On Sunday, Michael and I had agreed to meet Mom and Dad at Urth, a “hot” restaurant my brother recommended. We started out, down one of those flat, pale, ugly Los Angeles roads, this one half dug up with road construction and finally, after getting directions from a woman walking her dog, turned down another flat pale Los Angeles road. Urth was a small restaurant surrounded by a thick mob and little tables near its entrance. A quick look inside showed it to be a dark pace, clotted with people and tables. We emerged into the sunlight and eventually made out two tiny figures in the distance that turned out to be Mom and Dad. After a quick conference on the sidewalk, we decided to go to Urth in spite of the crowd.

We became part of a line that snaked around the small clear space near the front, surveyed plastic menus. Once we got to the counter and placed our order, we were given a laminated number “3” on a stand and instructed to place it on whatever table we found. We were also told we were limited to one hour at a table. After a few moments of searching, I spotted a couple standing up and gathering a chess set from their table. We quickly commandeered that one. It was quite small and pushed up against the building, but it was ours.

I’m not sure why the restaurant is “hot”, though the crowd there gave every indication of being hip and in “The Industry.” Lots of cell phones, several middle-aged, caucasian, shaven-headed men in business suits, the overheard words “production,” and “script.” There was some mix-up over our food. The waiter who brought our orange juices took away our number, and this seems to have knocked all the other waiters off our scent, kind of like ants who lose the ant trail. Only after I spoke to a waiter did our coffees and breakfast finally come. The food was not bad, but neither was it worth the trouble.

After breakfast we walked back to the Parc where Michael and Dad, exhausted from the morning’s exertions, announced their intentions of taking a nap, Dad on the bed, Michael on the sofa. Mother and I decided to check out a rare bookstore I’d noticed on the way back. It had been a silly little place got up to look like a cottage among all the strip malls.