Does anyone remember Mel Tormé’s 1957 masterpiece operetta “California Suite”?

One of the early songs in the cycle is “La Jolla” and it begins with the line, La Jolla won’t annoy ya.

I feel so lucky to have grown up here. It was different when I was a kid: a sleepy beach town with lots of mom-and-pop storefronts and homey restaurants and dive bars. Today, downtown looks a lot like main street America (Starbucks, GAP, Victoria’s Secret etc.).

But the nature here is unbeatable: some of the best beaches and views in the state. And the food is great, too, with wonderfully fresh seafood and some of my favorite Mexican.

My adolescence was focused on getting away from this place to forge my own path. I wanted to live in LA and NYC and Europe and I did all those things. I’m glad I did.

Today, it’s wonderful to come back and share my La Jolla with Tracie and the girls. We have our family and so many great friends here and even the girls have made California friends.

On Wednesday, Tracie and I were in LA where I led a sold-out wine dinner at Rossoblu, one of my old haunts where I helped launched the wine program. We had a blast and it was great to see so many colleagues and old friends. We even got a little alone time in because the girls did an overnight at friends’ in La Jolla. We spent yesterday touring the city and eating fantastic Thai food.

Man, 57 isn’t so bad, after all.

Next week, I’ll get back to sharing my tales from the road in Italy. But not before I eat a yellow fin and a carne asada burrito. One more swim in the Pacific will do this soul some good.

Thanks for being here. Enjoy the rest of the summer and see you soon!