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.

 

=

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.