Greetings from LA

Dinner with a Movie

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:07:36 +0000

Mom is visiting this weekend. As we were talking about things we might do, L suggested that we check out a movie at the Gold Class Cinemas. A friend of hers had just visited, and I remember reading about the concept when they first came to town. I had been wanting to catch Inception, so [...]

Climbing the Music Box Steps

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:21:08 +0000

In the 1930s, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy tried to push a crated piano up one of Silverlake’s pedestrian staircases. That process – and its outcome – are the subject of their short film, The Music Box. I’m not much of a Laurel & Hardy fan, but it’s still pretty cool to incorporate a bit [...]

Villains Tavern

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:43:13 +0000

The excitement I felt after climbing the 55 stories of the Wells Fargo Tower quickly dissipated last evening when I tried the 42-story One California Plaza and took the same amount of time. Maybe it was the warmer weather, maybe it was the larger crowd of people climbing with me, but it opened my [...]

mac&cheeza

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:05:54 +0000

I haven’t posted in a while, but it’s not for a lack of doing things. They’ve either been repeat activities, like Hollywood Bowl (RENT and Sergio Mendes this summer) or out-of-state trips, like a great weekend in NJ/NY. But last night provided a perfect posting opportunity. I met L after work at Spring Street, a fun [...]

55 and Climbing…

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:11:56 +0000

Last year I wanted to participate in the Stair Climb to the Top at the US Bank Tower – 1500 steps to the top of the tallest building west of the Mississippi. But I wimped out, mostly because I had no way of finding out beforehand whether I’d have the endurance to make it. They [...]

Dwell House Tour – Eastside

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:15:31 +0000

The second day of the Dwell On Design Home Tour focused on the “Eastside“, which this year consisted of Silver Lake, Larchmont, Hollywood and Atwater Village. And unlike the first day’s tour, this one had much more varied terrain, from the shadows of Chavez Ravine to the top of the Hollywood Hills. We met up at [...]

Dwell House Tour – Westside

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:57:39 +0000

This past weekend, the Dwell on Design convention was in town, and consequently I was able to enjoy two of their home tours. Once again, my feelings could be summed up in a word: wow. This event is a fantastic way to discover the endless ways that architects and designers have created living spaces suited [...]

Getty Villa

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:13:26 +0000

It took me 18 years, but last weekend I finally visited the Getty Villa. Now I wonder why it took me so long! It’s probably because I don’t seek out collections of antiquities. But I must admit that I enjoy them every time I see them. I didn’t realize that the Getty Villa was designed in [...]

Hiking Topanga State Park

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:53:38 +0000

One of the draws of Topanga Canyon was the excellent hiking it offers. In planning our stay at Topanga Canyon Inn, we knew we’d want to begin it with a hike in the nearby state park. And as always, I turned to Modern Hiker for ideas on which ones to do. We decided to park [...]

Topanga Canyon Inn

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:12:43 +0000

I enjoy it when my handful of readers – mostly on Facebook – suggest blogworthy activities. This weekend’s adventure was inspired by a Westways article forwarded to me by friend B. The article described a “weekend walk” taken by a pair of friends last December. It started in Redondo Beach and ended in Topanga Canyon. December [...]