What's in a name?

How things have changed! It's been a while since I've walked around downtown Downey on a Friday night. The last time I looked for night life in Downey, I found it only at the local In-N-Out. (See Night life.) But tonight is different. There are so many new shops and restaurants downtown.

The latest is Bastards, a new restaurant opened this week by former Marine Cpl. Nick Velez. He chose the restaurant's name in honor of his former battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, nicknamed the "Magnificent Bastards."

The name has caused a bit of controversy among Downey residents. I asked Nick, who served in Iraq in 2006-07, if the flak had died down yet. He said not yet, but that he hoped everyone would understand his desire to honor his former unit and those who served in it.

Not for the faint of ear

If you want a quiet corner booth, downtown Whittier after 10pm is not the place for you. Its located about 10 minutes northeast of Downey. This bar had live music, dancing, and not a minute of awkward silence, or any other kind.

A wine bar in Downey!

A couple of days ago I visited Mari's wine bar. I had been meaning to stop in for the past couple of weeks, and I finally made it!

Just across the street from Porto's, Mari's is a casual, yet elegant setting to hang out with friends over a nice glass of wine. The owners, Mari and Anthony, are down to earth and enjoy their new business. I was glad to find a new place to enjoy in our town.

Seeing double

A few weeks ago, I had dinner at BJ's in Stonewood and I noticed the wall of bottles behind the bar. So tonight I went back to get a closeup view.

All those duplicate bottles—it must leave people wondering just how much they've had to drink!