Stu News and Photos

It's tradition that you eat a fun meal before the start of Passover. We all have our favorite non-Passover treat - bread or what have you. Me, I'll eat anything, I just like to go out that one last time.

It was Friday, and just as Leslie and I were planning on where to go, who should call but our cousin, Mirelle. Turns out that she's graduating college and checking out a few job prospects right here in Los Angeles! She asked if we could get together, so Leslie and I took a nice early afternoon drive to her friend's house in Palisades Park.

After the hugs and how-are-you rhetoric, we hopped into the truck and headed to the main drag in town for lunch. We walked by a few places before settling on a tiny cafe. As we were choosing our final destination, Mirelle mentioned her recent celebrity sighting: While she was jogging at a local baseball field in Palisades Park, she saw Chris O'Donnell on one field and Tom Hanks on another - turns out they both have kids who play little league at that particular park. So that was pretty impressive. I joked about how she was good luck and that we should stick with her.

A moment later, the host saw us waiting and motioned us to a corner table. As we sat, I looked up, and who was eating at the table catty-corner to us? Billy Crystal! He was there with his wife, wearing his traditional Yankees cap, looking just like he does in the movies (except no smile). The rest of the time we ate, we all stole glances over at him, keeping our resolve not to interrupt his meal, even though I was dying to say one of several things, some of which you'll get and others, not so much:

A) Thanks for 61*
B) Chag Sameach!
C) It's not fun, it's not funny.

Resolve won the day, but it was close. I mean, there he was, this actor I had watched since the 70s, the comedian I emulated during the 80s, the philanthropist I admired during the 90s, right across from me, eating regular food like a regular person. Yes, it's cliche, but non-the-less, there I was, entrenched in a quintessential Los Angeles moment.

He left before we did, and we had a chance to giggle about it - I swore that I wasn't going to leave Mirelle's side the rest of the day!! Alas, we all had to get back to our regular stuff, so we snuck in a quick bit of shopping and chatting and catching up, and then it was over, far too soon. Mirelle seemed so very happy, on the razors edge of wistfully saying goodbye to college and joyously beginning life in the working world. It was pretty cool to witness.

And so, as Leslie and I drove back home, we felt lucky to have been alive at that moment, our lives filled with wonderful people. Also, the food at the cafe was pretty good. I recommend the potatoes.