Monday, 11 November 2024

Los Angeles

Today is my last full day in LA and there is only one thing on my agenda, besides packing for tomorrow's flight home, my scheduled visit to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. I purchased my 11am ticket on-line as soon as I knew when I would be here. I had originally thought I would drive from the hotel, but since the LA transit system works so well and is very inexpensive, I decide to avoid the traffic and save the money that would otherwise go to parking.

I walk the three short blocks to the Metro Center Station, where all the downtown lines converge. The trains come pretty rapidly since this is a work day. I take the "D" line west four stops to the end of the line (there is a plan to extend this line all the way to Santa Monica), but as of now the "D" is the shortest of the seven underground Metro lines. When I exit the station I immediately catch a westbound bus that takes me all the way to the museum on Wilshire Avenue. Total time: about 40 minutes; total cost: $1.75. I arrive well before eleven, but there aren't many visitors today, so I get immediate admission.

The Museum is located in a restored department store building, with a brand-new domed Dolby Theatre attached. The exhibits range over four floors and cover film history, all aspects of film technology, and close examination of individual films (Casablanca and The Godfather trilogy, for example).  Although I spend almost three hours, there is too much to absorb in one visit. In addition to the permanent exhibits, there are also special temporary exhibits, such as the current one on the Jewish founders of the major Hollywood studios. There is also a gift shop, restaurant, and coffee bar.

Dolby Family Terrace

Full-Scale Model of "Bruce," from Jaws

Sidney Poitier Lobby

Judy Garland's Ruby Red Slippers

Poster Collection of the Films of Pedro Almodovar

To return to my downtown hotel I just follow the same transit route in reverse. That gives me enough time for a nap and to get all my gear together for tomorrow's travels.

Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Los Angeles to Tucson

There isn't much to report about traveling home. I retrieve my rental Kia and leave the hotel at 9am. It takes three freeways to reach LAX, but even with morning traffic I arrive at the car rental return facility in about 45 minutes. Although the return area functions for several different companies, the process is quick and efficient, and in almost no time I am on the free shuttle to Southwest Airlines terminal. I am most pleasantly surprised that at this time in late morning there are very few travelers. In fact, the security check area is literally empty and I have never gotten through so fast.

My flight leaves on time at 1:05pm and arrives in Tucson at 3:30 (there is now a one hour time difference between Arizona and California). My friend Anita meets me at the airport and we stop at Dominick's Italian Restaurant for dinner. Since I am not really sure what is going on with the lockdown at Mountain View, I decide to spend the night at Anita's at Tangerine Crossing.

On Wednesday morning we have breakfast at First Watch in Oro Valley and then I am at home, finally, around 11am.

So ends a quick California trip. LFLatSea will return very soon with more details about the trip Will and I are taking to Peru from 4-25 December. I hope my readers will join us on the journey.

Sunday, 10 November 2024

Los Angeles--Part 2

Another day has passed in Tucson, but LFLatSea goes back to continue with Sunday in Los Angeles

Just one block north of the Disney Music Hall is the more traditional Music Center's collection of theatres. Jerry Moss Plaza, a 35,000 square foot outdoor space, connects the three major buildings:  the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (the first theatre, completed in 1964), the Ahmanson Theatre, and the Mark Taper Forum. The plaza is centered by a low-level fountain and the Jacques Lipchitz-designed sculpture, “Peace on Earth.” 

Low-Level Fountain in Front of Lipchitz's "Peace on Earth"

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

View of LA's Iconic City Hall Tower from the Music Center

From the Music Center it is a downhill walk to visit the sights of the second tour:  "El Pueblo," starting at Los Angeles Plaza, the center of this historic district and the birthplace of the city. On the south side of the plaza stands Pico House, a hotel built in 1870.

The Old Plaza Firehouse (1884), is next door.

On the north side of the plaza is La Plaza Methodist Church (1926), 

which houses the Museum of Social Justice.

Olvera Street, a pedestrianized passage that is the commercial center of the barrio, starts to the left of the Methodist Church and stretches for several blocks. Popular with locals and tourists, the street offers many opportunities for drinking and dining, as well as myriad souvenirs.

And finally, just down the street is historic Union Station. Like the station in San Diego this one has also been restored to its original grandeur and serves Amtrak, local trains, and the Metro which will take me back to my hotel.

The Metro Center station is just a few blocks from the Westin Hotel. Across the street from the station is a multi-level shopping mall where I see, in spite of the sunshine and warm temperature, a small reminder that the holiday season is upon us.

Tomorrow's blog will take me to the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum on my last day in LA.

Sunday, 10 November 2024

Los Angeles

Today is Wednesday, 13 November, and I am back home at Mountain View with Will. He is fine, but the whole place is under "lockdown" since there are so many cases of the neurovirus. "Lockdown" means that all activities have been canceled, all meals are delivered to residents' apartments, and everyone is encouraged to avoid interaction with other residents. We are free to come and go from the building as we desire, so we can see friends, eat out, and go shopping whenever we want. No word yet on when the lockdown will end, but we are hoping for next Monday.

