Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Today was a sad day. Today was the day that I had to pack my things and go home. So that is what I did. I packed my things, Kuda picked me up, drove me to the airport, I boarded my plane, stopped in Las Vegas for about thirty minutes, then headed onward to Philadelphia.
Boy I do miss LA. It's a wonderful place, full of hopes and dreams, glamour and glitz, show and business, and show business. But looking back, I realized that a city is just a bunch of buildings and land without the people who contribute to it. I think, no, I am sure that the reason my trip was so fulfilling was due to the friends I had and have made on this trip. I think LA just provides an opportunity to exhibit one's collective energy and creativity. It is a city of show, however, full of depth if you care to venture and explore it.
I thank God for the depth I found through the friends I have there and made there and will have there. Until next time, goodbye City of Angels, you've definitely left a mark and motivated this one.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Los Angeles DAY 15: The Last Supper
Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Today was my final full day here in LA. I spent most of the day inside, relaxing until Kuda brought Flitz and Nick home from work.
We were going to attempt to shoot something, but because it was getting late and we were losing light and we were all hungry, we decided to go get food instead.
Just like the day I arrived, we took a trip down to Hollywood Blvd for my last supper. We had trouble agreeing on where we wanted to eat but finally settled for California Pizza Kitchen. We had a fun and entertaining night. Flitz, Kuda, Nick, and I delved into good conversation and flirtation with the CPK wait staff. Family fun for everyone.
Before we left, after having some conversations with the waitress and hostess, Flitz and I put on a quick breakin' demonstration outside of the restaurant. I finally got to dance, haha. I think Nick was more surprised than the girls. Our session lasted about a few runs, until a security guard or cop, couldn't tell, told us to stop and to go dance in the street if we wanted to dance. CPK is in like a outside mall area so I guess dancing is prohibited there.
After dinner and a dance, we left and went back to Flitz's house where everyone passed out. Except for me. I stayed up most of the night watching youtube videos. Damn youtube!
Tomorrow was my flight, and I seem to do very little sleeping before travel days. I don't know if it's anxiety or just coincidence. Ah well. I loved my time out here!
We were going to attempt to shoot something, but because it was getting late and we were losing light and we were all hungry, we decided to go get food instead.
Just like the day I arrived, we took a trip down to Hollywood Blvd for my last supper. We had trouble agreeing on where we wanted to eat but finally settled for California Pizza Kitchen. We had a fun and entertaining night. Flitz, Kuda, Nick, and I delved into good conversation and flirtation with the CPK wait staff. Family fun for everyone.
Before we left, after having some conversations with the waitress and hostess, Flitz and I put on a quick breakin' demonstration outside of the restaurant. I finally got to dance, haha. I think Nick was more surprised than the girls. Our session lasted about a few runs, until a security guard or cop, couldn't tell, told us to stop and to go dance in the street if we wanted to dance. CPK is in like a outside mall area so I guess dancing is prohibited there.
After dinner and a dance, we left and went back to Flitz's house where everyone passed out. Except for me. I stayed up most of the night watching youtube videos. Damn youtube!
Tomorrow was my flight, and I seem to do very little sleeping before travel days. I don't know if it's anxiety or just coincidence. Ah well. I loved my time out here!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Los Angeles DAY 14: Strange Venice and Rants
Monday, April 27, 2009. Venice Beach was on the menu today because we never made it down there yesterday. Kuda picked me up, and we drove down.
Venice is one of those places that's probably been in nearly every Hollywood film that used a beach from LA. It's pretty huge. About a a quarter of a mile in form the ocean is a wide walk way kind of like a boardwalk. Except it's not made of wood, rather, it's cement. Here, there are a lot of shops and vendors along with a bunch of artists, street performers, and just straight up strange people.
The first stop I made was in this little offshoot area with various stores. We went into a clothing store which a lot of nice stuff. Anywhere from throwback vintage looking t-shirts to hip trendy jackets. Prices were a little steep though.
We left that store and stopped at sun glass stand that was being ran by some little Asian woman. Because the sun was really bright, I bought a pair for eight bucks!
After sportin' some new shades, I came across a van with a long tent and racks of clothes. I noticed that these racks were stocked with unique vintage band tees. These were the real deal. I saw shirt designs that you cant find in the store. After some searching, I found some Queen shirts and bought them. The best part, they weren't expensive. Thirteen dollars each! And they have that soft t-shirt feel.
