Newportus Interruptus

Twelve years after leaving Newport Beach, I’m almost back to living here
again. The past three weeks we’ve been on vacation in Newport, getting the boys
used to coming back and making various arrangements. And as part of that return,
I’ve had the strangest sense of a needle dropping back down on a record after
being lifted or a long movie starting again after an intermission.

I don’t have the right word to define the experience. It’s not that my life
has been on hold in all these years away. Not at all. When I left, I had no
children and no idea what I’d be doing for work. Now I have two boys and a
career covering search. There’s been plenty going on.

Perhaps it’s more that the life I left behind, that I pushed the pause button
on, is starting to move forward again. I drive past places that are still here
after all the years of being away. The Outback Steakhouse on the corner of 19th
& Newport, where I’d never go but respect for being the one business after many
that tried that’s managed to survive on that corner. Lunch at Charlie’s Chili,
an institution at the base of the Newport Pier that’s still going strong.
Laventina’s Pizza — formerly Valentino’s then formerly Laventino’s until
Laventina’s became a name no one would sue them over.

I’ve seen all these places on past trips, of course. But now I’m seeing them
knowing I’m going to see them all the time. They provide a sense of continuation
– of picking up where I left off.

Far more significant was seeing a good friend who had his 45th birthday party
coincidentally down here at Newport at the same time we were visiting. My former
roommate, former coworker at the LA Times, suddenly he was coming by in the
evening, hanging out, and we were all talking like it was old times. Except it
was new times, the first of many.

At his party, I saw number of other newspaper friends that I hadn’t seen for
years. It was really nice. It’s been hard seeing many friends that we’ve left
behind here, when trips back have been relatively short. Normally, this would
have been one of those nice to see them but who knows when I’ll see them again
visits. Now, I had a real sense of I dunno, excitement, relief, pleasure that
I’d get to see them far more recently.

Again, the feeling of the play button being pushed, of the needle dropping
back down on the album. It’s been good to be back. I’m looking forward to
getting back for good. Plus, gas is only like $4.00 per gallon here, versus
$8.00 in the UK. But the best thing of all is probably seeing the sun set into
the Pacific each night. That says home in a big way.

Look forward to hearing more about Newport when I get back. Or I hope you
look forward to it, because I plan to be writing a lot about it.