The WRF and I walked down the stairs from the Pier to the beach – holding hands once again – and strolled on the sand looking for a spot to do our photo project with the glow sticks he was carrying in his backpack. The beach was surprisingly crowded for 10:30 on a Saturday night. There were people everywhere, and too much light because of it to effectively do the photo shoot, the WRF said. But not to fear.

The Walking Red Flag and I walked down Ocean Avenue holding hands, then down the steep ramp to the Pier and through the amusement park to the ticket booth. I saw on the sign that tickets for the Ferris wheel had gone up from five dollars to eight.

“What a rip-off,” I said, half jokingly, then added, “but it’s worth it.”

Although the Walking Red Flag had originally suggested the photo project on the beach with no mention of doing anything that cost money, and I’d asked about cocktails, he ended up with a $100-plus dinner tab. Like I said, I’d been running around all day and was hungry.

via Pacheco

Of all the salient advice Oprah has given, perhaps the very best is:
When someone tells you who they are, believe them.

When I asked my potential Superman where we should meet for cocktails pre-photo project, he suggested Big Dean’s, a horrible frat-like bar on the boardwalk right by the Santa Monica Pier. He said he’d never been there and wanted to try it. I told him it was a rather Delta-house atmosphere and as much as I love Animal House, I suggested we try somewhere else. He then suggested Bar Pintxo, a cute Basque wine bar off the 3rd Street Promenade, a much nicer choice.