Venice Beach is full of very cool and interesting things. There's a lot of art on the walls of the stores. Remakes such as Van Gogh's Starry Night, as well as original works and Graffiti.
The street performers are interesting to say the least. There are artists doing paintings, musicians playing instruments, and people doing I don't know what. We passed a guy playing the diggory doo as well as some dude who was almost naked holding what looked like two albino cobras by the neck. Like I said strange people. And that was only the tip of the ice berg.
We passed by Muscle Beach. This is apparently where their current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used to work out as he was becoming a Hollywood action star. It's actually an outdoor gym where people can work out in public. I would feel weird doing that.
After we got to the end of the walkway, we went back to the car and took a drive down Main St. Main St has a lot of shops and boutiques, including Undefeated, another popular underground sneaker store. I stopped in there, saw a few sneakers that I wanted, but didn't buy.
On our way back, we picked up Flitz, got my Jack in the Box fix and then headed to the Burbank Mall so that Flitz could buy jeans. We hung out there for a little bit, then rocked out at Rock Band at the Best Buy and then headed back to Flitz's.
We filmed a VT Rant. If you don't know what that is, check out http://www.youtube.com/ViolentToenailz. Filming was smooth until our set started to fall apart and a wood painting fell on fish bowl, smashing the bowl and spill water every where. My first thought, save the fish! Fortunately for the fish, there was enough bowl left with water that the fish survived. He was in a little shock though. All the stores were closed so the Fish is currently in a glass vase.
We capped the night off with some Little Caesar's Pizza and a film about hecklers called 'Hecklers'. After watching this film, I think I'll be a little more aware of how critical I can be. Watch the movie, you'll understand what I mean.
One more full day left. Time is whizzing by fast, but I've learned to stop and smell the LA roses.
Venice is one of those places that's probably been in nearly every Hollywood film that used a beach from LA. It's pretty huge. About a a quarter of a mile in form the ocean is a wide walk way kind of like a boardwalk. Except it's not made of wood, rather, it's cement. Here, there are a lot of shops and vendors along with a bunch of artists, street performers, and just straight up strange people.
The first stop I made was in this little offshoot area with various stores. We went into a clothing store which a lot of nice stuff. Anywhere from throwback vintage looking t-shirts to hip trendy jackets. Prices were a little steep though.
We left that store and stopped at sun glass stand that was being ran by some little Asian woman. Because the sun was really bright, I bought a pair for eight bucks!
After sportin' some new shades, I came across a van with a long tent and racks of clothes. I noticed that these racks were stocked with unique vintage band tees. These were the real deal. I saw shirt designs that you cant find in the store. After some searching, I found some Queen shirts and bought them. The best part, they weren't expensive. Thirteen dollars each! And they have that soft t-shirt feel.
Venice Beach is full of very cool and interesting things. There's a lot of art on the walls of the stores. Remakes such as Van Gogh's Starry Night, as well as original works and Graffiti.
The street performers are interesting to say the least. There are artists doing paintings, musicians playing instruments, and people doing I don't know what. We passed a guy playing the diggory doo as well as some dude who was almost naked holding what looked like two albino cobras by the neck. Like I said strange people. And that was only the tip of the ice berg.
We passed by Muscle Beach. This is apparently where their current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used to work out as he was becoming a Hollywood action star. It's actually an outdoor gym where people can work out in public. I would feel weird doing that.
After we got to the end of the walkway, we went back to the car and took a drive down Main St. Main St has a lot of shops and boutiques, including Undefeated, another popular underground sneaker store. I stopped in there, saw a few sneakers that I wanted, but didn't buy.
On our way back, we picked up Flitz, got my Jack in the Box fix and then headed to the Burbank Mall so that Flitz could buy jeans. We hung out there for a little bit, then rocked out at Rock Band at the Best Buy and then headed back to Flitz's.
We filmed a VT Rant. If you don't know what that is, check out http://www.youtube.com/ViolentToenailz. Filming was smooth until our set started to fall apart and a wood painting fell on fish bowl, smashing the bowl and spill water every where. My first thought, save the fish! Fortunately for the fish, there was enough bowl left with water that the fish survived. He was in a little shock though. All the stores were closed so the Fish is currently in a glass vase.
