“Woke up this morning
in the city of Angels.” 
Thirty Seconds to Mars Band

Although I never saw the 1987 movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and John Candy, there’s something catchy about the title. I thought about it this morning as I considered what to write about in my blog today. When I’m home, my car and CalTrain are common modes of transportation for me. This weekend, we relied on Alaska Airlines to get around.

Kathy and I did, indeed, wake up in the city of Angels this morning. We jumped on a 6:16 a.m. flight from San José to LAX yesterday morning, then took a short ten-minute taxi ride up the hill to the campus of Loyola-Marymount University. My brother, Tom, lives and works at LMU. He organized an orientation meeting for those who will be joining him, and Fr. Randy Roche, S.J., for a two-week pilgrimage in September. They will visit a number of sites related to the life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order, in Spain and Rome. Kathy will be participating in this journey, so the gathering provided the opportunity for her to meet some of the other travelers. 

When Kathy told me about the meeting, I suggested that we go together. While she was getting updated on the details of the pilgrimage, I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with a friend who lives in Long Beach. Angellie picked me up on campus at 12:30. We headed down to LaPlaya, a short ten-minute drive from LMU, where we enjoyed a delightful meal at Playa Provisions. After lunch, we walked along the Ballora Creek Bike Path at Toes Beach. Given that it was a Saturday afternoon, there were many beachgoers enjoying the sun and playing volleyball on the sandy beach. Others were riding bikes, jogging, or walking, many with dogs, along the bike path. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the afternoon. 

Angellie and I then joined Kathy and the pilgrimage group for Mass in the chapel of the Jesuit residence at LMU. 

After Mass, Kathy, Tom, and I took a relaxing one-mile walk down to the Manchester Restaurant for dinner. When I think about the calories I consumed at lunch and dinner, I’m not sure that the 17,000 steps I took yesterday compensated sufficiently for the overindulgence. No regrets, though. Both lunch and dinner were thoroughly enjoyable.

When we arrived back on the LMU campus, we were treated to the sunset pictured above. The view from the bluff at Loyola-Marymount is spectacular and our timing could not have been better. There was a window of only about two minutes for me to take this photo before the sun set. 

Kathy and I will return to San José later today. It was a quick trip, but one that was both enriching and enjoyable for both of us.