopa in Spain or not, it was very popular with us. The Tortilla Española was a different story. It was good but didn’t measure up to my standards. My Spanish “Father”, Juan Carlos, makes the best version of this dish and I will accept nothing less.
Melon Salmorejo with Burrata: Its popularity in Spain might have been overstated but it was popular with us which is more important.Tortilla Española: It was good but if Juan Carlos had made it, he would have apologized.
After our breakfast/lunch, we went to the information desk and spoke to a volunteer named Annette who told me what to do. It made me feel right at home since I have an older sister, Annette, who has been telling me what to do since I was a little boy. So, obediently, we headed to the tour, given by a volunteer docent. She was very amiable but seemed a little loose with the facts, frequently making errors about his age when he painted a portrait (how can you get that wrong when the date is on the painting right in front of you?). In addition, Patrice kept cringing every time the docent mentioned the artist’s name calling him Dally (as in dilly dally) rather than “Da Lee” (with the accent on the Lee).
The museum has an incredible collection of Dalí (that’s Da Lee, not Dally) masterpieces and many works by other artists. We saw paintings by Picasso, Magritte, and Jackson Pollack. The patio was lovely and you can sit there while you enjoy your food from the bistro.
Relaxing outside next to a remant from “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dalí.
We had a great time in the museum and we recommend you go there if you are nearby. On exhibit, we were able to see one of the two versions of “Lincoln in Dalivision” (the other being a larger version at the Dalí museum in Figueres, Spain). I know you have seen this picture. Up close it is a myriad of photos and pixels but from a distance, it is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln. An interesting phenomena was pointed out by our guide. She said that if you look at the picture with your eye at a relatively close distance you see the various pixels but if you look from the same distance with your phone’s camera you see the Lincoln image (see below)
When I viewed this with my camera I saw Lincoln but here you see the details instead. This is a very impressive piece of art and worth the trip to see it.
After the museum, we walked around the town and ventured down to the Pier. There, we saw a variety of street vendors and performers. We saw a young person selling shirts with clever sayings on them. She told us she designed this shirt after the Supreme Court reversed Roe vs Wade.
She said this was one of her most popular sellers.
For dinner tonight we met up with our friends Zara and Chuck from Jupiter, Florida. Long-time followers of the blog will recall that Zara and I had first met on the internet in the 1990’s when we communicated about our children with Crohn’s disease. We were each other’s therapists while our kids battled that awful disease. If you are interested in learning about Crohn’s go to this link https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/
Enough about horrible diseases let’s get back to food. Tonight we had dinner at Columbia (2117 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605), a Cuban restaurant in Tampa (our hotel is in nearby St. Peterburg). As much as we enjoyed the Library last night, the Columbia outdid it. The service was excellent, the food was outstanding, and the price was incredibly reasonable. I even had some sangria. Yes, I drank some alcohol.
Yes, Robert does occasionaly have a drink. This is White Sangria and it was muy sabrosa, oops, I mean very delicious.
Enough food for now, tomorrow is all about tattoo removal and baseball.
I have been asked repeatedly by followers of the blog, “When are you going on your next trip and where are you going?” Well as much as I like to just chill at home and play backgammon on my phone, I do feel an obligation to the readers of my blog. So today we headed to Tampa, Florida. The reason we are here will come later but first I have to tell you about our adventure getting to this lovely city. First, we were greeted this morning by the best Uber driver of all time. We didn’t even have to use the Uber app. Yes, my friend Mike was at our door at 8:55 AM as planned and took us promptly to LAX. He even had his car recently cleaned and supplied us with two water bottles in the back seat. Yes, he insisted on us both sitting in the back.
For this trip, we decided to travel via Delta instead of our usual carrier, American Airlines. We have been mistreated by American one time too many and decided to give Delta a try. I contacted Delta in advance and they agreed to give us high status on a trial basis but unfortunately not their premiere status that would have given us access to their lounge (one strike against Delta and one plus for American). We found all the employees to be very polite and helpful. The flight was smooth and we had the best meal ever on an air flight. I realize that isn’t saying much since I would venture to say I have never enjoyed a meal on an airplane and rarely take more than one or two bites. Since I wasn’t expecting much from the food, I didn’t bother to take any photos. My lunch included a very good Chicken Caesar salad (Patrice had the pasta). I also had fresh fruit that actually tasted fresh and like fruit. Finally, we were given a tasty chocolate chip cookie for dessert. This is a big plus for Delta over American.
Now for the reason for our trip. Those of you who know me are aware that for over two years I’ve spent Tuesday mornings, removing tattoos from the formerly incarcerated and former gang members at Homeboy Industries. In my attempts to get better at tattoo removal, I met a woman who has a thriving tattoo removal practice in Tampa and she agreed to let me shadow her to pick up some tips.
I know there are those of you saying “Robert is not going all the way to Tampa just to learn something about removing tattoos. I have to confess, you are right. As followers of the blog know we are on a quest to visit all 30 MLB ballparks (we have been to 18 so far). Now we get to add Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are one red-hot team, they are currently 18-3 and have not lost a single game at home. We will see them Monday night. But before baseball or tattoo removal we have the favorite topic of this blog. Yes ……… FOOD!
Tonight we had an incredible dinner at the Library. When Patrice asked if I wanted to go to the Library after our arrival in Tampa I thought she had lost her mind. I do enjoy my Men’s Book Group but Saturday night at a library did not sound very attractive. Well, I am very happy to report that this was my kind of library.
The Library [600 5th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701] is a high-end restaurant, located within the property of the Johns (not John) Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. The restaurant design is based on the George Peabody Library in Baltimore. Hopkins and Peabody donated the money required to build the hospital in St. Pete and thus the reason for the design of the restaurant.
