Kenji's show, Frog Park
Some time ago, someone told me about a great children's park under the 24 freeway. I remembered vaguely where it was supposed to be, so I thought it would be fun to take Zoe there. It is in a slightly unlikely place, right next to the raised 24 freeway, and next to a vast "chiodrome" as the french call them! Despite this, it is an kid's oasis complete with a water course, well kept lawn and play structures. The centerpiece is a magnificent wood play structure, with slides, swings, giant plastic spider webs and all manner of secret kid passageways. Zoe learned how to slide down a pole, which at this point involves her swinging over to the pole, death gripping it, and then hand-over-handing down the pole while giggling maniacally. Another wonderful place that we managed to miss while we were living here, I guess.
After that, we rested before the day's main event: Kenji's show at the Triton museum in Santa Clara. We left early to avoid traffic (yes, I am back to thinking about traffic and how to avoid it again) and got into the carpool lane for most of the dismal trip down 880 to the South Bay. As we approached San Jose, I found myself looking around at signs of small tech companies, thinking that somewhere in that warren of office parks, some nerd was probably coming up with the Next Big Thing. Should it surprise me that the tech revolution was spawned in such uninspiring surroundings? I'm undecided. Anyway, after some excitement getting to the general area of the museum, we ended up at a REALLY good ramen joint called Orenchi ramen. We arrived before it was open, and since we were in a hurry, got back in the car to find somewhere else to go. Just as we loaded up, a raft of Kenji's people arrived, like some kind of Japanese adhān. They were coming in from every direction and on foot and in cars. We decided that it would be better to stay, and see what the fuss was about. By the time they opened, there was a huge line going well out the door. And this is at five thirty! The ramen was great: it tasted like there was miso in the base, and the noodles were firm and delicious. We also ordered some smaller things like grilled octopus balls (tako yaki) and fried chicken, which were also excellent. It was a fortuitous find, and I'll definitely be going back if I am in the area again. From there, it was off to the museum. The show looks amazing; one of the best that I can remember, and I have seen a lot of Kenji's shows! As usual I was running around trying to remember peoples names and corral Zoe. Zoe had a great time, and it was nice seeing a lot of Kenji's old friends. I'm proud of him and mom for putting together such a great show.
