Lunch in Glendora, California

I am always seeking out new and unusual places to explore. I read about Rubel castle located in Glendora, California that was an eclectic creation with objects flowing out of the walls like motorcycles, gears, clock parts and jewelry. I just had to go see it.

One day I told my coworkers Paul and Juliana we needed a Debbie Adventure and were going on a lunch outing to find this castle. We jumped in the car and headed east to Glendora (about a half hour east of Pasadena, where we worked).

We found the castle but could not get in. We drove around the property, which covered a square block. From the rock wall surrounding the property we could see turrets rising about the barb wire. We tried jumping up and down to see if we could see anything over the wall. I even tried standing on Paul's bent knee to see if I could get a better view. Unfortunately all we were able to see was a railroad crossing sign and hear the sounds of animals from inside the walls.

Since there was no way to ring a bell and talk to the owner we decided to explore the downtown area of Glendora and find a place for lunch.

Check out these websites for more descriptions and pictures of the castle.
http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/rubel.htm
http://www.invitesite.com/pharm/castle_pan.html

As we were driving around the neighborhood looking for the 3-block downtown area we noticed a house that was painted entirely in marine blue with a big anchor outside as well as a bar table with bar chairs and a grass covered umbrella. It looked like something out of a beachcomer movie. It was so intriguing we did a u-turn and parked in front of the house. From the street it looked like it might be a business so we rang the doorbell.

The man, who came to the door, said it was his home. He was an architect and wanted to build a unique home. The inside was just as spectacular as the outside. From the door you could see into the living room. Directly in front of us was a fish tank built into a wall that served as a dividing wall to other rooms in the house. In his living room was a display of large scale trains and trucks on a large shelf he built around his entire living room wall.

After chatting with him for a few minutes we asked him for a recommendation for lunch. He pointed us to the Village Eastery cafe that was down the street from his place. What a find. The restaurant looked like the local hangout where everybody knows your name. It was everyday cooking with a California flair.

When we first walked in my eyes immediately went to the desserts in the glass case. I spied the "red velvet cake" and knew we had to have it for dessert. The food was outrageous, especially the "red velvet cake". As we induldged in our "red velvet cake" with the red sprinkles, Juliana and I experienced explosions of red fill our mouths. Paul was having trouble tasting the "red". We kept trying to tell him what "red" cake tastes like but he just couldn't grasp it. You might be asking yourself how can a cake taste "red?" Well this one does. It's hard to explain, you'll just have to try it for yourself.

We were having such a good time, our 1 hour lunch turned into a 3 hour lunch. We stayed so long we met the owner and began feeling like one of the locals.

Since it was turning into an all afternoon affair, we decided to explore the rest of downtown. Glendora has a wonderful downtown area with lots of small shops. In one of the shops we happened upon a museum of old cars. The owner had about 10 fully restored cars. What a find! We talked to some of the local shop owners, which is always a treat.

I highly recommend a visit to Glendora. It is a hidden treasure.