Dancing in the Sheets....Dining in the Streets

New Orleans is in the early stages of "street eating" mainly because it is the middle of summer and the potential to melt on the sidewalk is pretty much a reality, but Los Angeles has mastered outdoor seating and with weather in the seventies, it actually works. We took a quick trip to Manhattan Beach and while the beaches are almost back to normal, the little beach town certainly has made some changes to survive in the era of Corona.

The most interesting new aspect of Manhattan Beach is the private security that has been engaged to ticket you if you do not wear a mask. The first level of fines is $100.00 and then escalate from there. A banner across Manhattan Beach Boulevard announces that mask wearing is mandatory so there should be no question how everything works. Yes, we wonder how you actually enforce the fine for non maskers, but since we wore ours, that is for someone else to discover.

To accommodate the "no dine inside" order, parking spaces adjacent to establishments have been rented, and table,chairs, and planter boxes have been set up to create new outdoor environments. Of course it is California so dining in the street has its moments because the passing eye candy is fun to gaze at. Make sure you have sunglasses on making it is a little less obvious where your attention is turned.

Simmzy's was our first stop and with reservations now available, we were able to get a table, because this is one of the most popular spots on the Boulevard. Simmzy's has an extensive local craft beer list as well as fanciful sangrias to suit anyone's taste. The staff is youthful and fun which keeps the beach vibe alive.

Later that evening, we were off to Post. Tables were clearly set in the street which made for interesting eating as headlights from cars illuminated. Along with great food, creative cocktails featuring fancy fresh fruit like Kiwi balanced out the dinner and of course despite Covid, sharing was in order. Of course there is great indoor space too but it is only a walk through to the restrooms until dining orders change.

North was our last stop in the dine around. North is part of a mainly west coast chain but each restaurant is unique to the area is services. This North had Italian fair which matched well with cocktails and a fine wine selection. Another beautiful interior space with no tables since alas, you must dine outside.

And finally, what would be a trip to the west Coast without the standard beach scenes. The Strand, better known as "the path along the beach that frames really rich people's homes that have too much money so they rip down the old houses and build fancier new ones", is full of joggers, walkers, and bikers which you must cross to get to the Pacific. Social distancing is somewhat a myth at the beach but it is good to see some level of normalcy and get sand between your toes.