Too tired to salsa

Another lovely Californian morning.

We took the Wilshire Boulevard route this morning for a change, collected Mary from her apartment and headed northwards up the valley towards Camarillo.  We were meeting Diana and Brad for lunch in Santa Barbara but had the idea that we might sneak in a little shopping first.

With reduced prices and special offers there was plenty to tempt us and being of similar mind today, Mary and I chose the same top and trousers.  We could now play a pair of those spooky sisters who dress alike and really embarrass you know who!  Perhaps it’s as well we live so far apart.

There was time to mooch around this pleasant outdoor shopping centre before meeting our friends and one shop in particular caught our eye.  Not only did it appear to have a disproportionate number of pet accessories like

and

there was also a very cosy and practical Christmas present idea which might prove useful for the man who has everything (because he most certainly doesn’t have one of these)

We all agreed that the camouflage print could prove beneficial – one might want to hide when wearing such a thing don’t you think?

Setting the satnav for the restaurant proved challenging too, because The Voice suddenly took to wishing us “Goodbye”, which wasn’t so helpful when we were expecting her to instruct us to turn right or left. Hmm.

We kept her interest as far as the Art and Letters Cafe, a great place for lunch set in a beautiful courtyard in central Santa Barbara.  Diana and Brad arrived shortly after us and we spent a couple of happy hours in their company – how lucky we are to have such delightful friends.

 

After lunch, we pottered along State Street, window shopping and people watching on this lovely sunny Sunday afternoon.  the Anthropologie windows were a slight variation on the Santa Monica branch displays – the wrapped yarn was the same theme, but the “mopheads?”

There were quite a few charming shops along the street and we all agreed, if we decide on a Californian roadtrip, then Santa Barbara would make a great stopping place for a couple of days.

The greenery on both sides of the street, the cute shops and the ocean at the end of the road all combine to make this a pretty place to be.

Driving back the freeway, we spotted the first pumpkin patch of the season – a huge one, too.

Then, having dropped Mary off in time for her to prepare her classes for tomorrow, we continued on our way back to Santa Monica until our progress was stopped by the fire department attending an emergency there in front of us.  A bit of a mystery however, because although the firemen were climbing that long elevated ladder, there were people standing on the balconies in that very same building taking photos of them.  What was going on, we had no idea.  Maybe we will find out tomorrow.

We chose to eat Chinese food tonight, in PF Changs, but the food was so very disappointing we called over the waiter and said so.  Enter one restaurant manager, full of apologies who immediately offered dinner on the house – which was generous but actually the right action, we thought.  Only then did it occur to us that the manager had been speaking to another couple nearby who then left without paying as well.  Not one of that particular restaurant’s better nights, I’d say.

As we left and walked across the top of 3rd St Promenade, we heard music and looked across to see a large group of people dancing salsa in the street.  We’d have gone over and joined them but we were so very tired...

Just time to upload the photos, write a blog and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hooray for Hollywood!

We woke to clearer skies this morning.  The “MegaDoppler” weather report said the marine layer would soon burn off and they were proved correct, because by the time we were out on our way, the skies were blue and everything was tickety boo.

First things first – a visit to Starbucks for hot drinks, enjoyed in spite of the dire warnings

Oh California, we love you so

Anyway, fortified by our carcinogenic beverages, we headed into the city, towards Mary’s.  There weren’t so many people around at this early hour.

Waiting to turn onto Sunset, we did our usual ogle of the house on the hill.  Who lives in a house like that?

An hour or so later, we were off out for breakfast, to one of our favourite haunts – Canters. 

This is a long standing LA favourite and offers traditional fare – it’s the choosing that’s the problem, because the menu is extensive.

We eventually settle for cheese blintzes for me, waffles for Mary and Corned Beef Hash for you-know-who.  Delicious.

By now it was getting towards lunchtime and we headed for the area between Hollywood and Highland, now a fairly new shopping mall with a vaguely Egyptian theme.  We weren’t here to shop, more to ensure a place to park the car for the afternoon, because this part of Hollywood is prime tourist territory and we really didn’t want to encounter difficulties later.

The “mall” has a pathway running through it with short tales of success and stardom. These quotes are not attributed to any individual, though it’s fairly easy to guess who is being quoted in a couple of them.  Most are of the “dream came true” type of story, generally overlooking the years of hard work and/or rejection and failure before achieving stardom.  Yes, we are in LaLaLand.

We love it though and thought it fun to spy the Hollywood sign up there on the hillside opposite.

Whilst the children played in the fountains – it was getting quite hot by now – we enjoyed a cool drink in the shade before heading down to the Kodak Theatre, same place as the Oscars are held each year.  Lucky for us, Mary had got tickets for the hottest of shows right now – Cirque du Soleil’s $100 million Iris.  Only recently opened, we were delighted that, after several year’s dithering about a visit to see this altogether different circus from our “usual” one, we were finally going to see it for ourselves.

All I can suggest is that you take a look at the website and get a flavour of this amazing show – no photos of course.  We were all three of us utterly gobsmacked by the whole spectacle; at times there was so much happening, it was hard to know where to look.  The costumes and characterisation were superb, the performance and production beyond all expectation and at times we gasped with amazement and delight at the skill of the performers and the clever concepts which had been created.

What can I say but “wow”!

How could we follow that?  Late afternoon was no time to be starting something fresh, so we returned to Mary’s apartment and simply relived as many details of the show as we could remember – whilst I was scribbling madly into my small notebook to record them!

Of course, we were hungry too, so we made a short drive to The Counter for a bite to eat before dropping Mary off at her home and braving the traffic from the Hollywood Bowl right opposite.  Santana were playing there tonight and though I would down the windows to try to hear something of their music on this warm, still evening, there was none to be heard. We carried on past the Bowl and went back to Santa Monica and “home”.

What an amazing day – will we ever lose the buzz of driving back along Wilshire and simply being in this great city?

Later that day

3 Sudoku puzzles :: One gin and tonic :: lunch :: two glasses of Pouilly-Fume :: Midnight in Paris :: zzzzzz :: Two episodes of Desert Island Discs :: Water for Elephants :: zzzzzzzzz :: Five chapters of Travels with my Aunt :: tea :: return to seats and buckle up for landing and…

We’re here in Los Angeles.

Sadly, the sky isn’t quite as blue as it might be and that grey raincloud actually dispensed a few drops as we landed.  But it’s warm and the forecast is good.

Our aptly named Chevy Malibu was there waiting for us in the parking lot and in no time at all we were heading out of the airport and on our way.

The magic of the lunchtime flight which leaves at noon and lands at 2.30pm, meaning that our Friday afternoon view is of palm trees, beach and the ocean. 

(Unless we look immediately down into the parking lot beside the hotel, where there is a car dressed as a chicken.  Hmm.  Only in LA?)

Anyway, the hotel has upgraded us to a suite, we have showered and put on fresh, clean clothes and are off out to meet Mary and Diana for Margaritas and Mexican tonight.

Life is good!