A City With Soul

 

I am so taken with the city of Riverside California.  Denny and I spent the week there recently while he played in a Regional Duplicate Bridge Tournament.  He and his favorite partner from almost 30 years ago decided to play again after all these years.  I was thrilled that he was thinking about starting to play bridge again and most of all getting to see our friend from so long ago.

I was excited to go along because as anyone who has followed my blog knows, I love to travel.  It doesn’t matter where it is, I like to go.  I looked forward to walking around, shopping, relaxing and reading, and I looked forward to dinners out.  It’s really interesting what happened that week in Riverside and I’ve been looking forward to writing about it ever since.

On Monday, we checked into the Marriott, which is such a nice hotel. The staff was friendly and very interactive with the guests. The Convention Center was just across the courtyard from the hotel where they would be playing bridge, and the hotel has a wonderful poolside fire pit - perfect for an evening cocktail and cigar.

A lot of folks were checking in that day and Denny recognized a few of the people from years ago.  I remembered a few, not necessarily their names but knew I had seen them way back when. There was an energy that filled the lobby as the bridge players began to arrive.  It all seemed familiar and had a real sense of excitement about it.

I knew this was going to be a special week for sure. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it seemed like, well it seemed like someone was in the room.  I found myself looking closely at everyone, it was as though I was about to see someone I hadn’t seen in a long time and yet, I didn’t know these people like Denny did, and I didn’t play bridge but nonetheless there was this wonderful charge that just seemed to elevate how I felt.

Our friend Jon arrived, it was wonderful to see him. He and Denny seemed to pick up where they left off all those years ago, as though no time had passed.  We went out for dinner, they played bridge the next four days, and I enjoyed walking around the lovely downtown area. There was a real European feel with areas to sit outside with a cup of coffee in the morning, along with a beautiful Asian and Spanish flare. There were a lot of antique shops, restaurants, a used bookstore, and there was a jewelry store.

I did what I did in Ireland in September, I walked into a jewelry store and asked if they had any charm bracelets, I’ve been collecting charms along my travels and was now looking for a bracelet to put them on. He said “No, I don’t have any charm bracelets but you know, I do have this lovely bracelet over here, it’s from the 1920’s.” He put it on my wrist and I took it. Hey, I didn’t ask to see a bracelet from the 1920’s but he was obviously compelled to bring it to my attention so I’m thinking it was just one of those “meant to be” moments.

That night after the bridge game was over, we went out to eat and then walked around the classically historical Mission Inn Hotel.

The Mission Inn Hotel has been around since 1876 and occupies an entire city block in the heart of downtown Riverside.  I think we probably knew of it but for whatever reason, never went to see it.  It is a MUST. It’s gorgeous. You’ve heard the phrase “Timeless Beauty,” “Old world charm” well that is a perfect description of the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa. There are two high-end restaurants, "Duane’s Steaks and Seafood," and the "Mission Inn Restaurant and Spanish Patio."  We walked around as much as we thought we could and then the next day I found out we could have gone all the way to the top, so I did that on our last day.

Each day I felt more uplifted, every person I saw spoke to me, it was as though everyone was in a great mood. The shopkeepers had lots of time to visit. I told them  we had lived in Orange Co. for a long time before we moved to the Las Vegas area but I was just now discovering Riverside.

After about three days, feeling inspired as I did, I walked into a beauty salon. I walked up to the desk and made an appointment for the next day to have my hair cut. I’m thinking as exhilarated as I was feeling I certainly couldn’t go home with this old hair style. I knew it would be expensive in this upper end salon but it was O.K.

Every restaurant we ate at was good. We had steaks at “Mario’s Place” right across the street from the Mission Inn entrance, we also ate at “Bella Trattoria” and had a delicious chicken pinini with tomato basil soup.  "The Tamale Factory" was also good for lunch, not to mention the beer and wine was good everywhere.  We had catfish and red beans & rice at “Gram’s BBQ and Seafood,” and our last night was at "Sayaka Japanese Restaurant." We all three had Filet Mignon and Scallops cooked right there in front of us Teppan style.  Every restaurant is within walking distance from the hotel except for Sayaka.

Oh can’t forget "ProAbition," delicious burgers and fish and chips. Thanks to our good friends Ed and Emilie Kain for driving over to join us that night. The restaurant is modeled after the movie Chicago. A fun place, especially for us folks with Illinois roots.

 

 

Well the week came to an end and Denny and Jon had renewed an old friendship and agreed to play together again soon - On the final day at the tournament they finished in 2nd place out of more than 100 players. 

I felt good and looked great with my new haircut. I didn't look a whole lot different when we left from when we arrived but I was indeed changed.   As it turned out, that presence I felt as someone in the room, was perhaps an energy, an energy I obviously needed, and without a doubt I welcomed it with open arms.  

If you ever get the chance to go… Do.  I’m telling ya, there’s something about Riverside.