We capped the night off with some Little Caesar's Pizza and a film about hecklers called 'Hecklers'. After watching this film, I think I'll be a little more aware of how critical I can be. Watch the movie, you'll understand what I mean.
One more full day left. Time is whizzing by fast, but I've learned to stop and smell the LA roses.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Los Angeles DAY 13: In and Out Santa Monica
Sunday, April 26, 2009. Nick decided to play tour guide today, so Kuda drove Nick and I down to Santa Monica. Once we got to the beach area, Nick led the way.
We first made our way towards the Santa Monica Pier. I cant get over how great the weather has been. I see why they film in this city. It's like constant sunshine all day with warm weather and a cool breeze.
We finally got to the pier and could see it was packed. Up ahead were just crowds of people. We went about half way down the pier and then decided to just turn around. I didn't really feel like dealing with the crowds like that.
Nick guided over to the Third Street Promenade which was pretty much like an outdoor shopping mall. If you've ever been to Denver's 16th Street Mall, it's almost exactly like that. Here, 3rd st stops and for about three of four blocks, it becomes a giant shopping center with a pedestrian friendly walkway through the middle, which would normally be a road. Here, many street performers set up to perform. The performers ranged form artists, musicians, to dancers.
After walking around for a bit, we had to head back to Flitz's to meet up with him because he didn't have the key to his apartment. When he came home, we decided to wander about North Hollywood. We went to In and Out Burger, which is apparently all the rage here. Honestly, I thought it was overrated. Not bad, nor expensive, but just doesn't live up to all the hype. After In and Out, we went to Barnes & Nobles where we browsed around and hung out.
Today felt like in and out Santa Monica and in and out burgers. However the pace out seems a little more relaxed and laid back, unless you're trying to catch public transportation.
We first made our way towards the Santa Monica Pier. I cant get over how great the weather has been. I see why they film in this city. It's like constant sunshine all day with warm weather and a cool breeze.
We finally got to the pier and could see it was packed. Up ahead were just crowds of people. We went about half way down the pier and then decided to just turn around. I didn't really feel like dealing with the crowds like that.
Nick guided over to the Third Street Promenade which was pretty much like an outdoor shopping mall. If you've ever been to Denver's 16th Street Mall, it's almost exactly like that. Here, 3rd st stops and for about three of four blocks, it becomes a giant shopping center with a pedestrian friendly walkway through the middle, which would normally be a road. Here, many street performers set up to perform. The performers ranged form artists, musicians, to dancers.
After walking around for a bit, we had to head back to Flitz's to meet up with him because he didn't have the key to his apartment. When he came home, we decided to wander about North Hollywood. We went to In and Out Burger, which is apparently all the rage here. Honestly, I thought it was overrated. Not bad, nor expensive, but just doesn't live up to all the hype. After In and Out, we went to Barnes & Nobles where we browsed around and hung out.
Today felt like in and out Santa Monica and in and out burgers. However the pace out seems a little more relaxed and laid back, unless you're trying to catch public transportation.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Los Angeles DAY 12: Off Day
Saturday, April 25, 2009. We got up really early, 4:30am early, so that Kuda could give Chelsea a ride to the airport. I went along for the ride and the moral support. It was a sad morning, watching a fellow musketeer depart for the east coast, haha. I know, very cheesy.
After Chelsea got through the security gate, Kuda and I headed back to Flitz's, where I passed out for the rest of the morning. I made sure to set my alarm for 11am though because the Flyers played at 12pm PST and I was going over my friend Jean's house to watch it.
12pm came and I headed over to Jean's. Jean is a friend of mine I've known from high school. We use to practice dance together and about a year and a half ago, she moved out to LA to pursue her acting career. She's been doing pretty well. Her most recent credit is a starring role in a movie called 'The Telling' which was produced by and also stars the playboy playmates from the show 'The Girls Next Door'.
After watching the Flyers blow a 3-0 lead at home to end their series with the Penguins, thus ending their season, I was depressed. Jean and I decided to grab some good food at this Italian restaurant. After our late lunch, I started getting sleepy, so I decided to go back to Flitz's and take a nap. The nap never happened. Instead, I stayed on my computer and just browsed the interweb. Then I put on the movie 'Just One of the Guys'.
After the days I've been having, I needed a day to just relax. Flitz's roommate Nick came home around 7:30pm. After he got some online gaming in, and I finished the movie, we decided to go out for a walk around North Hollywood, looking for a place to eat. We came across this pizza place with a big sign that read 'Large Pizza only $5'. We figured, what the heck, let's try it out.
