James' Burbank Adventure

Since I'm not working at the moment, I thought it would be a good chance to visit my family in the Bay Area for a few days. Especially when I heard that Southwest was offering a special — $49 fares each way to/from any airport in California that Southwest serves. Well ... any airport except Orange County.


Bob's Big Boy — a SoCal tradition since 1949. (09/14/2005)

That leaves me with the option of flying out of Ontario, LAX or the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Since our friends Tom and Christine live in Burbank, I chose that one, since they can not only drop me off and pick me up, but also watch the car while I was gone, thus avoiding parking fees.


Three big boys ... although one pretends not to be by hiding behind. (09/14/2005)

So the night before my flight, I drove up and met them for dinner at Bob's Big Boy, which is kind of a landmark restaurant. Best of all, it's only a couple of blocks away from their apartment.


James before digging into his original double deck hamburger. (09/14/2005)

Built in 1949, this is the oldest remaining Bob's Big Boy in America. It was designed by respected architect Wayne McAllister, incorporating the 1940s transitional design of streamline modern style, while anticipating the freeform '50s coffee shop architecture. In 1993, the restaurant received the designation as a "State Point of Historical Interest" by the state of California.


Christine enjoys her turkey sandwich. (09/14/2005).

Bob's is also one of the only places that still has "Car Hop" service, which is available on Saturday and Sunday nights. Tom wanted me to add that it was also where David Lynch had lunch every day while writing the screenplay Blue Velvet.


Tom practically makes love to his fried chicken. (09/14/2005)

After enjoying our healthy Bob's Big Boy meals, we got an equally healthy and nutritious dessert: donuts at Krispy Kreme. If you're going to eat greasy food, why stop at just dinner?


Nothing like a late-night run to Krispy Kreme. (09/14/2005)

The next morning I treated Tom to breakfast at McDonald's ... apparently a tradition that all the people who take him to the airport must abide by. It was actually a really nice McDonald's, complete with a patio with cypress trees and wrought iron accents.


I bought Tom breakfast at his newly remodeled McDonald's. (09/15/2005)

So let's give three cheers to Bob's Big Boy, Krispy Kreme and McDonald's!