A Beautiful Glorious View - Day 4

So it was Day 4, and we were headed out of LA. I wasn’t really ready to leave at that point because LA has been on my bucket list. It sounded like a far-away place that I may never see, but I did get to see it. It was beautiful and busy and crowded and crazy.

But mostly beautiful.

I wasn’t ready to leave our nice hotel room, either, I would suggest that if you are ever staying in the LA area, look into staying at Courtyard Marriott LA/Burbank Airport location. It’s close to shopping, the highway, it’s quiet and well-kept. Here’s the link. And the pictures are spot-on. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/burcy-courtyard-los-angeles-burbank-airport/

Oh, and that's the Challenger there, too. 

 

Our friend, Willow, told us about a good breakfast place in Hollywood for breakfast. On a side note, it seemed like everything we did in the LA area took us back to Hollywood or North Hollywood. Fortunately, The Waffle has on-the-street parking AND restrooms! We sat out on the patio and had these outstanding waffles and eggs. Our server was an actor on a REAL show, was very nice, and we had interesting conversation. Check out The Waffle if you are in the area. They have fantastic food! http://thewafflehollywood.com/

I have to admit it was a little sad to be leaving a place I had wanted to visit for so long, but we had to be in Pismo Beach by 3:15 for our date with Sunbuggy. That meant we didn’t have time to go to Santa Monica Pier, which was another thing on the list in my head. Oh well, we will visit there next time.

We took a little, what I think was a detour, on our drive to Pismo, and ended up driving up and down a mountain pass. With no bathrooms. After drinking coffee. I was a mess! We finally did come upon a small town, and it was a good thing.

When we arrived at our hotel in Pismo Beach, Best Western Plus Cliff Shore Lodge, our room wasn’t ready yet. We checked in, though, and went on to Sunbuggy Fun Rentals in Oceano. We left our car in 2-hour parking (yikes!), went to the bathroom on beach with NO sinks to wash our hands, ugh, got on the trailer and rode out to the location on the beach at Oceano State Park. We weren’t the only people out there that day, and it was cloudy, windy and cool again. 

 

Jim was very excited about this experience, and I was just nervous. We had to watch a video back at the shop about safety, and then the representative on the beach also told us about safety, giving us a printed map, told us where to stay away from, etc. He specifically talked about the dunes that went down at a 90-degree angle. I hoped we would not encounter one of those because it would have sent me over the edge (no pun intended!).

We had helmets, seat belts, etc., and Jim started driving down the sand area. After a couple of turns, we found ourselves about 2 feet (maybe, that’s a conservative guess) away from the ledge of a 90-degree sand cliff down. When I looked over to my right and saw it, panic overtook me, and I said, “No, no, no!” Jim saw it, too, and he said later that it had scared him a little bit. He let go on the gas a little, turned the buggy, and we got out of it.

Then the begging started. “Please take me back to the place! I don’t want to do this anymore! You can go out without me again, but please take me back!”

Jim did take me back, but he left with me. He really had a good time and wants to go again, but it will have to be without me. Not again. I’m just not cut out for thrill-rides like that. 

We went inside a candy shop before leaving the area, and we spent like $30 on candy, caramel apples, candy...

We got back to the hotel and checked in, and the view from the balcony was, well, I have no adequate words. The pictures on the website describe it well, but they still do not explain the beauty of this place, http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/US/CA/Pismo-Beach-hotels/BEST-WESTERN-PLUS-Shore-Cliff-Lodge/Hotel-Overview.do?iata=00171880&propertyCode=05203&cm_mmc=BL-_-Google-_-GMB-_-05203. 

 

We had a dinner reservation at the neighboring restaurant, on the Pacific Ocean, called Ventana Grill. It was a good thing Jim thought ahead to make the reservation because they were busy! Our table overlooked the ocean, and it was beautiful. We hoped to see a sunset on the ocean while we were there, but the clouds really never went away that day. While we ate dinner, we watched the seagulls landing on the railing outside, and one of them was hilarious, walking closer and closer to the window. The food was expensive and so incredible. What a great night!

