TINSEL TOWN
13 August 2002
This will be short. It's nearly 2 a.m. and we've just come home. My plane leaves at 7 and that means we are leaving for the airport at 5:30. Do that math!
I've had a very "Hollywood" day. It started with a lovely breakfast in a place which was, as Michael put it, "feng shui's to the teeth." It had a great innovative menu (with wonderful descriptions for its teas and coffees--like Monkey tea, being a "playful taste"). I had an interesting (and quite tasty) mix of egg whites, chicken breast, asparagus, onions, broccoli, and herbs. It was called a protein plate and it was not only tasty but wonderfully low in points!
Then we drove into Hollywood itself, to the Hollywood museum, which is next door to Grauman's Chinese theatre. In front of the theatre, in addtion to the usual crowds of tourists, were Superman and Wonderwoman, in costume, strolling down the street. A middle eastern looking woman stood selling postcards and holding a battery operated fan to blow air on her face, since the temperatures were creeping up into the high 80s.
Hollywood Blvd. was lined with posters hanging on the lampposts advertising the Judy Garland exhibit. It was a small exhibit--actually only photos--but some absolutely MARvelous photos I had not seen before (which will probably end up, some of them, as "photos of the day" later on).
We took a tour that took us through a prop area, a costume area, the actual set of Star Wars (TNG) and Cheers. I had to laugh watching Michael because he works for Fox Studios, so this was like going to work for him, only his stuff is for real, not for tourists.
I made a sizeable donation at the gift shop and we came back here to pick up Maggie.
From here we went to Fox Studios, where Michael gave us a quick tour--sort of like a smaller version of Universal Studios, but for "real" folks, not for tourists. Saw the production offices for The Simpsons, the street for NYPD Blue, Darryl Zanuck's old office, and the huge costume shop. We had hoped to go to the studio stores, where Michael assured me I could get a good discount on things like DVDs,but it was closed.
Then off to Laguna Beach. The air was thick grey--a nice So. California smoggy day. And on the ride home, after the show the 405 was at first, a parking lot, and then closed completely--all 5 lanes--and traffic was being routed onto city streets. We never did figure out why, since the only thing we could see,other than barricades, was ONE police car.
But I figured it was part of the LA experience.
As for the show? Well, I'll leave that report until tomorrow. Be advised I took over 250 photos tonight!
Now I'm going to sleep, at least for a few minutes. Have I mentioned how very much I do NOT want to go to work tomorrow?
Thank you for nominating my entry, Moving On for a DiaristNet award! |
