Martha's 22nd Street Grill with John

For the last couple of months I have been, for all intents and purposes, penpals with John Faries, a man I met at my friends, Elan and Dennis's wedding. John was a groomsman, I a bridesmaid. He was very friendly with me at the rehearsal dinner, wanting to talk about California since he is a native and admitted to me later that he missed it.

John comes to California on a regular basis because the main office of his work is in South Orange County, so I suggested we meet up when he was in town.

We ended up going to Martha's 22nd Street Grill in Hermosa Beach. I had heard great things about it, but never had a chance to go. When we first arrived, it was overcast, but we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that the sky was clear once we were finished with lunch.

We ended up walking to Manhattan Beach pier. We stepped briefly in the aquarium that is located at the end of the pier.
On our trip back to Hermosa Beach pier, we stopped at a pair of houses that both John and I thought were nice: one had a cabin-like feel, and the other was a Mediterranean style. Here we are next to the Mediterranean style house. It was beautifully landscaped.

John and I had such a wonderful time! He is so easy to talk to! I invited him to dinner at my place where we ate baked ziti and salad. For a late dessert we had pecan praline ice cream, which happens to be our favorite flavor! :) I'm hoping to see John once again before he goes back to Ohio.