 

 

 

Afterwards, we walked back through the parking lot, got to the room, put on pajamas and played Canasta. The sliding door was open, and we could hear the seagulls and other animals out there making noises. Jim went to bed before I did, and I just sat there on the sofa next to the open door, listening to the sounds of the ocean. I had been dreaming about this moment since I saw the hotel listing on the internet several months ago. Pictures just don’t do it justice.

 

The birds finally stopped talking, and everything became quiet except for the water rushing in over the rocks and cliffs outside the hotel. 

 

 

To say this evening was glorious is a true understatement. When I think about it, it’s hard to find the words, but I can feel it in my heart.

The Observatory is Closed? Wait, What? Day 3

So we learned Griffith Observatory is CLOSED on Mondays!

 

We got up that Monday morning, got ready, and looked for the IHOP that was close to the hotel. (The above picture was right outside the IHOP.) After eating breakfast, we knew we were driving back up to the observatory to see that darn sign! But alas, it’s closed on Mondays, which we did not know. So we drove back down the mountain knowing we wouldn’t be going back up.

Disappointing? Yes.

Did it ruin the trip? No way!

For those who don’t know who Chris Hardwick is – he is the host of The Walking Dead after-show called The Talking Dead. He also hosts another program called @Midnight. I looked and looked to get some kind of tickets for a live taping of a show, and this was the only one I could find. Actually, we were put on the wait list and then given tickets the same day. Jim watched a couple of episodes, so he knew it was a potty-mouth show, but it was Chris Hardwick!

We went down to Hollywood to see the Walk of Fame. THAT was so cool! We parked in the parking garage, and I didn’t even mind spending the money. And people were everywhere! I had to break down and buy a new pair of Sketchers because all I took was sandals – yeah, I know. And we got some souvenirs, t-shirts, magnets, etc.

 

Oh, and there was public restrooms in the mall! I was shocked.

There was quite a few musicians on the streets trying to sell their CDs, but masquerading as giving them away. It was frustrating because we were down there to see things and not be accosted by people trying to sell us things we didn't care about. 

 

I ended up having a horrible hot flash out there in the mall area and thought I was going to die. It took, what seemed like forever, for me to cool down. We sat down, had some Annie’s Pretzels, and talked to a guy from New York. His family was on vacation, too.

Afterwards, we went to find parking where the show was being taped at a stage I can’t remember the name of… The signs on the street were so hard to understand that we drove around several blocks before stopping to read them. Something like “free parking for 2 hours unless it’s on Monday when the street cleaners come by…” But not all signs were the same. It was crazy!

Oh, and we couldn’t take our cell phones in with us, so we have no pictures to prove that we were there. But if you watch the episode, you can see us. From the back.

We stood out in line with a bunch of interesting people while we waited to be herded into the security line. The gal behind us was from England and was taking a year-long trip and going to many countries. She told us a story about it being so hot and her roommates didn’t want her to use the fan, but she did it anyway, and, well. So the guy behind her was from Chicago, and then there was a couple of older ladies, in their 60s, who, while standing there in line, watched as their car was towed down the street. Whoops! They parked in the wrong spot. And I'm not sure, but I think someone with the show helped them afterwards.

In the security line, Jim realized he had his knife with him. So he gave it to them, and they held it until after the show.

We sat out on benches while we waited for them to usher us in. Somehow we ended up in the second row of the studio. The guy who warms up the crowd singled several people out, including a beautiful middle-aged woman who was there with her son (and they made him dance on stage for 20 seconds), a young single lady who really played along, and me. Yes, the person who doesn’t like spotlights shining on me, no attention, etc. There was some foul language, and it was a little embarrassing, but Jim got a @Midnight t-shirt out of the whole thing AND we got to see Chris Hardwick! He is funny, but I have to admit that I do like him better on The Talking Dead.