The service at the Library was superb as was the food. Patrice and I ordered the same meal: Scallops with Grits and Brussel Sprouts (see below)
Reiss rule of dining: 1. Never order grits north of the Mason-Dixon line. These were spectacular.
The decor of the restaurant was very interesting, giving you the feel of being in a library. Well, not exactly, more like being in a library where is it too dark to read and there is a lot of alcohol being consumed. (See below).
Books and books on several walls throughout the restaurantDon’t try reading in this light.
To add one more touch of library motif see how they deliver the check.
Check brought to the table in a real book.
Now it is back to the hotel to chill and get ready for baseball and tattoo removal. Wait, tomorrow is Sunday and we aren’t doing either. I am sure my tour guide (Patrice) has something special in store for us.
Today was the start of a new chapter in the career of Robert Reiss, M.D. My loyal followers failed me miserably so it looks like I won’t be able to make blogging, a full-time career. I just asked them to each sign up 4,000 new followers. Since that time I have added a number of new followers but overall it is trending in the wrong direction. When I asked my devotees to add new members I was at 297. As of last night, that number dropped to 294. With that in mind, I will need to continue working as a doctor.
Today was my first day as a doctor at the UCLA Health office in Palos Verdes. After 43 years and 4 months working with the Westchester Medical Group, it was time to move on. UCLA offered me more hours and for less money. As Mario Puzo would say, “They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse”. With that in mind, I wanted to get off on the right foot. So I got up early and got dressed and ready for work. I wanted to look my very best so I asked Patrice to inspect my outfit and render an opinion. See below and let me know what you think.
Dressed with my stethoscope in place and all ready to head to the UCLA office.
Patrice inspected me and said “Absolutely not! Change into something else. Jeans are not acceptable!” Okay, okay, I changed the pants and took off the USC gear. I headed up the hill to my new digs. The drive was comfortable in spite of the rain. It did take me about 10 minutes longer than my previous commute to work. Although a longer distance the drive was very pleasant.
I was greeted by the staff and office manager and given a tour of the facility, I didn’t have any patients to see since today was only supposed to be a training day. I spent about 6 hours learning the electronic medical record used by UCLA. It is an amazing system with lots of capability. Unfortunately it will take a lot more time before I feel comfortable making my entries. In the meantime, hopefully no one will die of a misprint (old joke, but I still think it is funny. Okay, mildly humorous).
Star gazing was fun last night. We got to see Orion up close and a great view of Jupiter and 4 of its moons. We also saw something else but please don’t ask me for details but the two staff members who led the activity were going crazy when they got it in view. To me it looked like someone had just dropped a salt shaker and the top of the shaker came off spilling granules over a beautiful black tablecloth. Sorry, astronomy is not my thing and that is as specific as I can get. I will leave this area to my friends Samir and Ralph.
Today we had a long trip home. First, we left Atacama for Santiago arriving on time at about 4:00 pm. We then walked a significant distance to check in for our next flight only to find out that American only has evening flights out of Santiago today so they don’t have any staff until 6:00 pm. I managed to use the self-check-in machine to get our boarding passes but we still needed to wait to check our luggage. We finally got everything set. We are taking this flight on miles and luckily it gave us access to the lounge for the duration of the wait for our flight (8 hours total but just 5 since we made it to the lounge).
To sum up this trip I have to say I am a bit disappointed. I really loved Rapa Nui and am so glad we went there. Atacama was a bit of a disappointment most likely because so many people had told me such glowing things about the place it was bound to fall short. Being at altitude was also difficult for this old body. The hotel is at 8,000 feet and the locations of the various activities ranged from 11,000 to 14,000 feet. That part was not fun. Of course my biggest disappointment was not taking the trip in December 2020 to see the eclipse.
As usual, I will leave you with some interesting photos taken during the trip. They are only meant to amuse or at least be of some interest. Enjoy.
When traveling I always like to seek out local cuisine and hangouts. Dinner Menu: Before you freak out these prices are in Chilean pesos the conversion was 879 to 1 USD the last time I looked but it varies dramatically on a daily basis. In Rapa Nui they had lots of these signs saying that jumping is not allowed. Just kidding, these mean do not enter. My best guess is “No popcorn allowed”.Glossary of terms at the Hanga Roa information Center in Rapa Nui. Notice the 4th from the bottom. What does that have to do with ancient ruins?Apparently throwing paper AT toilets is a pastime that is very much discouraged by the government. I love this translation regarding shrimp.This was a film offered on our flight from Rapa Nui to Santiago. Do you think they are followers of my blog and read of my battle with the hormigas?I am sure you are all aware of Juan Valdez and his advertisements for Colombian coffee. It looks to me as if Juan might have had some issues with the Colombian cartel because he is currently operating a coffee shop at the Santiago airport.
Apparently they charge $50 USD for a 2 hour stay in the airport lounge. I guess some people try to get their money’s worth by drinking. See below.
No drinking alcohol from 3:00 AM to 10:00 AM. That has to be someone with a drinking problem or VERY scared of flying. I don’t go to McDonalds, but do they have this in LA? Order on a machine outside the restaurant (did I really call McDonalds a restaurant?). Tell them want you want, if you want to eat in or take out, pay at the machine, then go inside and collect your food. (Did I just refer to McDonalds as food?).
And finally, check out this video from the Santiago, Chile airport baggage claim area. I start by showing you the baggage carousels and then pan around to the other side where you can see planes at the gate. A very interesting setup.
I hope you enjoyed our vacation. Nothing planned for the near future but when we are on our way, we will invite you to join us.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 