I Don't Need No Stinkin' Taxi

Last May, we went to Los Angeles for the first time. It was interesting and I'm glad we went, Yet if given the choice between spending a week in NYC or LA, I'd say we would opt for the former. Still, there are nice advantages to having the huge western neighbour just down the coast.



Rather than the glitz of Hollywood, we're using Long Beach as our jump-on point for next month's Mexican cruise. Contrary to popular wisdom, it is possible to get around the LA area on transit. In fact, as we're flying down plenty early, we plan on getting from LAX to the Long Beach Carnival terminal by transit. I am so thankful for Google Earth so we can nearly try it out in advance ... virtually.

Don't Read This at Work

How can it already be the 22nd of the month? I finished up teaching my classes three weeks ago. I've really needed this time to decompress, I guess. I spent the first week of break in a rather manic state. I tried to busy myself with errands and tasks. The second week, I felt a little depressed as I had no pressing engagements and wondered what I should do with all my extra time. It wasn't until last week that I had glimpses of relaxation.

Now, I'm pretty much back to my normal, old self now. I can appreciate a day that has no itinerary. In fact, I've started to enjoy that type of day again.

Luckily, I've still got another three weeks off BEFORE MY VACATION STARTS. We don't fly to Munich until September 13th. In case I've not been clear about my copious free time: I have also had three or four prior weeks off between classes earlier in the year. During one we went back to see my father in hospital in New Hampshire and we went to explore Los Angeles on another.



I'm blogging about this topic as some misguided souls feel sorry for me when I say I work part-time and have for the last decade. I want to loudly proclaim that I have my personal priorities correctly set. Furthermore, I love the situation that I've created for myself.

The Merry Old Land of Oz

I'm adding this picture taken from our May trip to Los Angeles.



This is in honour of film in general. It's here today because I'm watching the extra audio track for the Wizard of Oz (1939). There's some absolutely amazing trivia on the 2005 DVD.

I have a new problem, however, as it's now a bit hard to accept the plot after seeing Wicked.

A Bumpy Night

During last week in LA, we ended up at the Hollywood Walk of Fame many times as it was just two stops up on the Red Line.

It was rather interesting both day and night. Not only for the stars in the sidewalk but because of the people traversing them.

I don't know how the guy in the Darth Vader outfit was able to stand out in the heat of the day. The 'fat-period' Elvis stayed stubbornly close to the Chinese Theatre. Marilyn Monroe was perfect down to the birthmark. But I would've found it rather creepy actually chatting to any of them, much less pay them money to be in a photo. Perhaps, that's my loss.

I also struggled to find a star I wanted to stand near. It just seemed like it should be a star from old Hollywood. I walked right over many favourites without a single desire to pose near their stars. This star caught my attention though. All About Eve was probably the first film I watched with the sole intent of seeing Bette Davis. Now, that we are witness to international, super-CGI big budget eye candy like the present Superman III, I long for films which actually had memorable dialog. After all, being able to deliver the line, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night," has got to be reason enough to be given a sidewalk star.

Altered Time

We left Vermont and Santa Monica at 2:00 pm to head to LAX. It took 1.5 hours to get to the airport but only a bit more than 2.5 to fly up the coast. We didn't get in the apartment in New Westminster until 10:15 pm.

Packing with Reluctance

I'm sitting in the courtyard of the hotel. It seems all too soon to have to pack my luggage. A week here was enough to only get a taste of the miles of city that exist. It has given an overview and a staple for comparative comments and insights that might be blogged over the next week.

For instance, does NYC or LA make a better spot to visit or to live in permanently? Have I left my heart in San Francisco on a previous visit or shall I drop it off here? If learning a second language here would it best be Spanish, Korean, or Russian? Do people really use the car one owns as a primary way of judging status? If gas jumped to $15/gallon tomorrow, would it really change behavior here? Can one visit LA without venturing to Anaheim? Why could I already find illegal Superman III DVD copies on the sidewalk near MacArthur Park shops?

Today, we went back and walked Sunset Strip but I couldn't find 77. We also walked in MacArthur Park and I bought three, LA t-shirts for 10 bucks from a little old Korean lady who tried speaking Spanish to Jay. We ate at the Central Market again as this has become a bit of a habit. Today I ate Mongolian served with Hong Kong chicken by Latino workers. Tonight we'll just do simple things where the crowds are, probably back up near Hollywood/Highlands.

We have no rush getting out of here tomorrow as our plane doesn't depart until 5 pm. As it's a direct flight back to YVR, we'll be back at home in time for Peter Mansbridge.

Starting Out in the Pits

In the fourth grade, I first read about the Le Brea Tar Pits. Seeing an artist rendering of a Saber-toothed cat amazed me. Around 37 years later, today, I visited them. Pit 91 was open and it proved to me just how determined a scientist would have to be to muck around in that sludge.



We also spent time riding around on Metro buses. Once a Metro information board downtown, we noted a place called Eagle Rock and just the name made it worth a visit. Then, we accidentally took a return bus that went to Pasadena. We didn't really spot the little old lady but then she wouldn't been out driving to church on a Thursday. If we'd not gone there, we might not have ridden on the new Gold Line train into Union Station.

We ended the night by just taking the Santa Monica bus down to West Hollywood. It's now cooler in the evenings.

Is It Already Wednesday?

I just tried to check on my fish and found that my web cam stopped at 3:00 am last night. I sometimes end up far away from the PC on Microsoft update day. I wish they wouldn't force the PC to reboot!

