I knew I was headed somewhere special when Heather and I hit the intersection of Mission Bay Drive and Mission Boulevard. The brilliant neon of Mr. Ruriberto’s Taco Shop ahead of us, the tragically COVID-deserted Giant Dipper wooden coaster at Belmont Park across the street, and the beginnings of one of the most magnificent sunsets this jaded, inner-city Chicago guy had ever seen right in front of me. Heather is a native Californian and has forgotten more of these then I’ll ever see. Yet, there’s something palpable about dusk on a Friday in a beach town starved for freedom after living in fear for almost a year. “I know, right?”, she asked, after noticing me visibly shudder in excitement.
Less than five minutes later, we arrived at Simon’s. The dedicated, off-street parking right in front of our unit was a definite plus, given how scarce street parking can be when you’re literally 50 yards away from the beach.
Outside and in was epically charming and absolutely perfect for the two of us. Sparkling clean, with an exceedingly comfortable Murphy bed (with plenty of extra pillows, a blanket and linens stashed away in two spacious wardrobes), plenty of clean towels in a sanitized bathroom, great kitchen with everything you need to prep, cook and serve pretty much anything with modern, full-sized appliances (including TWO different kinds of coffee makers if you’re the percolator type).
Multiple 5G WiFi networks and a Smart TV made sure we didn’t want for lack of connectivity or entertainment when it got a little too chilly to surf.
However, where Simon really earned rockstar status was our very first night when the entire building lost electricity about four hours after we checked in. He responded immediately, and had the lights back on inside of 90 minutes, but not before Heather and I decided to order Grubhub, which resulted in the two of us enjoying the best spicy fried chicken (and romantic meal) we’ve ever had in the dark by the light of our phones (my apologies for any grease stains left on the comforter).
Assuming Simon’s review of me doesn’t result in my being banned by AirBnB, I cannot wait to get back out there in May. I promise if we order from Southern Comfort Kitchen again, we’ll eat it at the breakfast nook.
Thanks so much for a wonderful weekend!
E & H
PS - Try Luigi’s at the Beach. Best and biggest pizza slices west of the Hudson River.