I felt like I was in a movie. The service was so bizarre. First, we decided we were going to order a large pepperoni pizza and a side of large fries. We sat down and waited. And waited some more. Finally, the guy came out of the kitchen and asked if we wanted anything to drink. Nick ordered a Coke and I ordered a Snapple. Because the fridge was broken, he took our bottled drinks and placed them in the freezer. I think after a total of forty minutes later (at least it felt like that), he came out with our pizza. The fries weren't done yet. Nick got up and asked for some pizza condiments, you know, Parmesan cheese, red pepper, oregano, etc. The guy said OK, and brought out our fries with some ketchup packets and Parmesan cheese packets. That's it.
I decided to take a shot. I got up and stood in front of the counter window. The guy asked me what I was waiting for. First thing I mention were the drinks. So he went to back and instructed someone else to grab our drinks. This guy then went into the freezer and grabbed our drinks. He then stopped to talk to a coworker of his for about two minutes, drinks in hand, while I'm clearly waiting. After his conversation, he walked towards me, stopped at the side table in the kitchen, and placed the drinks on the table and walked away. I started laughing because what else could I do in this situation. The original guy came back up to me and asked if everything was OK. I told him I was still waiting for our drinks. He grabbed for me and before he walked away, I asked if we could have some oregano, red pepper seeds, and garlic powder. He said sure, went to the back and brought out a small cup of garlic powder, and that was it.
We cut our losses, ate our pizza and fries, and went home. It was so bizarre. For a while, I really thought these people had mental disabilities. I'm not even trying to be funny. Ah well.
On the twelfth day, I rested. A much needed rest I guess. I'm still enjoying LA.
After Chelsea got through the security gate, Kuda and I headed back to Flitz's, where I passed out for the rest of the morning. I made sure to set my alarm for 11am though because the Flyers played at 12pm PST and I was going over my friend Jean's house to watch it.
12pm came and I headed over to Jean's. Jean is a friend of mine I've known from high school. We use to practice dance together and about a year and a half ago, she moved out to LA to pursue her acting career. She's been doing pretty well. Her most recent credit is a starring role in a movie called 'The Telling' which was produced by and also stars the playboy playmates from the show 'The Girls Next Door'.
After watching the Flyers blow a 3-0 lead at home to end their series with the Penguins, thus ending their season, I was depressed. Jean and I decided to grab some good food at this Italian restaurant. After our late lunch, I started getting sleepy, so I decided to go back to Flitz's and take a nap. The nap never happened. Instead, I stayed on my computer and just browsed the interweb. Then I put on the movie 'Just One of the Guys'.
After the days I've been having, I needed a day to just relax. Flitz's roommate Nick came home around 7:30pm. After he got some online gaming in, and I finished the movie, we decided to go out for a walk around North Hollywood, looking for a place to eat. We came across this pizza place with a big sign that read 'Large Pizza only $5'. We figured, what the heck, let's try it out.
I felt like I was in a movie. The service was so bizarre. First, we decided we were going to order a large pepperoni pizza and a side of large fries. We sat down and waited. And waited some more. Finally, the guy came out of the kitchen and asked if we wanted anything to drink. Nick ordered a Coke and I ordered a Snapple. Because the fridge was broken, he took our bottled drinks and placed them in the freezer. I think after a total of forty minutes later (at least it felt like that), he came out with our pizza. The fries weren't done yet. Nick got up and asked for some pizza condiments, you know, Parmesan cheese, red pepper, oregano, etc. The guy said OK, and brought out our fries with some ketchup packets and Parmesan cheese packets. That's it.
I decided to take a shot. I got up and stood in front of the counter window. The guy asked me what I was waiting for. First thing I mention were the drinks. So he went to back and instructed someone else to grab our drinks. This guy then went into the freezer and grabbed our drinks. He then stopped to talk to a coworker of his for about two minutes, drinks in hand, while I'm clearly waiting. After his conversation, he walked towards me, stopped at the side table in the kitchen, and placed the drinks on the table and walked away. I started laughing because what else could I do in this situation. The original guy came back up to me and asked if everything was OK. I told him I was still waiting for our drinks. He grabbed for me and before he walked away, I asked if we could have some oregano, red pepper seeds, and garlic powder. He said sure, went to the back and brought out a small cup of garlic powder, and that was it.
