L. A. Review

Since early May, Eric and I had been planning our end-of-summer school trip to Los Angeles. We each decided a few places we wanted to see and things we wanted to do. Then, we had to decide on the dates and where to stay.

Eric found the Ramada West Hollywood and thought it looked good. It was a very nice hotel, in a fine area of town. The room was great and close to both Starbucks and Trader Joe's, two of my favorite places. The only downside was it was not that close to many of the places we visited. I did not want to drive (I dislike driving in big cities, especially ones I am unfamiliar with). On Day 1, we wore ourselves out walking to Hollywood Blvd to see the sidewalk of stars. But the sights were worth it. My legs and feet would recover. That night we ate at Primo Bistro, next door to the hotel. Eric and I agreed the bruschetta was delicious.

Day 2 we took the Starline Grand Tour and Stars Homes Tour. We were picked up at the hotel by the shuttle and taken to the Starline Office, where we boarded a double-decker bus for a tour of the area. I had never seen L.A. except for the airport before, so this experience was well worth the time and money. Places we visited included the Kodak Theatre, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Bowl, Farmer's Market, La Brea Tar Pits, Rodeo Drive, Chinatown, Melrose Drive. The highlight was when we switched to the roofless van for the driving tour of stars homes. We cruised up and down Mulholland Drive, seeing fabulous views of the city as well as gorgeous homes. After that, we picked up sushi and drinks at Trader Joe's for our in-room dinner.

Day 3 we toured Warner Brothers studios in the morning. What a great place. I got to see the set of one of my favorite shows, Chuck. We also visited the Friends Central Perk set, still preserved and open to the tour. The WB museum was interesting (smaller than I thought it would be). I enjoyed learning some of the "secrets" to making movies and TV shows. But I was hoping to see real actors and see filming. Unfortunately, Monday morning was not the most active time. We did see some people scouting for locations for the upcoming movie Priest.

After lunch at Koo Koo Roo Chicken Bistro (yummy salads), we went to the Family Feud taping. We spent nearly 3 hours there, learning how to be a good audience member (clap, clap, and clap loudly. "Awww" and clap). It was fun and educational. We watched 3 shows. John O' Hurley looks the same in person. Family Feud is taped in the same place as Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown (we got a peek at their sets). Initially, we were going to see The Price is Right, but we decided we wanted to sleep in, not get up at 4 a.m. to stand in line for hours on end. Family Feud was one of the few shows taped during the time we were there. Eric and I really wanted to see a sitcom taped, but no such luck.

Tuesday, our last full day there, was low key in the morning. Eric slept in. I was up before 7 a.m. (never did adjust to the time zone) and went to Starbucks for my morning mocha. I sat in a comfy chair, reading Julie & Julia and watched people. Later that morning, we walked to the Beverly Center, a fabulous multi-storied mall. Both impressive and intimidating. Then we went to Robertson Ave. (a shopping/dining street) and found a wonderful little Italian cafe for lunch. Following that we walked some more, then went back to the hotel for a restful, cool afternoon. L.A. was definitely warmer than I thought it would be.

Our big finale was a Dodger's game that night. We took a taxi to the stadium (don't ask how much it cost). The trip took us through some very unusual parts of the city during rush hour (so, of course, the driver avoided the "parking lot" of the interstates). Eric got us great seats, field level, behind home plate. What a fabulous stadium, and I am not the biggest baseball fan. I did enjoy the game, Manny's home run, the guy who ran out on the field and was tackled by security, etc.

On Wed. morning, we took the Super Shuttle van to the airport (we also stopped many times to pick up other riders--again seeing lots of the city). I can tell you I am not a fan of LAX. It's crowded, crazy, and confusing. When we checked our bags, the airline "guy" gave Eric the wrong boarding pass. We had to get that fixed. I forgot I had a water bottle in my purse. Luckily, no big deal. It got pitched. Then a security alarm went off, locking the door to the concourse, so we had to wait in a warm hallway till that was fixed. At least the flight was uneventful. We got home safely.

There's more to share, but that's the highlights.

We want to go back and see more studios and show tapings. We want to stay in Burbank, not West Hollywood, so we are closer to the "action." But I still do NOT want to drive in L.A. If anyone wants to volunteer for that duty, we'll take you with us.