Our Friday Night at the Corvette Diner

Recently, on a Friday evening, my daughter called and asked if I'd like to join her family for dinner.  They wanted to surprise the children so they took a circuitous route to get to the restaurant.  The children were unfamiliar with the route, but as the car got nearer, my granddaughter recognized the location.  My grandson didn't catch on until they were in the parking lot.  He was so excited to be at the Corvette Diner, he literally jumped up and down with a big smile on his face.

The Corvette Diner is located on the former Marine Corps property at Point Loma in San Diego.  When we entered, we were seated immediately in the 'diner' section.   The decor reminds you of a diner of yesteryear.  Each table has a window that displays snippets of movies and popular TV shows of the 1950's, like Lucy and Desi and Leave it to Beaver.  The movies shown were scenes of "Sabrina" with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, and another of Fred Astaire dancing.  This is a great way to keep the customers happy while waiting for service.  It's also a great walk down 'memory lane.'

The waitresses wear poodle skirts that were popular in the 1950's.  Both male and female servers participate in a dance routine, performed several times a night.  A man who creates figures from balloons made the animal selected by my grandson.  So, as you can imagine, you never get bored waiting for your food.  Everyone enjoyed their meal and the atmosphere.

This is a restaurant well worth the visit.  Please keep in mind that on the night we went there was no waiting.  However, on other nights we have had to wait for a table.  I encourage you to check out the Corvette Diner.

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A 5 Year Old's Birthday Weekend

On December 1, my youngest grandson turned 5.  That evening, his mother and father took him and his sister to the Corvette Diner in San Diego.  They had a wonderful time.  He played games and ate dinner in the Neon room.  There, if you place your hand on the table and then pick it up, a neon imprint of your hand is left on the table.  Cool.  Then, as he was eating his ice cream, he heard an announcement wishing him, by name, "Happy Birthday."  He was so excited.  After that, the wait staff came over and sang to him.  All this, together with a pirate hat made of balloons, made for a memorable birthday. 

On Friday, his kindergarten class celebrated with Rice Krispy Treats (his choice).  On Saturday, he had a "friends" party.  It was an old-fashioned ice cream and cupcake party (no bouncy house, no crafts, no clowns, no pony).  The ice cream was served in prepackaged cups from Smart and Final, the type that was sold with wooden spoons....popular years ago.  Seven friends attended and had fun running around the yard, playing with simple balsa planes and other toys, as well as writing on the patio cement with chalk.  The children had a simply wonderful time.

Sunday was the "family" party.  It was somewhat of a replay of Saturday except that the family stayed for dinner. After cupcakes and ice cream, the six children sat on the living room floor as the birthday boy opened his gifts.  It is always funny to see little children so interested in the gifts that they inch up closer and closer until they are surrounding the birthday child.  Then, someone takes initiative and tells the children to give the honoree space, which they do.  Their demeanor was very polite.  Then, little by little, they again slowly inch up closer to the child opening the birthday gifts.  It is cute to watch.

This past weekend will stay in the birthday boy's memory for quite some time, considering how many times he celebrated.  As for me, I will center on how much fun a simple old-fashioned birthday party can be.

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Busy Busy Weekend

Since my teenage New York grandchildren were visiting San Diego, our weekend activities (usually with everyone going his or her own way) accelerated.

On Thursday, they went with their uncle and cousins to Nickel City. All the games cost one nickel (5 cents). The younger grandchildren always enjoy going there. The teens told me that they enjoyed it as well. Then, following dinner, the family was off to Corvette Diner for dessert. My teenage granddaughter said that it was now her favorite diner. My teenage grandson had a hat made of balloons, as did the younger grandchildren. There is quite a variety of shakes and ice cream desserts from which to make your selection. The choices at our table ranged from shakes to a large banana split. After that, they went to the midnight showing of the new Harry Potter movies. Hear tell....they went to the Studio Diner in Kearny Mesa and got home around 4:30am. They probably slept all day Friday.

We met them again on Saturday in the Gaslamp Quarter of Downtown San Diego. Lunch was at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza on Fourth Avenue. The family enjoyed a great salad and several different kinds of pizza. Since I am on a protein diet, I ordered Kobe Beef Hamburgers without the rolls. They were the size of "sliders". They were very tasty and served exactly as I requested with no roll or sauce, etc. However, I didn't realize that Kobe beef has a higher fat content than regular beef. It still tasted delicious without any sauce or accoutrement's. After lunch, the teenagers toured the area with their Cardiff aunt and uncle.

On Sunday, we all went to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. It was a pleasant experience for me since I've never accompanied the family to the beach before. After three hours of playing in the sand and surf, a restful lunch was in order. Later in the day, my grandson took my two granddaughters and myself to the Delmar Golf Center to use the driving range. He told me early in his visit to San Diego that he was taking me there. My grandson is a member of his high school's Varsity golf team. On Sunday, I saw how promising my granddaughters, both the 14 year old and the eight year old, were as golfers. For someone who never hit a golf ball, the teenager did very well, as did the eight year old. After we repeatedly complemented her, my teenage granddaughter called her father in New York and asked for golf lessons.

That evening, we had to say farewell to my New York grandchildren. We all enjoyed their visit. Perhaps they will come again....maybe to attend college.

This afternoon, as my daughter and I did an errand, we decided to go out to diner. As discussion ensued, I suggested Filippi's in Pacific Beach on Garnet Avenue. I could feel the lasagna calling me, even though I didn't get that. The food at Filippi's is great and we especially like the atmosphere at the Pacific Beach restaurant. After the children enjoyed their ice cream, we decided to go to the beach (three or four blocks away).

We found a parking spot about a block away and walked the beach. Actually, the grandchildren gleefully ran and jumped up the beach. As the sun went down, we stopped to see a man having a little show on the beach. His talent was juggling fire torches as well as balancing them as he stood on a ladder (unsupported) on a small 4' by 4' platform in the sand.

As we walked back to the car we all agreed that sometimes "spontaneous" outings can be quite enjoyable.

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Corvette Diner

On Sunday, my friend, Marge, took my daughter, her young children and myself to San Diego’s Corvette Diner for lunch. Actually, it’s much more than lunch. It is a trip back to the 50’s. With the music, décor and personnel endeavoring to show you a good time, it is a great reminder of the “way it was.” The children really enjoyed the dancing waitresses, balloon characters made to their specifications, and, of course, the good food.

The menu brings back memories as well. I had “the Big Cheez” (grilled cheese on sourdough garlic toast with tomato)….delicious, although I ordered it without the tomato. It reminded me of when I started working in New York City at age 15. I went to a sandwich shop daily with some co-workers where this sandwich with the tomato was my lunch of choice when I didn't order a hamburger. I always ordered a chocolate Egg Cream, which I also did on Sunday. Corvette’s offers many items with interesting names, such as hamburger dishes called the “Brenda”, “Rory” and “Dee Dee” and “Hubcap Sliders” (mini-hamburgers).

Of course, no meal would be complete without a little ice cream, or a big Banana Split, which some of us enjoyed immensely.

I definitely recommend the Corvette Diner for a great fun experience as well as good food. It is a great way to take a trip down memory lane.

Thanks to Marge for a truly enjoyable time.