LA visit

Here are a selection of pictures from my trip to LA back in July. I went out to visit my friend Allison who has kindly visited me several times in NYC (and written me into a screenplay). Check the archives to find the adventures of Allison and I. They involve such notables as going to the Museum of Sex...drunk, the New Years Eve coat swap, and the 28th birthday horrible shirt debate. She is one of the wittiest people I know, and adventure seems to follow her around. Just recently she got Anthony Michael Hall to hold up her underpants! Yeah, she totally rocks!

Enjoy!

I insited on seeing everything touristy. Here we are outside the famous Chinese Theatre and Kodak Theatre (where the Oscars are). It was equivalent to Times Square in NYC and just as annoying. I had to see it just to say I saw it. You can tell how crowded it was because I am shoo-ing away someone in the picture. I so wanted to take a picture with a Storm Trooper (they have all sorts of people dressed up in costume that would pose for tips) but he surprisingly had a line.

The theatres are located on Hollywood Blvd. which is home to the Stars on the walk of fame. You can tell exactly when I flew over there because it was only a few days after Michael Jackson died. Here is his star that was a mad house (I totally got elbowed twice trying to squeeze in for a picure).

We cruised Beverly Hills at my request to see the famed Rodeo Drive.

Allison had a friend who worked with Zach Snyder, the director/producer of such films like 300 and Watchmen. Yep, those are actual props used in the movie. Awesome.

She later gave me a tour of the Warner Bros back lots and sound stages (in Zach's golf cart). They have all the films or TV shows that have been shot at a each sound stage listed on a plaque. The back lots amazed me because they created realistic snap shots of different cities like Chicago and New York...well realistic except for the token palm tree that peaks out in the background.

Here is the Chicago "ER" shot under the L train.

The NYC village. I am trying to reinact the upside down kiss in Spiderman in the exact location where they filmed it.

One thing I was determined to do is see the Hollywood sign up close. The funny thing is that there are signs posted along the route to the Hollywood sign that say "this is not the way to the Hollywood sign". I guess neighborhoods are tired of tourists driving around looking for the sign. Anyway, we almost got arrested because we stopped to take a picture in front of the sign. Yeah a private security cop screeched by and gave us the whole third degree about "why are you here...well this is a private neighborhood...no you cannot take a picture with me". He then got in his car and tailgated us till we left his territory. I guess a lot of famous and/or rich people live around there and were worried that three midwestern girls would break in and rob them blind.

We made the treck out Venice Beach so I could check out the freaks. Allison, Bailey (Allison's roommate), and I got our fortunes told for $5. It was worth the good laugh but she was waaaay off. She said I had a problem holding on to money which any of my friends can tell you is exactly opposite of my frugal nature. We had some good times in the hat shops while I was looking for my "giant straw hat for Greece".

Here we are frolicking in the Pacific Ocean. You can see the before and after pictures from the wave that snuck up and soaked us from the thigh down.

One evening, we headed over to the Griffith Observatory for their evening show. Sadly we missed it because there were like a bazillion people headed there and we had to park two miles away on some winding ridge road. We did wander the grounds and had stunning views of the LA skyline.

Allison knew how to please my inner geek and arranged for an architectural tour of the Getty Art Museum. The buildings and grounds were gorgeous and were in danger of outshining the actual artwork inside.

Allison has a dog that is HUGE. Seriously I think it is an inch or so storter than the world record. Everytime we took her dog out, people would stop in their tracks. "Is that a small donkey...wait that's a dog!" Of course he is a loveable giant that tails Allison around like a love sick puppy. Here is a picture of us hiking in the hills around the Valley, off of Mulholland Drive.