Entries from October 2009 ↓

When Erin landed at LAX, she called her cousin, Chris, who lives in Aliso Viejo. We were lucky enough to get him as a tour guide around Laguna Beach for the afternoon!

Erin and I took the 405 to the Pacific Coast Highway near Long Beach, then cruised… I also made Erin take photos out of the window as we drove.

I can’t wait to take a million more photos like this one in Hawaii. (Two weeks!)

Our first stop was Wahoo’s Fish Taco on Fashion Island. We later met Chris, his wife, Stacey, and their adorable chihuahua, Bruiser, there.

In this photo, Erin is actually sitting in the sun because she’s freezing and needs to warm up (she later changed her outfit—you’ll see). California was surprisingly chilly during this visit.

After I took this photo, Chris told me about polarizing lens (it would take the reflection off of the water). I found one when I got home (it’s Karyn’s) so now I need to learn how to use it.

I was all shocked. “Who puts a merry-go-round in the outdoors like this?? California is crazy.” Then Erin reminded me about the merry-go-round at Como Zoo. Oh, right.

This photo was Chris’ idea. I should hang out with other photographers more often—they have good tips!

Everything on Fashion Island was too expensive. I wanted to buy things to take home for family and friends, but figured I would get them better, more expensive gifts from Hawaii instead.

After wandering around Fashion Island, we all hopped into Chris’ car and he drove us to Laguna Beach. This time I took photos out of the car window.

Chris told us this house had been vacant for a couple years. If no one else wants to live there, I guess I will.

Can you believe how much birds can poop? Good thing they have a rock to poop on instead of using the beach.

There was a surfer pretty far out in the water here. I tried to get a photo, but he kept falling into the water. I’ll get some surfer photos in Hawaii, hopefully.

Why don’t I live here? I love the ocean.

I let Chris hold my camera while Erin and I waded around in the Pacific Ocean.

For dinner, Erin and I got ourselves back into downtown Los Angeles and our concierge recommended Bottega Louie a couple blocks away. Now I recommend it, too. The food is so tasty and the restaurant has a fun atmosphere!

Next up: what I learned at Adobe MAX. (It’s about time I review all of the materials I brought home!)

Before I whisk you off to Laguna Beach, I’d like to remember the view from my hotel room on the 21^st floor and my tiny bit of aimless wandering that I did before Erin arrived.

I was up very early in the morning because of the time change. I had some time to enjoy a cloudy sunrise.

My hotel room faced an easterly direction.

I was still amazed by the giant advertisements.

I didn’t eat at either of these places (again due to the line out the door), but I heard that the Pantry was fantastic.

And then I went to pick up Erin.

I’m not done talking about my trip to LA yet (I’m falling behind again!), but I’m already getting excited for my next trip—a real vacation, absolutely no work! I’m heading to Honolulu for my birthday next month. My lovely friend, Jen, will be hosting me. She just sent a very thrilling tentative itinerary:

I haven’t been [to the Byodo-In Temple]. I hear it is really cool, though. I will save it till when you get here. I am getting really excited to have a visitor, so please, please, please tell me if I am over-scheduling your trip.

And a quick note on the way we do sailing… when we go, we don’t really go out into the open ocean. There is a a nice, calm bay we sail in and we just park at a sand bar and drink beer for a couple hours and then sail back. So, I will see how this works out. We never know how the weather is going to be. We might do this on the Saturday you are here.

My class for the Friday you will be in town is canceled, so I am thinking going up to the north shore on a “circle island tour”. We will eat shrimp truck. Shrimp truck is the most delicious thing I have eaten on this island. Ugh! totally the ono (tasty). And we will get shave ice. In November, the big waves are going to start happening on the north shore, and we can watch the pro surfers work their magic.

We will also go to Hanauma Bay which is the best place on the island for snorkeling. This is one more place I haven’t gone, but I have intended on going there forever. Snorkeling is way more fun and interesting than I could have ever imagined!

I will also have to take you to eat Hawaiian food. There is a good place I will take you to. Some things are delicious, some things are “interesting” and everything has a story.

I have a friend who is going back to the mainland for two months, and I think she is going to let me borrow her car for that length of time (it’s a convertible!!!). So you might not have to worry about renting a car!

I am so thrilled. I should probably already be planning another Hawaiian vacation for next year… Jen is there for grad school, so my time for crashing on her couch is limited!

I hadn’t planned on visiting Santa Monica, but I’m very glad I did. It was so beautiful.

From Hollywood, I got on the 101 going north with the intention of taking Barham Boulevard to get a closer peek at the Hollywood sign or maybe visit Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

I blew past that exit pretty quick—oops. So I got on the next exit with the intention of turning around onto southbound 101 and finding Barham Boulevard that way.

No luck: I got lost driving around Universal Studios.

