Beverly Hills

The hotel I stayed at during my LA getaway was in Beverly Hills. I just happened to get a good deal on Priceline.com that happened to put me within walking distant of Rodeo Drive. There was a statue on one the intersections that I drove by that I wanted to get a picture of, but I didn't get the chance. It had a large inscription that basically said it was dedicated to all those in the show biz who so courageously fought to keep Beverly Hills an independent municipality..it was hilarious.

I walked around Rodeo Drive a bit Saturday before I left. The only thing I could afford was Starbucks ;) Works for me.

More Santa Monica Pics

These pics are from the 3rd Street Promenade which is a nice shopping area close to the pier. I thought I got some pics of the shopping area itself, but I guess not..oops.

The Silver Street Performer:









A little outdoor ice rink, how cute...

Getty Museum on Black Friday

Finally, here are the pics from the Getty Museum! It ended up being a little over overcast and chilly in LA on Friday afternoon so I headed to the museum. Some of my Pittsburgh friends who have been to LA recommended the museum to me. I had never even heard of it. It's a giant museum on a big hill that looks over the whole city. It's free admission too, which is nice.

I wasn't able to fully enjoy the museum because I was really tired from walking all over Santa Monica and Venice Beach the day before. The inside exhibits had old classic European paintings, a French decor exhibit, a sketch exhibit that presented humor of the 1800's, and old photography of SF and Yosemite. I want to go back soon and get some better pics, hopefully on a sunnier day.





















Views of LA from the Getty:

Black Friday fun

I started Friday as a pseudo shopping day. I bought a little LA guide book Wednesday night that mentioned the boutique district in Santa Monica. I decided to check that out in the morning and while on my way there, I realized that another Frank Gehry building, the Chiat/Day Office, was a few street away. Compared to the Disney Concert Hall it was a little disappointing. Here are a couple pics...



It's not a public building, so I was afraid to go snooping too close. When I saw the building online before I left San Diego, I thought the binoculars was the building, but I guess the building is behind them and the binoculars are a giant facade. Still kinda cool considering Chiat/Day is an advertising firm and a binocular building makes a strong impression.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Promenade and Getty Museum and the rest of my trip.

Thanksgiving in LA..pics coming soon

I was supposed to go to SF for Thanksgiving (sorry Dave and Judy), but I have to move to a new place Saturday, so I decided at the last minute to venture to Los Angeles for good ole turkey day. I left Oceanside Thursday morning and drove directly to downtown LA. What is usually a 90 min to 2 hour drive due to LA traffic, only took an hour. I didn't have long to plan this trip, so I was literally picking stuff to do and places to go Wednesday night.

My first stop was the Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. I didn't pick it because it was Disney, I chose it because it was designed by architect Frank Gehry, who is one of my favorites. It's a really cool building. It made the whole trip whole it right from the start.

















The view of the LA times building from the steps of the Disney Concert Hall.


I then went to Santa Monica Pier and the Promenade shopping district. Both areas were fairly busy for a holiday.







I then walked to Venice Beach which was a way less weird place than I imagined. Still pretty weird, but fun and touristy at the same time.

This is one way of getting away with claiming to have the World's Best Funnel Cake


All in all, it was a good way to spend ole Turkey Day. I of course, had a nice steak lunch ;)

Carlsbad Fair Sunday

On Sunday, I went to the Carlsbad Village Fair which is right up the street from where I live. It reminded me of the Pittsburgh Arts Festival. It was a big event and lots of people were there and there was a ton of booths. I was surprised to see how many booths there were with stuff promoting Hawaii, like Hawaiian art and tiki sculptures. It was overcast and sprinkling when I got there, but an hour later it was all sun again.












I thought this was a Police Segway when I first saw it, but it had a lame little wheel on the front...boo. I did see two people on segways in downtown Carlsbad the other day. I want to try one.

San Diego Saturday Part 2 of 2

On my way home after stopping at the park, I got off path and ended up at a scenic overlook with a view over La Jolla and the ocean. The ocean is on the left in the top pic.