We cut our losses, ate our pizza and fries, and went home. It was so bizarre. For a while, I really thought these people had mental disabilities. I'm not even trying to be funny. Ah well.
On the twelfth day, I rested. A much needed rest I guess. I'm still enjoying LA.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Los Angeles DAY 11: Places and Hills
Friday, April 24, 2009. This week has gone by fast, and today was Chelsea's last day here.
Kuda came over today and Chelsea, Kuda, and I took a drive over to Hollywood Blvd to grab some lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. AS before, good service and good food. We decided to treat Kuda to this lunch as a thanks to all the driving and tour guiding he's done for us. We had these special envelopes from CPK that the manager opens up to reveal a prize. We hoped for the $50,000. Instead we got the 10% off. Hey, that's 10% more than we had before, so I couldn't complain.
After lunch, we decided to take a trip back down to Melrose Ave to do some shopping. This time the weather was a lot nicer and we actually parked and walked. The first store we went to had some really nice clothes, however, very expensive. So Chelsea and I decided to just play dress up. Chelsea tried on a really sweet dress. Too bad it was $150. The thing I like about Melrose Ave is that it's full of a lot of privately owned boutiques that carry very unique clothing and styles.
After stopping in a few stores, we found another Sportie LA. More sneakers! Here, I found a pretty fresh pair of Nike Court Forces. Apparently, they just came out that day. Since I never get sneaker-buying-remorse, I bought them. The more and more I look at them, the nicer they get.
We took a trip to a store called The Hundreds, as recommended by my friend tU pHAce. It's one of those hip and trendy stores. We browsed around briefly and then took a walk around the corner. And then I saw heaven. Well, heaven for sneaker heads. Flight Club! Flight Club is on the top 25 stores sneaker heads need to visit. It was wall to wall sneakers, with a warehouse in the back. It was like shelves full of Holy Grails. They had styles that I've only seen online. Styles you cant find anywhere. I found a pair of Air Max 90's infrared original colorways going for $350. Fortunate for me, I already own them and got them last year for a lot cheaper.
Then I spotted a pair that has been on my Sneaker Hunt list. This orange and black pair of Air Max 90's that I've only seen in Ubiq (Philly) years ago. They were going for $300 back then. Suprisingly, they were only $175 here. I couldn't do it, not yet. Hopefully I wont regret it. They had so many sneakers though. When I'm rich and famous, I will own like 25% of the sneakers there.
Anyway, moving on. After leaving Melrose Ave, we decided to go to the Beverly Hills Center, which is a shopping mall in Beverly Hills. It's a typical with a little more high end expensive stores than usual. We made some stops in some sneaker stores, of course. We visited a store called Planet Funk, which had some nice clothes that were designed by local artists. In fact, Chelsea found a really good buy on jeans. Originally priced at $169, she paid $12. Good for her.
After Planet Funk, we went to J. Lindeberg. It's a pretty expensive store but I found a zip-up jacket at Loehmann's for like $40 so I was interested to see what they had. As I was browsing the racks, this young Asian male comes out of one of the dressing rooms. My immediate thought was, 'that's the new Sulu.' It was actor John Cho. Some may know him better as Harold from 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' or the Asian guy from 'American Pie' who popularized the term MILF. He was trying on pants.
So as I'm walking out, I decided to call my dad because he's a Star Trek fan. As I'm talking to my dad, I point out to Chelsea these two guys walking ahead of us. One was skinny, black, and very tall, the other skinny, shorter, with silver hair. It was J and Ms. J from 'America's Next Top Model'. Chelsea had a slight moment of star struckness. It was funny.
After we spotted those celebrities, I bought a couple of shirts at Heritage and we headed out to go pick up Flitz from the train station.
The gang was together and Kuda, Flitz, Chelsea, and I headed up to her Auntie Joyce' house for 'Chelsea's last day in LA' dinner. Just like before, we had a lot of fun. Jeff and his daughter Eliza were there. Augie and Charlie were there again also, and Charlie brought his daughter Lotus. She was one of the cutest and most outgoing child I've ever met. She was a great source of entertainment. We all had a good time and I felt that it was fitting that we spent the last night with Chelsea in LA this way, with family. Flitz and I got Joyce's blessing to call her Auntie Joyce.
