cobaltika

LA! and of course there are LOTS more here!

LIVE from my new paid-for home internet connection!

i came from from my GREAT trip to LA to find my sporadic bootleg connection had been locked up. i was so spoiled from hanging out in Betsy’s apartment with 24/7 access so i decided not to wait for January, just to do it NOW. there are a lot of things i could care less about having - television, microwave, fancy clothes and stuff, a bathtub, a dishwasher, but man - i want my internets!!!

the trip to LA was wonderful. it was the best thing ever to hang out with both my girls and then their dad came from Oakland and we had t-giving dinner that turned out to be fairly traditional, even though we didn’t have a clue what we were going to make when we went into Ralph’s grocery at 2pm on t-giving day… dressing was requested and sweet potatoes, so we did those, then made a HUGE salad and had 2 pies and decided to buy some hunks of rotisserie turkeybreast, too. and lots of cheap wine! we took a walk around Betsy’s neighborhood (Park La Brea) while waiting for David and saw the tar pits. ick! stinky! David took us on a night sightseeing trip around LA after dinner. he had never been there either. we went to the Griffin Observatory to see the city lights and then drove around downtown and Hollywood.

Next day, much more sightseeing, we went to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica and Venice and Topanga Canyon and Malibu, then after dinner to this crazyass place - Citywalk? Universal Studios? i’m not sure, but it was BIG and NOISY and i was sleepy and i got lost and almost cried and then they found me and held my hand and watched out for me the rest of the night. i guess that was my least favorite place.

Next day, no one would get up and play with me, so i walked all around Betsy’s neighborhood. i LOVE city neighborhoods. finally the girls were up and we rode the bus to Hollywood and went to thrift shops and tourist places. it was way fun! then we rode back, got off at Trader Joe’s, who is my new best friend, and bought some dinner stuff and a bottle of cheap champagne and some 2-buck-chuck. back to Betsy’s and we drank the champagne, hoping Margaret would chill out enough to be able to handle 3 hours in the LACMA, which was free after 5, so we were meeting David there. WHAT AN AMAZING PLACE! even Margaret loved it. there were paintings i never imagined i would see. i spent the whole time looking at 20th century paintings and then the contemporary building, which had the most impressive collection of Joseph Beuys documentation. It would have taken an entire day at least, to view just that exhibit. Then we returned to Betsy’s and David made fettucine alfredo. YUM.

Again, no one wanted to get up, so i worked on my novel and drank coffee. David came by to tell us all goodbye. The girls dressed and we walked (trying to burn off fettucine calories) to West Hollywood, so Margaret could look for minor celebrities. Betsy was helpful and they did manage to spot some and even saw the house of one. we ate salads in the Whole Foods on Santa Monica, while they hoped for some further spottings. we walked back, stopping at the 99-cent store for junk food to take to the movies. the only mistake of the trip. Then, back to Betsy’s, for ibuprofen, since we had walked about 7 miles, i was not the only one with aching legs, and to load our water bottles with white wine and go to see New Moon. we giggled inappropriately, but we were not the only ones. it was SO DUMB! but so much fun, to go together.

Next morning, i was VERY sick from that crap i ate from the 99-cent store. luckily, i recovered before we had to leave. Margaret and i rode the bus, then the rail, then the shuttle to get to the airport. We rode the bus about 4 or 5 times while there, it was so convenient and CHEAP. man, $2.50 to get to the airport instead of what? $45 or more for a cab? every time we were on the bus, we were the only white people. the car culture in LA is obscene. and there are huge wonderful sidewalks. empty. except for an occasional dogwalker, and then in the shopping areas, of course. it just seemed crazy. but still, i liked LA MUCH more than i thought i would and since Betsy is planning to stay there, i am sure i will go back. i can’t wait!

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 6:36 pm and is filed under random. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.