Clifton's Cafeteria - Originally Published 2010

Clifford Clinton was a bold man.  How bold?  First, he opened a business that catered to the everyman in the middle of the Great Depression.  Second, he took on the mayor of Los Angeles, the LA Times, and the LAPD.  That little disagreement got so heated that the LAPD set a bomb off in his Los Feliz home.  Needless to say, he was undeterred and as a result, he changed the power and scope of LA politics.  If you want more on that, follow this link.

Clifton’s is like a moment frozen in time.  This is a place that serves the stick-to-your-ribs kind of food that the shuffling masses in the last century yearned for.  Clifton’s specializes in the dense fair that our grandmothers told us would make us grow big and strong. 

The Clinton family has hung in there at the same location with the same menu for over seventy years.

The food is just one thing that sets Clifton’s apart from the rest.  The décor is another reason to show up.  The three-floored cafeteria is set up to look like a cabin, complete with real wood paneling, fishing bears, and a running stream.  There is also a chapel for those that are weary in spirit.

Stop into Clifton’s and get a piece of pie and some coffee.   It should be on everyone’s to-do list the next time you’re in downtown LA.

Kennedy Space Center - Originally Published 2009

Do you remember when you were a kid and there was that one rich kid who lived on your street?  I remember him.  He was kind of a turd, but I would go over his house anyway.  Why would I waste my precious time hanging out with a turd?  Because he had all of the best toys.  I suppose that makes me a turd as well.

He would sit in his room and tell me he was bored.  Bored?! How could he be bored?! Stacked in his closet were all the best games:  Ants in the Pants, Mr. Mouth, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Don’t Tip the Waiter.  “Let’s play a game,” I’d suggest.  “Nah, they’re all boring,” he’d retort.

Then, I’d go down the list.  “Let’s play Operation.”  “No.”  “Let’s play Trouble.” “No.”  “Let’s play Sorry.” “No.”  This would go on the better part of the afternoon.  Finally, I’d get frustrated and ride my Schwinn home.

Are you picking up what I’m putting down?  I think that we in America have become like that rich kid.  We have gotten really apathetic about the space program.  You doubt me?  Name our space shuttle.  Can you name an astronaut that has been part of a mission in the last ten years?

The space program is a victim of its own success.  I remember drinking Tang when I was a kid.  Why?  Because that’s the drink the astronauts took to the moon.  What do the astronauts drink in the International Space Station?  I don’t know.  I couldn’t tell you.

Keep in mind; it’s not for lack of nerdiness in America.  Look at the recent release of the iPad by Apple.  People are still discussing it.  All it is a really big iTouch.  My suggestion is that NASA needs to hire Apple’s PR team.  There are droves of uninformed nerds in America that are dying to get excited about something.  Pay the right team and connect with them, NASA.