#27 - Eat a Hot Dog at Pink's

Eating a hot dog proved to take longer than originally expected.

I've wanted to try Pink's for about forever, but for most of my life never even bothered to figure out precisely where it was.  Then a few years I bought tickets to see "Wicked" at the Pantages.  Denise and I spent the night at a Hollywood hotel and next morning decided to kill time with a trip to the LA Farmer's Market.  On the drive over from the hotel we drove right past Pink's.  It being only about 10:00 in the morning and having just pigged out on the hotel breakfast buffet, I opted not to stop in for a dog at that time.  Have been regretting it since.

I nearly cheated on this one; when Denise and I took Nicholas to LAX for his trip to Italy, nearly two years ago, we discovered a Pink's in the Bradley International Terminal.  So I could have legitimately said I did eat a hot dog at Pink's way back then, but that would have been a definite violation of the spirit of #27.

So, I have bided my time, waiting for the appropriate time to visit the original 1939 edition Pink's on La Brea in Hollywood.  On at least two occasions I have driven to the neighborhood, once going so far as to park my car up the street before ultimately deciding that the line was too long to be worth the wait.  On both those occasions I was alone and the thought of experiencing Pink's without someone to share just didn't seem right.

On Sunday I finally brought this one to a close.  Interestingly, Sunday I was supposed to have been checking off #21 - Run a 5K, by participating in the Redondo Beach Superbowl Sunday 5/10K Run.  Unfortunately, I broke the big toe on my right foot several weeks ago and that has cut into my training somewhat.  That and the fact that I needed to be in Redondo Beach by 6:00AM made the run a no go.

Denise and I were returning from Santa Barbara and I decided that with the Superbowl about to kick off, lines at Pink's might be mercifully short.  Score!  When we showed up there were about 10 people in line.  About 5 minutes in line and had our orders in; Chili Dog with Sauerkraut for Denise, Chicago Polish Dog with a side of Chili Cheese Fries.  Just water to drink, because we're trying to eat healthy after all.

Another five minutes later and we had our lunch.  Beautiful aren't they?

And I did actually eat my dog, photographic evidence provided below.  It was a bit messy.

So, the verdict?  Well, it was definitely an experience, the dogs were tasty and the lines non-existent, thanks to the Ravens and 49ers.  Would the dogs be worth it if the lines were the oft mentioned 45 minutes or more?  Well, I suppose that depends on who you're waiting with.  Any regrets?  Only that there were too many dogs and too little time.