So I will indulge the sweet dreams of memory as LFLat Sea heads back to Sunday in Los Angeles.

This morning I sleep in a bit and enjoy an excellent buffet breakfast in the hotel--more than enough to keep me going for the day.

I will use my favorite touring app, "GPSMyCity," to explore two large sections of downtown LA. The buildings of the first area present two faces--historic early 20th-century Art Deco style and contemporary post-modern high-rise glass towers.

Richard J. Riordan Central Library Entrance (B. G. Goodhue, 1925)

Central Library Building

Downtown Towers, Old and New

Along this route stands one of downtown's premier attractions, Grand Central Market. First opened in 1917, the Market is a mecca for all foodies and is particularly busy on the weekend from early morning to late in the evening.

Directly across the street from the Market is the Angels Flight Railway, LA's only municipal funicular. The Railway has appeared in more than 100 films and television shows, the most recent being the new Perry Mason series shown on HBO a few years ago. 

From the upper landing it is a short, level walk to Grand Street, with its parade of modern museums, definitive architecture, and large cultural centers. All LA museums are free and have excellent gift shops, especially MOCA.

Museum of Contemporary Art (above and below)

An Exhibition at MOCA, "Industrial Revolutions Pregame"

The Broad Museum, Another Fine Collection of Contemporary Art

The Monumental Escalator Inside the Broad's Lobby

At the Top of the Escalator Are the Vibrant Colors of Jeff Koon's "Tulips"

The Broad Has an Extensive Collection of J. Basquiat's Works . . .

. . . and a Lovely Early Andy Warhol

Next Door to the Broad Museum is Frank Ghery's Disney Music Hall with its swirling metallic shapes.

This blog is already very long and I haven't even completed the first of my two walks. So I shall sign off here and continue with exploring downtown LA in the next entry. Stay tuned.

Saturday, 9 November 2024

San Diego to Los Angeles

Of course, I am way behind again. Today is actually Tuesday, 12 November, and I am at LAX waiting for my flight home to Tucson. But all the details and photos from LA will have to wait for later blogs, because I must first return to this past Saturday.

Saturday is a travel day. Since I don't pick up my car at San Diego airport until noon, I take the very last airport shuttle from the Koningsdam at 9:30. That gives me plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast on board. The shuttle takes a mere 15 minutes to arrive at the airport, where I enjoy some leisure time waiting in the terminal until 11am, when I take the Car Rental Shuttle to the large off-airport building that houses all the rental agencies. I got a really good price deal when I booked on-line, and my black Kia is ready in just a few minutes.

The drive north to LA takes about 2.5 hours by freeway; a little less time using toll roads, but the traffic is about the same. The weather is beautiful, as it has been for the entire trip. Most of the time the traffic moves at a fast pace. Every once in a while there is a tie-up and slowdown (for no reason that I can observe), but in a few minutes all drivers are again speeding north. Sometimes the freeway is three lanes in each direction, and then sometimes it expands to six lanes. Once off the freeway just east of downtown LA, my phone GPS works diligently to get me to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, my home for the next three nights. 

I drop my car at valet parking (included in my nightly rate package), and have my luggage delivered to my room almost immediately (unlike my experience at the Wyndham hotel in San Diego). My suite--all the accommodations are suites here--is on the 15th floor of the Green Tower (there is a total of five towers). The hotel is designed in the open style of John Portman, who is well known for iconic designs in hotels in Atlanta, New York and other major cities. These hotels feature large open lobbies, often with a water element, and round towers housing the guest rooms. This style has gone out of fashion because there is s a lot of wasted space in the large interior atria, sometimes extending to the very top of the hotel (the Marriotts in New York and Atlanta, for example, as well as the hotel I stayed in on my last visit to Singapore). But this hotel has been kept up and refurbished nicely. And the suites are indeed very large and comfortable. Each has a living room; a small kitchen area with microwave, refrigerator, and sink; two bathrooms and a large bedroom. And I have excellent views of downtown LA as well.

 

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When I call Will, who is back home in Tucson he tells me the stressful news that Mountain View Retirement Village is under lockdown for at least a week because of an outbreak of a Nuerovirus which started in assisted living but has spread to independent living as well.  This is a contagious condition that is most often found in the close quarters of cruise ships. But here I am just off a cruise ship where everyone was healthy, while Will has to worry about contagion at home. 

Will previously caught this virus on the last lap of our 15-day Hawaii cruise in 2008. The major symptoms are digestive--constant vomiting and bowel problems. Fortunately the symptoms usually end in 48 hours--but those two days are wildly unpleasant. I will update readers in forthcoming blogs as I get more information.

But I decide that after all this travel and stress I shall call it a day and enjoy room service dinner.  Tomorrow I will begin my visit to the city.