San Pedro is not really a destination which has held much interest for Westsiders or even those who live in other beachside communities. It’s been many years, perhaps even a decade since we’ve visited the city other than to board a cruise at the port. However, this past Saturday evening was the exception. Cirque du Soleil had a new show called Amaluna at its port and that was our motivation for our visit.

It took about 40+ minutes for us to get there on a Saturday night. I used google maps to figure out which restaurants were in close proximity to the event and decided on Pappys’s Seafood which seemed very reasonably priced and was walking distance. I called and made a reservation because San Pedro is not quite linked to any traditional online reservations apps like Open Table, Resy or Yelp.

We found free parking half a block away, walked in, checked in with the hostess and were seated immediately. I had read that the building was previously a post office. It was quite beautiful, bright, open and spacious. The restaurant had tall ceilings and two walls had floor to ceiling windows. Our server was fantastic and all of the runners and busboy were equally responsive.

We started with a Titos martini and Moscow mule. 

For dinner, we both ordered sea bass. My husband ordered garlic butter, roasted red potatoes and salad while I ordered mine with chimichurri, fries and salad.

My husband also ordered two additional sides of Cole slaw and Mac n cheese. My husband said that my fish was better than his but not having tasted his I cannot personally confirm. What I will say is that the chimichurri sauce was recommended by our server but having eaten at South American restaurants, the sauce did not seem authentic. However, the fish was tender and it was quite herbaceous so I cannot complain. The mac n cheese had a crusty top layer from the breadcrumbs but the cheese flavor was light and not overpowering. The salads, Cole slaw and fries were fine but nothing extraordinary. All in all, it was a fantastic deal for the amount of food with a full bar experience. The prices were comparable to a California Fish Grill but in a much more interesting and lively setting.

From our dinner location, we walked about 10 minutes to the tent for Amaluna. Signs were everywhere. We walked along the path where people can workout on machines of their choosing. As we were walking, we saw swarms of cars stuck in traffic, attempting to find parking for the show. Anticipating the traffic jam, I had planned our arrival so that we could have an enjoyable, leisurely dinner with time to walk it off before the show.

We meandered down the path and made it to the entrance. Embarrassingly, there was a bit of a hiccup when we inadvertently cut in front of a long line of people waiting to take photos under the Amaluna archway. We apologized profusely for our error in judgment and lack of observation.

We entered the tent and looked to see if there was a line for the interior poster of Amaluna and luckily there was not. There was somebody on staff who was volunteering to take our photo so we took her up on her offer.

Afterwards, we headed to the shop as I wanted to buy a shirt to commemorate our visit. We bought a magnet as well and then lined up to our door to head to our seat.
We had been given the opportunity to upgrade a week or so before the event. I’m a Cirque member and perhaps that’s why they reached out to me. We previously had seats in the back section but were afforded the chance to move to the third row for an additional $40 per ticket saving us about $60 if I had chosen those seats initially. 
We chatted a bit with our neighbors to the left of us and found out they’re Vietnamese. Since Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh city is on our list of places to visit we picked their brains a bit. During our conversation, I shared that I was born in the Philippines to the husband and he admitted that he was a refugee for a year confined to one of the Philippines’ islands. In that moment, I was whisked to all the horrific war documentaries about the Vietnam war, how they were forced to live in tunnels and how strong and tenacious the Vietnamese people were, living in darkness and in relative silence, surviving the horror that occurred above ground. With that one sentence, I was transported in time and place and though obviously I wasn’t personally responsible for what transpired, I felt sadness and regret for what he and his fellow refugees endured.

Amaluna also offered a similar experience but more along the lines of a philosophical time travel. The storyline was introduced as a coming of age story. As with any tale of the like, there are conflicts, struggles and obstacles to overcome. Though Amaluna whisked you to another time and to another place, it is recognizable but from a distant past. Yet, because history repeats itself, the emotions remain timely and relevant. 

Interspersed in the storyline were the standard Cirque du Soleil displays of strength and athleticism, balance and breath. In this performance, the focus was primarily on gymnasts rather than trapeze artists, clowns and anorexic contortionists. Though in one of the last acts, there were 2 women and 1 man who looked severely petite, most of the performers looked muscular and strong which was refreshing. 

I had veered away from watching Cirque’s last few offerings because it became as formulaic as a Danielle Steele novel. Fortunately, Amaluna offered much more than the standard template and that is why this performance will stand out amongst the rest, though admittedly “O” in Vegas is still my number one pick of all their shows and I’ve seen quite a few shows in the last 25 years.

On our way out, after making a 3rd stop at the very clean but very tight portal potties, we headed our and followed the path back to our car parked near the restaurant. Walking alongside us was a very petite, 4’8″ girl with slim legs and straight blonde hair, wearing a denim jacket and black leggings. She looked like a mini version of Reese Witherspoon but as I kept looking at her, I had a sneaking suspicion she was one of the main characters on the show. My husband, having no fear of talking to strangers or celebrities, walked us toward her direction and politely asked if she was one of the cast members which she confirmed she was. I commented on how quickly she was able to change and how sensational she was. For those who are curious, the performer we saw is Anna Ivaseva who I now follow on Instagram. She played Miranda and I’ll stop short of sharing her storyline since the whole show was about her and her journey. 
All in all, it was a fantastic evening. Sometimes travel isn’t a physical journey. At times like on Saturday evening, it’s a metaphysical, intellectual and emotional journey. It’s the epiphanies and the takeaways from these snippets in time which help us grow, understand each other a bit better. 

Thanks for a great and enlightening evening San Pedro!

Pappys’s Seafood 301 6th Street San Pedro, CA 90731 https://www.pappysseafood.com/menus/

Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/usa/los-angeles/amaluna/buy-tickets