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View Winners → The Old Town Report
Monrovia Weekly Sep 02, 2015
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By Pam Fitzpatrick
I was just having a fun conversation with one of my pals in Old Town – a long time local business owner, friend and, at times, partner in crime – well , not really crime … “mischief” is a better word. I asked him, “what’s new,” and he proceeded to tell me an hour’s worth of great information I cannot put in print. That is the beauty of a small town and the reason why so many mystery novels are set in town centers just like ours. One day I am going to create a Miss Marple-like character and write an official Old Town novel, but for now I will just focus on the more benign mysteries.
Mystery, no more – the Press Café is officially open! Located at the southeast corner of Myrtle and Olive, the Press Café is not a café where newspaper reporters hang out: it is a café that offers various pressed goodies both sweet and savory. The savory delights are of the build-your-own sandwich variety, and the sweet treats include the one and only “Press S’mores.” Coffee this week is only $1 a cup. When I went in to check on them Monday, their first day open, I saw lots of happy people at the tables and the staff greeted me warmly when I came through the door. This one looks like a winner!
And then there is the upcoming Monrovia Days celebration. Details on this one are still a mystery. Who will be in the parade? What kind of booths will be in Library Park and how many? Any other activities? Besides the beautiful flyer from Centre Stage showing their part of the day, I am having trouble getting any information. Saturday, May 14 is coming up pretty fast; this must be a humdinger of a fun surprise for it to be so mysterious at this point. Maybe next week we will know some details!
This next one falls into the “Really Intriguing” category (that is the category where I just do not believe what I am being told so I am making up my own ending). For history’s sake, this category originated with the infamous 316 S. Myrtle building which took me three full years of scaffolding agony to finally realize the story about a cosmetic dentist upstairs and retail downstairs was not going to happen in this lifetime (nice clock tower, though). Now many of you may have caught on long before me that the promise of a new bar and grill at the old Sam’s Deli site may, in reality, never happen. That is my prediction at this point and if I am wrong I owe my son Luke a sandwich from Salad Bistro, which is how we pay off our gambling debts these days.
And, finally, here are some “fun facts” that I will not get into trouble by revealing: did you know that the new owner/investor opening the Myrtle Tree Café (aka Le Gourmand) is a Ph.D. and owner of GeoEnvironment Technologies? He has a keen interest in green technology and will run his new business accordingly (across from the Krikorian Theater). And – did you know that Rudy Castrellon, the owner of Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant, used to be a nurse? Or that the owner of Bella Sera is good friends with Tinker Belle? Honest – Disney’s original “Tink” was the guest of honor of their grand opening a few years ago!
More mysteries to be unveiled next week. Or, if you cannot wait, check us out on Facebook or on our website at www.OldTownMonroviaCa.com.
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