Things here in LA are peachy. Last night's nearby blaze in Griffith Park is under no longer a threat. The sky is back to a clear blue and the afternoon temperature is still right up there in the 90's F.

Last night we took a bus downtown via the Silver Lake area. It's cute but I'm partial to hills rather than the straight as an arrow avenues and boulevards here. We walked around downtown a bit and ended back up on Hollywood / Vine as it's an easy commute from our hotel area at Santa Monica / Vermont.

This morning I was proud to be up and about early. Well, actually it was 9 o'clock before we left the hotel. We did the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. It lasted more than two hours and was okay but the guides are really told to stick to what the passengers might be interested in. Frankly, it's been a few years since Friends occupied any of my viewing time so they might want to tone down that aspect. I'd rather have seen stuff from the lot in the 1940's but then again, I'm far from normal.

We went downtown and ate at the Central Market. It'd been a while since I had a shawarma plate.

In a while, we've got to head up to see Wicked. I hope it's worth the $80 tickets!

Close to One Hundred

The routine now includes an afternoon nap. I guess that's fine as this is vacation. It's better to do morning things and the evening ones for it just seems too hot in the afternoons. It's presently in the high 90's Fahrenheit. In fact, the TV is on and we're getting good television shots of the 150-200 acre brush fire in Griffith Park. Still, we've not seen any yellow smog while here.

Last night, we did go to Venice Beach and walked north to Santa Monica. We took a familiar bus back towards our hotel, stopping in West Hollywood on the way. We didn't stop at Beverly Hills as none of our movie-star friends are in LA at the present time.

This morning, we went for a tour of the Kodak Theater. It was interesting to see the location and behind the scenes of the modern Oscars. We also bought tickets at the Pantages for tomorrow evening's performance of Wicked. If you had the choice of Hollywood Walk of Fame stars, whose would you stand near for a photograph? I decided on Bette Davis. After that, we followed the directions from www.metro.net to find a specific vitamin / sports supplement shop but ended up at the wrong address. Still, the air conditioning works well in most buses and although all the streets look the same from the window, I feel as if we're seeing some of real LA.

Then, Summer Arrived!

I'm back at the hotel pool just as I was for yesterday's entry. The water's cool but the outside temperature is 35C or almost 95F today. The wind and the fact it's dry means can say it's no sweat.

Last night, we took a bus down to Santa Monica and walked out on the Pier and along 3rd Avenue which was full of trendy shops, restaurants, and folks out and about. I'm glad I had my jacket I'm easily fooled by LA maps as distances look short but take hours, literally.

This morning we headed downtown first and saw there really is a there out here. We also took a bus to a famous farmers market. There was also shopping nearby and the CBS studios. As I'm standing in the water up to my waste with my laptop perched on the lip of the pool, I'll let you look up the exact information in Google if you are keen of it.

We'll soon probably get ready to head toward Venice Beach this evening.

Just 2.5 Hours South

It's 5:00 pm and I'm just sitting by the pool in sunny LA. There's not a hint of cloud in the sky and it's as blue as robin's egg.

We had a nice flight down yesterday afternoon and have managed to avoid renting a car. Yeah, even in Los Angeles. It took a few rail connections to get to the hotel by Metro but it can be done. This Ramada is at Santa Monica/Vermont on the red line.



We started the day with a nice breakfast. Then ended back up by Hollywood/Highlands but decided to go backstage at the Kodak Theater when there are fewer crowds and the weekend's over. We also went up to Universal City Walk but didn't go in for the rides as we did that once in Florida. Yeah, I know there are new and more exciting rides now. Then, we used our transit passes, which cost just $14 a week, to go downtown. Just a walk from Union Station there was continuing celebration because of Cinco de Mayo.

We're resting and will be out again after this burning sun sets. I'll mention that in tomorrow's blog entry.

The Tour with the Carts

We had heard it's better to have reservations. Oh well, forget the price! It seems like something that one would have to do when in the LA area. We booked for next Tuesday.

Satellites & Vacation Planning

I cannot imagine why any computer on the planet with Internet access wouldn't have Google Earth installed. The free download gives literal access to the world. We're planning a trip to Los Angeles for a week in May. We already booked the Hollywood Hotel also known as the Ramada near Universal Studios. I wanted to get a better idea of the lay of the land.



The screen capture above shows the Los Angeles area from 50 miles up. Nearly all the amazing extras overlays were turned off. Our hotel is located in the center of the large image at the mouse cursor. In the upper-right corner, I added a view of the hotel at nearer street level. I could recognize it from the outdoor swimming pool.

In a Couple of Months

I have a free week between classes coming at the end of this month. So, we could have taken a vacation from the 24th to the 31st. Unfortunately, this fact sort of sneaked up on us. Jay didn't put in a vacation request and the schedules have been finalized for March.

So, I've already checked to see when the subsequent 5-week, intensive course will finish. It doesn't occur until the first week of May. Oh my, May! That surely seems like a long ways away. A mini-vacation of only a week cannot be too far or too expensive. Last year during the same week, we took a San Diego to Vancouver coastal cruise.



Maybe a week in Los Angeles would be interesting. We always enjoy exploring a new urban environment. Perhaps this type of city exploration matches many of our previous travel experiences. It's great flying into a city and using just transit to get around. After researching the metro and bus system, I bet we could do that. We can try to see if the city synonymous with freeways can be explored without a car.