I drove down to La Puente on Sunday to The Donut Hole.
There were about 40 donut varieties on display behind the windows. The woman at the register refused to speak to me except to say that they didn’t have a type of donut that we could plainly see they did have. The ones we ended up with were tasty, however.
I went back on Wednesday morning. This time, the woman was a bit more communicative, although she wasn’t overly familiar with English.
Donut shops are to southern California what hot dog places are to Chicagoland — you can’t go a mile without spotting one. I discovered this fact on the Internet while looking for things to do during my week in the L.A. suburbs, and planned on visiting a couple of the more notable ones. But when I got out there and saw how many there are, I decided to hit a different one every day.
Sunday — The Donut Hole in La Puente (2/16/14)
Two friends and I opted for dessert before supper and headed for The Donut Hole. The lane though the building is narrow and I kept rubbing the tires of the rental van against the curbs. There were dozens of donut varieties visible through the glass windows but no labels. When I attempted to ask the woman, I got nowhere. The only thing she said to me is that they didn’t have one of the varieties that we could plainly see on display. I had a blueberry cake donut that was awesome.
Monday — Ontario Donuts in Ontario (2/17/14)
This shop was just a mile from our hotel. I bought a dozen and a half for the booth team to eat while we set up. When I opened to box to sneak one on the way to the conference center, I discovered all the spaces in the box were filled with donut holes. And then I was told that no outside food was allowed in the center. We hid the box under a blanket and sneaked it in. We were careful not to get caught and grabbed surreptitious bites when we could. The consensus was that they were delicious.
Tuesday — Mom’s Donuts in Ontario (2/18/14)
I didn’t have to be at the booth until 11:45, which meant that I had several hours to kill in the morning. I drove into downtown Ontario to explore, then headed for this donut shop. It was in a run-down part of town and felt a little grubby inside. I bought an apple fritter and ate it back at the hotel. When I pulled it out of the bag, I discovered another donut underneath. Both were good.
Wednesday — The Donut Man in Glendora (2/19/14)
My friend wanted to visit The Donut Hole. I had already been there. I told her I’d take her if we could visit another shop on the way back. Another friend came along for the ride. The Donut Man is the most famous and highly rated of the shops I visited. Their specialty is donuts stuffed with fresh fruit. We were there during strawberry season. A standard donut was cut open and stuffed with several chunks of fresh strawberries, then covered with a strawberry glaze. They were huge, messy, and hard to eat, even with a fork, but they were very tasty.
Thursday — Station Donuts in Yorba Linda (2/20/14)
The conference ended on Wednesday night, but I stuck around for two more days to explore. On Thursday morning, I drove to Yorba Linda to see the Nixon Library and Museum. Station Donuts had a blueberry fritter that was amazing.
Friday — Choco Donuts in Beaumont (2/21/14)
On my way to Joshua Tree National Park, I stopped here for breakfast. The specialty donut is the bacon maple bar, so that’s what I got. I wasn’t thrilled. The shop was clean, the owners were friendly and the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich was great.
Saturday — Kalvin’s Donuts in Rancho Cucamonga (2/22/14)
I’d been telling my wife about my donut quest and she asked me to bring her some. I had time before my flight to buy some plastic containers and head to Kalvin’s. I bought a random half dozen and packed three for my wife, including a glazed donut that is considered their specialty. The two I had for breakfast were very good. The one I ate on the plane later in the day was good. It would have been better if all the chocolate hadn’t melted off.
By the end of the week, I’d had enough donuts for a while, but if I return next year, I’m guessing I’ll find room for more.
I spent a week in the L.A. area for the CPC conference. On the way out, I spotted this canyon. I’m not sure where we were, but I’m guessing it’s somewhere near the Grand Canyon.
Just before we landed in Ontario, we flew over the San Gabriel Mountains. I spotted Big Bear Lake, which I visited later in the week.
I think I’ve figured out where the rabbit is getting through my fence.
I took a bus into Chicago with a group from work. For lunch, we headed over and up to the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center. It was a clear, sunny day with temperatures near zero, but it made for spectacular views.
Looking north
Looking south. The three tallest buildings are the Aon Center (which forever in my mind will be known as the Standard Oil Building), the Trump Tower, and Willis Tower (which will always be Sears Tower to me).
Looking east, along Olive Park and Navy Pier with the Chicago Lighthouse visible off the end.
Looking down, at the Chicago Water Tower and Chicago Avenue Pumping Station. The two buildings are among the very few that remain that survived the Chicago fire. The Water Tower is the second-oldest water tower in the United States.
Looking up. The south side of the building as seen from Chestnut Street.
Sculpture in the lobby of the John Hancock Center