I’m not sure what happened after that… I think I somehow got into the neighborhood north of 134, then ended up taking that to 101 again, which I thought would take me southbound.

Boy, was I wrong.

Somehow 134 had magically turned into westbound 101. This freeway business is insane in Los Angeles.

So there’s me: driving on these crazy interstates with crazy Californians in my car from Massachusetts and my maps from Hertz. I managed to navigate myself onto southbound 405 without incident. I decided then, since I had come all the way over here, I might as well go see the ocean.

I hopped onto highway 2 and cruised towards the Pacific.

Getting back to downtown Los Angeles was pretty straightforward, but took a while since everyone else was going there, too. Oh, well. The beach was well worth the trouble!

I found a meter to park at but only had enough quarters for an hour, so I started walking with a purpose towards the pier. I didn’t think I would make it all that way, but I had a half hour to try to get there (and a half hour to get back before getting a parking ticket).

During my walk, I found this bridge that went down the hill, over the Pacific Coast Highway, and led me right to the beach. Of course I had to go down (I was well aware that I would have to go back up, too).

Dang, it was just so perfect. These photos make me happy.

I thought the seagulls’ tracks in the sand were pretty funny.

I stood in the tide for a few minutes, before I had the same feeling when I stood in the Atlantic: where’s the bathroom? Bad planning—I had to walk all the way back across the beach (which basically meant I would be leaving).

But I knew I’d be visiting another beach the next day, so I was sort of okay about leaving so quickly. I guess I had to get back to my car before the meter police showed up, too.

But it was hard to go since it was pretty perfect out there.

I had missed a couple photos above the hill, though. This is Santa Monica.

These are pelicans, but they looked like pterodactyls.

I noticed that the sun was quickly sinking into the ocean, so I found a spot along the rail to watch.

It took less than 5 minutes for the sun to completely set.

I wish I had been listening better. I was distracted by the fact that everyone else had also stopped to watch the sunset.

It was a very lovely afternoon.

Next up: driving along the Pacific Coast Highway and exploring Laguna Beach.

Oh, I was in California last week. It was a sunny 70°, breezy, and a lot better than Minnesota, where there is currently snow on the ground.

My driver’s side car door was frozen shut this morning. It is not awesome to have to climb into your car at 7:30 a.m.

I wasn’t about to climb out again in order to scrape the windshields. I just sat in the car until I had enough visibility to get on the road towards work. It’s amazing how a mid-westerner’s ability to see through frost/ice-covered windshields improves in winter-like conditions. (It’s not winter yet.)

Anyway, when I arrived in Los Angeles I had to (1) secure a rental car (2) drive myself from LAX to my hotel in downtown Los Angeles and (3) find some much-needed lunch. I drove by Pink’s, but there was a line out the door. I was starving and needed food rightnow (approximately 3 p.m. Minnesota time, and I hadn’t eaten anything since McDonald’s for an early breakfast around 7 a.m.) so I went to the Village Idiot instead. It was just down the road, after all.

My turkey sandwich (with farm greens) was amazing. I felt very full after eating it, so I wandered around the shops in the area—Melrose in West Hollywood? I’m not sure exactly how to refer to the area, but it was cool. I found the best blue sunglasses for only $10 (featured in photos later, when others are around to take photos of me).

I am always entranced by birds, even when they are just flowers.

After visiting West Hollywood, I went to find real Hollywood.

Advertising was everywhere in Los Angeles. It was huge, it was small, it was obvious, it was subtle… I was just astounded.

I couldn’t get enough of the elephants at the Kodak Theatre. You’ll see.

I had intended to get closer to the Hollywood sign for better photos, but then I got lost a few times and stressed out and wound up at the ocean. Oh, well.

I wish I had taken more photos of all of the wacky celebrity impersonators, but they all wanted money for photos. I should’ve just taken a video and wandered around.

The Walk of Fame was too crowded (note the foot in this photo—I’m mad at that guy). If I’m ever out in Los Angeles again, I’ll go visit it again on a week day.

I met a pirate that looked almost exactly like Johnny Depp (I might’ve drooled a little) and a pirate that didn’t really look at all like Orlando Bloom. I gave them $4 for posing for a photo with me—too bad I didn’t pose, as well.

Michael Jackson v1.0

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was beautiful. I could’ve spent all day there if it hadn’t been so crowded. I thought about getting a tour, but decided I had too much left to see elsewhere.

Michael Jackson v2.0 (and a much better impersonator)

A guy with the sweatiest hands ever took my photo with Wax Marilyn. Thanks for reminding me to smile, sweaty hand man.

In this photo: Batman, Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, Shrek, and a couple other randoms that I can’t identify. I missed getting a photo of the whole Star Wars gang.

See? More photos of elephants.

When I got back to my rental car, I finally realized why all of the Californian drivers were dissing my road skills so much: I got Massachusetts plates!

Next up: getting lost in Santa Monica.