GGB Los Angeles: To the Beach and Descanso Gardens

July’s Meetup: Time to catch up with what GGB Los Angeles has been up to since March! We’ve broken past the zoom meetups and have been exploring around Los Angeles again. GGBLA elected to meet every other month on a Saturday at various unique spots in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is an absolute metropolis rich with eateries and fun discoveries. Our personal goal has been to frequent and support small businesses. Recently, we decided to start pairing a brunch meetup with a follow up adventure.

Our last meetup was this past weekend at chill Long Beach. With the massive heat waves and general summer vibes, we thought a brunch and a harbor cruise would be a great way to spend a day. To keep it chill, we didn’t encourage any focused themes. Just casual and ocean themed. It’s just so LA, you know? For July’s brunch venue, we chose Meema‘s in Long Beach. If quaint, comfortable, and breezy is a vibe that you are aiming for in SoCal, then Meema’s has it in spades. From the first step inside, you are blanketed by the cozy blanket of nostalgia from the various decades. Shelves filled with kitschy and vintage kitchenware and records are sprinkled about. A television set with knobs plays various episodes of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and Sesame Street. The kind of ambience you would remember growing up in the 70’s and 80’s.

The customer service was superbly comfortable. The waitresses were efficient with handling our group and was completely friendly and funny at the same time. Meema’s cafe is small but it never felt stressed or crowded. It was the perfect atmosphere to get to know new brunchettes and catch up on all of the geek news. San Diego Comic Con had just happened so there was a lot of discussion on what had changed, and what didn’t work from those who attended. Our new brunchettes had not been to a comic convention yet (yet! That will so change!!) so it was great for con-goers to discuss their tips and advice. A good convention for newbies is WonderCon (usually happens around March) and Long Beach Comic Con (coming up in September). Both conventions are small but extremely accessible. Wondercon has the benefit of being in Anaheim and all of that Disneyland glory. Long Beach Comic Con is the best for families and just getting to know the con framework in a relaxed environment.

After brunch, we headed back to our cars for Harbor Cruise for the tour. Harbor Cruise offers 45 min tours of the Long Beach harbor for a low ticket price. We were looking forward to a leisure tour of the Queen Mary and possibly seals. We budgeted some time since the parking structure can be hectic (the structure also caters to the Aquarium of the Pacific and shopping area). There was plenty of time but we checked in a bit early only to find out….our boat tour had been canceled due to major technical difficulties. One bystander joked that the boat sank but we highly doubted it. From there the group split off into different directions. Plans are so easily be broken!

Brunch Location: Meema’s: 4276 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807 Website: https://meemas.net/ May’s Meetup May was a great meetup that brought absolute smiles. This was the first meetup where we decided to pair a brunch and an adventure. Also this may have fill the need for kitsch. Well, the theme for the month was an Alice in Wonderland inspired “Wonderland in May.” The brunch was held at the hidden town of Montrose at the Dish. The Dish has this great mountain cabin atmosphere with large thick wooden tables and a fireplace. Which you already know is really décor because who really needs a fireplace in SoCal? Just like the décor, the food was hearty and filling.

One of the iconic events in the Wonderland stories is Mad Hatter’s tea party. The party showcased a long table covered in various teapots and teacups. So, each of the brunchettes were asked to bring some tea to do a swap. Boy, they did not disappoint in the variety! Our group definitely takes their tea seriously.

It’s been a while since that brunch, and the current heatwave has melted some brain cells so what we spoke about is hazy. We did play a fun ice-breaker of 21 questions. Pro-tip: enunciate and shuffle the cards well. A mere short drive of ten minutes, and we were at Descanso Gardens. Just as Alice is introduced to Wonderland through the singing flowers, then we must go to the gardens too! Descanso Gardens is a hidden whimsical world of rose gardens, Japanese Gardens, and towering trees. Each area seemed like we were walking through the chapters of a book. The rose garden made us feel romantic and regal. It was fun to take photos within the wooden seating areas. The Japanese garden had us feeling cool and mystical. In between were spots of fantastic botanical specimens. The gardens were so vast, that the group did splinter to explore other parts. Before that, we did ride the little train that goes around. Until it derailed in the middle of a copse of trees. I’m starting to wonder about our misadventures now…

Brunch details: Dish Restaurant: 734 Foothill Blvd, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 Website: http://www.dishbld.com/ Our next meetup is still being decided but it will be occuring in September 2022. If you want to know more and join us, fill out the form at https://www.geekgirlbrunch.com/los-angeles-california/