After funny conversations and community Youtube browsing, the yawning started. We decided to leave before we all fell asleep. We headed back to Flitz's, knowing we had to be up in less than five hours to take Chelsea to the airport.
Shopping, celebrity sightings, hanging out with celebrities and future celebrities, it's all in a days play.
Kuda came over today and Chelsea, Kuda, and I took a drive over to Hollywood Blvd to grab some lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. AS before, good service and good food. We decided to treat Kuda to this lunch as a thanks to all the driving and tour guiding he's done for us. We had these special envelopes from CPK that the manager opens up to reveal a prize. We hoped for the $50,000. Instead we got the 10% off. Hey, that's 10% more than we had before, so I couldn't complain.
After lunch, we decided to take a trip back down to Melrose Ave to do some shopping. This time the weather was a lot nicer and we actually parked and walked. The first store we went to had some really nice clothes, however, very expensive. So Chelsea and I decided to just play dress up. Chelsea tried on a really sweet dress. Too bad it was $150. The thing I like about Melrose Ave is that it's full of a lot of privately owned boutiques that carry very unique clothing and styles.
After stopping in a few stores, we found another Sportie LA. More sneakers! Here, I found a pretty fresh pair of Nike Court Forces. Apparently, they just came out that day. Since I never get sneaker-buying-remorse, I bought them. The more and more I look at them, the nicer they get.
We took a trip to a store called The Hundreds, as recommended by my friend tU pHAce. It's one of those hip and trendy stores. We browsed around briefly and then took a walk around the corner. And then I saw heaven. Well, heaven for sneaker heads. Flight Club! Flight Club is on the top 25 stores sneaker heads need to visit. It was wall to wall sneakers, with a warehouse in the back. It was like shelves full of Holy Grails. They had styles that I've only seen online. Styles you cant find anywhere. I found a pair of Air Max 90's infrared original colorways going for $350. Fortunate for me, I already own them and got them last year for a lot cheaper.
Then I spotted a pair that has been on my Sneaker Hunt list. This orange and black pair of Air Max 90's that I've only seen in Ubiq (Philly) years ago. They were going for $300 back then. Suprisingly, they were only $175 here. I couldn't do it, not yet. Hopefully I wont regret it. They had so many sneakers though. When I'm rich and famous, I will own like 25% of the sneakers there.
Anyway, moving on. After leaving Melrose Ave, we decided to go to the Beverly Hills Center, which is a shopping mall in Beverly Hills. It's a typical with a little more high end expensive stores than usual. We made some stops in some sneaker stores, of course. We visited a store called Planet Funk, which had some nice clothes that were designed by local artists. In fact, Chelsea found a really good buy on jeans. Originally priced at $169, she paid $12. Good for her.
After Planet Funk, we went to J. Lindeberg. It's a pretty expensive store but I found a zip-up jacket at Loehmann's for like $40 so I was interested to see what they had. As I was browsing the racks, this young Asian male comes out of one of the dressing rooms. My immediate thought was, 'that's the new Sulu.' It was actor John Cho. Some may know him better as Harold from 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' or the Asian guy from 'American Pie' who popularized the term MILF. He was trying on pants.
So as I'm walking out, I decided to call my dad because he's a Star Trek fan. As I'm talking to my dad, I point out to Chelsea these two guys walking ahead of us. One was skinny, black, and very tall, the other skinny, shorter, with silver hair. It was J and Ms. J from 'America's Next Top Model'. Chelsea had a slight moment of star struckness. It was funny.
After we spotted those celebrities, I bought a couple of shirts at Heritage and we headed out to go pick up Flitz from the train station.
The gang was together and Kuda, Flitz, Chelsea, and I headed up to her Auntie Joyce' house for 'Chelsea's last day in LA' dinner. Just like before, we had a lot of fun. Jeff and his daughter Eliza were there. Augie and Charlie were there again also, and Charlie brought his daughter Lotus. She was one of the cutest and most outgoing child I've ever met. She was a great source of entertainment. We all had a good time and I felt that it was fitting that we spent the last night with Chelsea in LA this way, with family. Flitz and I got Joyce's blessing to call her Auntie Joyce.
After funny conversations and community Youtube browsing, the yawning started. We decided to leave before we all fell asleep. We headed back to Flitz's, knowing we had to be up in less than five hours to take Chelsea to the airport.
