Around Town: Cooling off with Pokemon Go

It was a scorching Sunday afternoon. The rabbits were hopping, the Sand fire was growing and the sun blazed down on Foothill Boulevard.

It was too hot to be outside. Plus, my Pokemon Go app was on the fritz. I had tried to make it work for two weeks, without any luck.

I needed to consult with an expert. I also needed a glass of water.

When I opened the door to the Flintridge Proper, I was greeted by a welcome blast from their air-conditioning system and a friendly hostess.

“Is Noel here today?” I asked.

“Sure thing,” she said. “He’s over there with his parents.”

It was my lucky day. Noel Caverly is a member of the great Flintridge Preparatory School Robotics Club. He’s about to enter his senior year. After that, Noel plans to attend college and major in computer science. If anyone could get my Pokemon app to function, it would be Noel.

Noel’s parents, Brady and Mary Elizabeth, are the owners of the restaurant. Lucky for me, Noel was hanging out that day.

“Noel,” I pleaded, “My app won’t load.”

Noel took my iPhone and tapped it gently.

“The app has been glitchy,” explained Noel. “Just be patient. It will load.”

I hit the icon and waited ... and waited ... and ...

Suddenly, the app opened.

“How does it work?” I asked.

Noel aimed my phone at his mom. He showed me the screen. I could see a two-headed bird sitting on Mary Elizabeth’s shoulder.

“That’s a Duodo,” said Noel. “Hit that button.”

I hit the button and caught it.

“This is a great game!” I exclaimed.

Noel explained that “Pokemon” is short for “Pocket Monster” and that the object of Pokemon Go is to catch all the Pocket Monsters. He said that Foothill Boulevard is full of Poke Stops, or places where Pokemons congregate, and Pokemon Gyms, where higher-level players can compete to capture more characters.

Unfortunately for Noel, his school, Flintridge Prep, is not a Poke Stop, but St. Bede’s, St. Francis, and La Cañada High have both gyms and stops. When school starts, those students, but not the students at Prep, will be able to cast virtual lures to entice all the Pokemons in the vicinity to their schools.

Poor Flintridge Prep!

Pokemon is a fairly innocent game. The goal is to collect. There’s no death. All characters can regenerate. The game requires players to walk, not drive and not sit on the couch. One of Mary Elizabeth’s friends noticed that her sons recently began to volunteer to walk the dog. Mary Elizabeth goes on hikes with her son. She thinks the game gets people up and out. That’s a plus.

There are stories about players wandering into police stations, falling out of trees and getting hit by cars. Mary Elizabeth pointed out that the Pokemon stops do not require players to enter a building and since elevation is not calculated, no one has to climb a tree.

Here in La Cañada, there are dozens of Pokemon stops along Foothill. There are stops at Trader Joe’s, the Thursday Club, La Cañada Presbyterian Church and the Christian Science reading room, Memorial Park, the YMCA, the Lutheran Church, the LDS church, Mayors Discovery Park, T.J. Maxx, the library, and Doña Maria’s. There are multiple stops all over Descanso Gardens.

Unfortunately for Noel, his parent’s restaurant is not on the list. For a business owner, it’s unclear if being a Pokemon stop is a good thing. On the other hand, Skippy the bartender is working on something better.

Very soon, the Proper will offer a new cocktail, the Pokemon.

Also, Around Town hopes to map the Pokemon stops in the 91011.

Stay tuned.

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ANITA SUSAN BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Contact her at anitasusan.brenner@yahoo.com. Follow her on Instagram @realanitabrenner, Facebook and on Twitter @anitabrenner.