Coaching Businesses and Life, a view from Long Beach

My Other Passion, Long Beach

I love architecture, especially anything related to the Mediterranean basin. After all, I was born there and enjoy its beauty. That's why I love Long Beach. We are particularly blessed to not only have 17 historical communities but beautiful Spanish Colonial Revival architecture at almost every street corner of our city.

My other passion, pretty much since birth and somewhat related are old cars. I consciously remember at the age of five walking in our family friend's restoration garage and seeing the tail end of a Bugatti. Being about the size of this thing, I didn't know if I was staring at a space ship or a rocket or a speed boat.

This is what most people think of a Bugatti. Picture taken from the Vintage Rally Group website.

I don't know if you can imagine what impression it left on me. It forever changed my idea of what cars should be like. To this day, I don't drive or own modern cars. They just don't appeal to me. Driving should be fun and being stuck in a car is all the more reason to be in a fun one, and ever so sightly different. I drive two older Alfa Romeo on a daily without problems.

I have brokered old cars in the past and written articles for magazine in Europe. I still do.

Spanish Revival in Naples in Long Beach, CA

In 1903, A.M. Parsons and his son A.C. sold lots on the Peninsula.  Little did they know what it would turn into, I think.

Mr. Parson was so taken with the natural beauty of the area, quite like yours truly here, that he decided to pursue his dreams of a city filled with canals, gondolas, and houses with red tiled roofs.

Parsons created the Naples Company with the help of H.E. Huntington.  It was a costly and daunting is task to be anything on this marsh land.  In 1907, things started to change.  The press covered it stating it was a bold scheme and not a dream anymore.

2nd Street was to be a canal but that proved to be too costly and it was covered again.  Thank Goodness, where would I have gone shopping all this time?