Shopping, celebrity sightings, hanging out with celebrities and future celebrities, it's all in a days play.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Los Angeles DAY 10: Fighting LA
Thursday, April 23, 2009. Today I planned to meet up with an old friend of mine from high school. Her name is Melissa and she works for NBC Universal.
Chelsea and I headed to Universal City early to grab some lunch. I figured, since I was meeting up with Melissa later, we may as well head up there early and just walk around. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. The service was great and the food was good.
We headed towards the NBC Universal building at around 5pm to meet up with Melissa. After she got off work, we walked to her car and headed back up to the Universal City Walk, where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and caught up on some stories. It had been almost a decade since we last saw each other. I found out that she works as an assistant to the president of the international affairs department for NBC Universal. What that means is that she helps in dealing with any deals that they have foreign countries that are interested in distributed a NBC Universal film or show. Or something to that degree.
After our quick bite to eat, Melissa took us onto the NBC Universal lot to one of the private screening theaters to screen a new film. 'Fighting' was the film we screened and it wasn't that bad actually. I had very low expectations for it, but in the end, yes it lacked a lot of depth, but it was entertaining, and it was free. So I cant complain.
After the screening, Melissa drove us back to Flitz's, where we met up with Kuda. Kuda then took us back up to the look over point of LA. I wanted to grab some shots of the cityscape at night. Technically, the point is closed after sunset, but we found some people there late at night who guided us around the fence to an opening. You got to make sure you hold on to the gate because you have to go down and around a steep part of the hill and if you let go and fall, you're going to be tumbling quite a ways.
We got in and walked to the top. It looked beautiful. The city lights and various spotlights shooting up in the air made more a nice scene. It was a little hazy, but I got some decent pictures.
After surviving getting in and out of the point, Kuda took us for a drive downtown around the tall buildings. This part reminded me of Philly. It really looked like a city. We drove by the Staples Center and the Nokia Center. Both were lit up like a circus. We also drove by the Walt Disney Concert Hall and past Chinatown, right under the Chinatown Archway that they seem to have in every major city. We also saw some real live pimps on the street. They really do dress that way, bright green suits, long coats, and giant hats.
After our tour around downtown LA, we headed back to Flitz's house where we quickly passed out. Los Angeles is big. Square mileage wise, it is huge. And each part of LA seems to have its own kind of vibe, or own kind of flavor.
Chelsea and I headed to Universal City early to grab some lunch. I figured, since I was meeting up with Melissa later, we may as well head up there early and just walk around. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. The service was great and the food was good.
We headed towards the NBC Universal building at around 5pm to meet up with Melissa. After she got off work, we walked to her car and headed back up to the Universal City Walk, where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and caught up on some stories. It had been almost a decade since we last saw each other. I found out that she works as an assistant to the president of the international affairs department for NBC Universal. What that means is that she helps in dealing with any deals that they have foreign countries that are interested in distributed a NBC Universal film or show. Or something to that degree.
After our quick bite to eat, Melissa took us onto the NBC Universal lot to one of the private screening theaters to screen a new film. 'Fighting' was the film we screened and it wasn't that bad actually. I had very low expectations for it, but in the end, yes it lacked a lot of depth, but it was entertaining, and it was free. So I cant complain.
After the screening, Melissa drove us back to Flitz's, where we met up with Kuda. Kuda then took us back up to the look over point of LA. I wanted to grab some shots of the cityscape at night. Technically, the point is closed after sunset, but we found some people there late at night who guided us around the fence to an opening. You got to make sure you hold on to the gate because you have to go down and around a steep part of the hill and if you let go and fall, you're going to be tumbling quite a ways.
We got in and walked to the top. It looked beautiful. The city lights and various spotlights shooting up in the air made more a nice scene. It was a little hazy, but I got some decent pictures.
After surviving getting in and out of the point, Kuda took us for a drive downtown around the tall buildings. This part reminded me of Philly. It really looked like a city. We drove by the Staples Center and the Nokia Center. Both were lit up like a circus. We also drove by the Walt Disney Concert Hall and past Chinatown, right under the Chinatown Archway that they seem to have in every major city. We also saw some real live pimps on the street. They really do dress that way, bright green suits, long coats, and giant hats.
After our tour around downtown LA, we headed back to Flitz's house where we quickly passed out. Los Angeles is big. Square mileage wise, it is huge. And each part of LA seems to have its own kind of vibe, or own kind of flavor.
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