I drove down Santa Monica to meet Kelley and some of her friends at "Hollywood Forever" cemetary, home of about 80,000 permanent residents and some really creepy looking gaudy tombstones. They varied in color, age and style. Newer ones had laser-etched portraits of the people on the graves. It was strange, but hey- whatever. Anyhow, what the hell were we doing in the cemetary? Well, we were watching a movie, of course!!
Every other Saturday in the summertime, Cinespia projects old Hollywood classic movies against a mosoleum wall. People flock in, lay out a blanket and have a picnic dinner and drinks while watching the film. (there's an open field area...we didn't lay among the graves). Let me tell you- it was by far the coolest way I've ever spent a Saturday night.
I got up the next morning to get some brunch, and decided on the California Pizza Kitchen, only because I was starving and not in the mood to try something new. I sat down next to the Kodak Theatre and people-watched as I ate. People came nearby to view the Hollywood sign, still way out in the distance, but close enough for photos. Kelley called me as I was finishing my appetizer, and fortunately, she was able to join me for lunch. At lunch, she told me that we could get a better view of the sign by driving up some obscure roads. She wasn't kidding. Look how close
we got! You can't get closer than this, folks. Not possible! Also up that hill is Lake Hollywood, a resevoir for the city below.
After that, we visited the LaBrea Tarpits. It was fascinating that this lake of tar/asphalt was bubbling right next to a busy city street. We got out and walked around the statues of animals fighting. Come to think of it, there was a lot of animal drama going on in terms of statues. Even inside the museum, there were bones (recovered from the tar) and yep- more animals fighting. Still, it was an interesting trip.
I dropped Kelley off so she could do aerobics or something and I went back to the hotel. When she was done, we met up at the Farmer's Market for dinner. It was a conglomerate of several different types of food- you could get Italian, Chinese, Brazilian, American, Japanese... I was in line for Cajun food, but decided at the last minute that I wanted Chinese food more than cajun alligator.
After dinner, we walked around the Grove area, a town center where we people-watched and got some dessert. I said thanks and farewell to Kelley, who had to get some sleep for Monday, and I headed back home. On my way home, I decided to gas up the car, and instead of doing so, stumbled into Beverly Hills. I really didn't expect it, but there I was... right at the Beverly Hills police station. It was crazy! So, I drove up and down the streets, just checking out the million-dollar homes. Their shopping district is the cleanest, most luxurious, lavish row of shops that I've ever seen. It was too dark for photos, and everything was closed at this point, but I was just dazzled by it all. I eventually found some gas and headed back home, ending my California experience.
The flight home was long, but I got some stitching done. (update is on my stitching blog if you're interested) This was a long, long, long day. I ended up getting a wake-up call at 3:45am and by 2:15pm EST, I was home. I had dinner with Tiago at a Malaysian place and had some drinks with Rebecca at the Brogue. It was a nice way to end the vacation.
The next day, my brother Mike (home for a week from school) went with me to get new running shoes. Rob and Tiago met us there to have lunch, and I took Mike to the mall to see the iPod minis. They're just awesome. After dinner that night, I came back to Richmond for a LOT of unpacking, some catching up on TiVo, and a little bit of planning for the upcoming surprise vacation.
...but more on that later.
