Pier

On Wednesday, actor Robert Blake stopped by “Piers Morgan Tonight” to promote his new self-published memoir, “Tales of a Rascal,” but the appearance descended almost instantly into a meltdown of “Tiger Blood” proportions. In 2005, the “Baretta” star was acquitted of killing his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, but was later found liable for her death in a civil suit. Given the high-profile nature of the case, it wasn't so unreasonable for Morgan to broach the subject, but Blake didn't seem to agree.

With virtually all of his prime-time and late-night rivals airing reruns Wednesday night, CNN's Piers Morgan had the airwaves to himself on the Fourth of July. The British host chose to commemorate  Independence Day with a special called “Pride of America.” The show featured interviews with several American athletes who will be competing later this month at the Olympic Games in London. On a more meta level, it was also a glimpse ahead into the soft-focus stories of personal triumph that form such a major part of television coverage of the Games.

San Mateo County piers Johnson Pier at Pillar Point Harbor, Half Moon Bay Overview: The L-shaped concrete pier is more utilitarian than recreational. Cars and trucks are permitted on it, and there is a fishery at the end, with a harbor seal or two begging for handouts. Four gangplanks run from the pier down to ramps along which boats are berthed. These are mostly private craft, though the Princeton Waters Maritime Salon (2-6 p.m. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays)

How was that little vacation you took? You remember. It cost you almost nothing, it burned some calories (or, after that ice cream cone, added a few) and briefly immersed you in quintessential California. It was that walk on a pier, those structures that stretch out like a gateway into the Pacific. Perhaps we don't think about them much, but they're part of what has made California California: Piers (or wharfs as they were called in the mid-19th century) once were the primary way of moving food, cargo and travelers on and off sailing vessels.