An Afternoon at The Cat & Fiddle

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to meet me during my "office hours" at The Wednesday.

I had a productive afternoon filled with new faces, delicious British fare (try the fish and chips) and a good dose of fun.

Philip Mershon, a Hollywood historian and tour guide, was the first visitor of the day. He came in with nothing but praise and gratitude for Hollywood Patch, especially our newsletter. (To subscribe, sign up here.) What a great start to the afternoon!

Mershon told me a little about his business, The Felix in Hollywood Tour Company. His 90-minute walking tour focuses on landmarks and tales of old Hollywood. He also has a wonderful Facebook page where he posts vintage snapshots each day. Expect to hear more about him on Patch in the future.

It was a pleasure to meet Annissa Mason, an alumni liason at the  and Susan Von Seggern, a public relations consultant. After seeing my "Meet the Editor" post, they decided to take their lunch break at the restaurant then made sure to stop by my table. I loved their excitement when I handed them their Patch swag.

Nicole Carcel, field deputy for Assemblyman Mike Feuer, dropped in to have lunch. She shared the assemblyman's efforts to help a Hollywood family with five kids find a first-floor, handicap-accesible, two-bedroom apartment with at least one bathroom within the range of $1,300. It's a tall order, but she is determined to find one. If you have any tips or ideas, email her at Nicole.Carcel[at]asm.ca.gov.

Later in the afternoon, I made sure to sit down with some of the folks who work at The Cat & Fiddle. I met Ashlee Gardner, the operations manager, who was so gracious to let me spend the afternoon there.

Brandie, our lovely server that afternoon, was on her break playing around with her new iPad. I introduced her to the Hollywood Patch homepage and she was excited to show off that the site was the first thing she opened in her browser.

I enjoyed getting to know the general manager, Jacki Bellamy, during a "lull" while she ate her lunch around 3:30 p.m. At that point, a handful of middle-age drinkers walked right into the bar and they were more than "happy." Cheers! I suspect there's never a dull moment at this lively restaurant!

I had so many questions for Bellamy about working at such a fixture of a restaurant in Hollywood, it was gracious of her to take the time to answer them. We ended up chatting for more than an hour because she was a busy lady, stepping away occasionally to take care of her crew.

It was impressive how she could multi-task: answering questions while welcoming the restaurant's new valet driver, handling the beer distributor, taking care of removing a smoker on the patio, and working on the crew's schedule.

After our chat, I figured I might as well turn it into a feature. Keep an eye out for that next week.

Thanks again to everyone who came out. Meeting our readers—people who are passionate about the community—has to be my favorite part of this job. You are the ones who make this place such a vibrant and awesome place to live.

If you missed this event, but would like to connect soon. Mark your calendars for Thursday, May 10, from 5 to 9 p.m. I'll be at the spreading the good word about Patch at their information table!