Lunch at Encounter

One of the best surprises of the Superhero Summit was the fact that Doris and Jen, our friends from Santa Cruz, were able to come down for the party. We always enjoy having them over, and were pleasantly surprised when they said they’d come.


Encounter Restaurant at LAX. (09/24/06)

Of course the only drawback was that they weren’t able to stay very long. In fact, they only stayed the one night. The next day they were flying back out — Doris to Hawaii for a work-related trip and Jen back home to the Bay Area. Since they were flying out of L.A. instead of Orange County, we decided to make a day out of it and have lunch at Encounter, the restaurant located inside the landmark Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport.


Encounter from an LAX overpass. (09/24/06)

The landmark Theme Building was built in 1961 to commemorate Los Angeles Airport’s expansion into the jet age. The restaurant, which provides a 360º view of the airport, is built beneath two intersecting arches that form the four legs. It was designated a cultural and historical monument in 1992 and was renovated with a Jetson’s like theme in 1997.


Doris and Jen outside Encounter. (09/24/06)

Tim and I had been there at least once before, and I had been there a couple of other times, but it was a long time ago. I’m pretty sure the last time was during a year that started with a “1”. And since Doris and Jen had never been there, we thought it would be worth re-visiting.


Tim and James inside Encounter. (09/24/06)

It was just okay. The previous times I had been there, it was always at night, when all the lights are on. In the daytime however, the place looked a little weathered, with scuff marks on the walls and broken bar stools. Service wasn’t all that fast and the food wasn’t all that good (at night, you usually just end up getting drinks and appetizers).


The view from inside. (09/24/06)

While there, we gave Jen her birthday present (her birthday was earlier in the month). We got her an iTunes gift card and the new Clay Aiken CD, which absolutely delighted her. The only thing that didn’t delight her was the fact that she ended up missing her flight, which turned out to be just the beginning of what has to be one of the longest travel days ever. Let’s just say that Doris nearly made it to Hawaii before Jen made it to San Jose, and that’s with Doris’ flight leaving two hours after the one Jen missed.


The landmark Theme Building was constructed in 1961. (09/24/06)

Hopefully that little incident won’t prevent them from coming to visit us again in the future!