Afterwards, we picked up Jim’s knife and headed out so Jim he could show me where he lived when he lived in in LA as a young adult. He also wanted to go to a hamburger place that he swore was just fantastic, and when we saw one of the locations, we decided to go to the one by our hotel in Burbank instead.

To say that it’s a little hole in the wall is an understatement. And guess what? They didn’t have a public restroom, either! I had to walk across the parking lot to the Carl's Jr to go to the bathroom. Insanity! (Yes, that is the Challenger in the background behind my head.)

 

We decided the food wasn’t exactly as good as he remembered, stopped by Walmart to get some playing cards, and went back to the hotel. Then we sat in the lobby and played Canasta for a while. It was a lot of fun.

I had already decided that I was glad we didn’t live in LA, but to visit there was just priceless. We were having such a great time, and really, we had only begun.

25th Anniversary Trip - 2 Days In

So we woke up that Sunday morning to the sound of seals outside in the marina. I looked for them several times, but I could not find them.

The room was getting warm, and I was ready to hit the road. Poor Jim had to drag all of our suitcases and junk down the stairs after dragging all of it up just a mere 18 hours earlier. But we were on the road again to our next destination. In a loud COOL car.

 

First, though, we wanted to find a place to eat breakfast.

We ended up in San Clemente, and as “luck” would have it, a farmer’s market was going on in the downtown area, and it was hard to find parking. According to Yelp, there was also a great restaurant over there for breakfast called Café Mimosa. We got there when there was only a couple of empty tables out of less than 20. We had THE BEST crème brulee French toast. Oh my! It had blackberries all over it. The coffee was great, and really everything was great.

 

When we were leaving, the wait line was insane!

We went across the street and walked through the farmer’s market. What a neat little town! The houses were so cute, the people seemed very happy and nice, and the food…

 

This was the day we were driving into Los Angeles. We were staying at Courtyard Marriott/LA Burbank Airport. On the way there, we decided to drive up to see the Hollywood sign from the observatory. However, the parking lots were full, and people were walking/hiking up the mountain just to get there. Unfortunately, I had to use the rest room so bad that I couldn’t think of walking anywhere. Only to a bathroom. And we were stuck in standstill traffic.

After getting out of the mess, we drove into Hollywood and found a Starbucks so we could use the restroom. No public facilities.

We walked a couple of doors down to Jersey Mikes’ Subs and found they had a bathroom, but you had to buy something to get the code in order to use the restroom. So we bought a meal and split it. The food was really good! And I was so glad to find a bathroom that we could use.

Then we checked into the hotel, which was nothing short of fantastic. The room was beautiful, the bed was comfortable, and it was great.

We made a trip to Target and bought a fan. And then we headed over to see a few of Jim’s former students from his teaching days in North Kansas City. They are about 30 now, which is unbelievable!

The parking was crazy around the apartments, and we had to park a block away. But when we got there, it was easy to forget the small stuff. Nathan and Stephanie have a young daughter and baby son. And another student, Lindsay, was there, too. We got to talk about what’s been going on for the last 10+ years in everyone’s life.

We are so proud of all three of them. They are living for Jesus in LA! Nathan is working at his church, and Stephanie gets to hang out with her babies – Lindsay is an editor on a TV show (I’m not saying which one). 

 

And there we were, like no time had passed since the last time we were together. It’s kind of funny that the last time we all saw each other, they were just kids, and now they are responsible adults who are living their lives.

It was so good to see them all, get the updates of life, and make the decision that we are staying in touch better in the next 10 years than we did in the last 10 years.

They suggested, if we wanted desert, we go to an ice cream place called Salt and Straw, but that place was too busy. So we ventured over to the Republic of Pie. What a cool atmosphere! It was like a little bar with pie, coffee, live music and dim lights. Had a great time.

We knew the next day would be awesome, too, and that we didn’t have to pack up and leave the hotel because we were staying there for 2 nights. That alone made it easy to fall into bed and pass out.