A Day in LaLa Land

It had been a very long time since we had spent a Day in LaLa Land!

The Oscars

In fact, it was 1985! Steve and I went to San Francisco and Los Angeles to celebrate our 16th Wedding Anniversary. That was our first taste of California and it was amazing! We started in San Francisco and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway in our light yellow rented Lincoln Town Car. I remember that we stopped for a delicious lunch at Nepenthe. We sat on the patio along the wall, overlooking Big Sur.

We stopped for an over night stay in the “Rock Room” at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. The entire bedroom and bathroom were carved out of rocks, including the vanity, shower and fireplace. And you chose your room by looking at a loose leaf binder filled with pictures. Each room was totally unique.

After San Luis Obispo we went to L.A. and stayed in the brand new Century City Towers.

Oscar hype on TV

From the moment we got to San Francisco we couldn’t turn on the TV without seeing something about the upcoming Oscars. We had not realized when we planned our trip that we would be in L.A. during Oscar week. But now that Steve knew that he wanted to attend the ceremony. So he went to the Concierge and asked if he knew how we could get tickets.

Honestly, I was mortified. I wanted the floor to open and swallow me up. You couldn’t just buy tickets. But to my HUGE surprise, the Concierge knew someone at the Beverly Hills Hotel that wanted to sell his tickets. Yup. We headed right over to meet him at the Polo Lounge to get those tickets. The tickets even came with Valet Parking.

We tried to get a limo for the night, but there were zero to be had. At least we had a big Town Car. And we also had the appropriate attire. We were planning to get all dressed up for our celebratory dinner so we had brought formal wear.

Arriving in style

When we arrived at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillon we got in line behind the limos. As we inched along toward the bleacher filled entrance we saw one of the presenters, the late Gregory Hines, running alongside our car. He was late!

Steve and I got to walk the red carpet along with all of the celebrities. We could hear the fans in the bleachers murmur “Oh, he’s in a soap opera” or “she’s in that show…” as we walked by.

I was totally star struck seeing the greats such as Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. But when I turned around to see who was behind me I was nose to nose with Sally Fields. She won the Oscar for Best Actress in Places in the Heart that year and famously said to the audience “You like me. You really like me.”

Our seats were on the third level. The floor seats are for nominees and their guests. The second level is for the rest of the industry. And the 3rd and 4th levels were for everyone else. I needed my binoculars to have a good look at the host Tom Selleck. Let’s face it. He’s hard to look away from.

It was quite chilly when we left the Oscars. My red sequined blouse was backless and I will almost shivering. Suddenly this very plain looking woman, in a beige blazer with virtually no makeup, slipped her arm through mine and said “Maybe if we huddle together we could stay warm!” It was Sissy Spacek who was nominated for Best Actress for Coal Miner’s Daughter and lost to Sally Fields!!!

Walt Disney Center for the Performing Arts

Fast forward to 2021 and we had returned to explore more of L.A. Our first stop was the incredibly artistic Walt Disney Center for the Performing Arts. There are really no words adequate to describe this architectural marvel. This stunning building looks like metal ribbons undulating in the breeze. From every angle it takes on an entirely new look. We visited in the middle of the afternoon with the sun overhead. As the sun shifts so does the light on the building, creating new shadows and highlights. This building is a true work of art!

La Brea Tar Pit

Next we drove to the La Brea Tar Pits. Dastardly Covid meant that there were no tours but that didn’t mean we couldn’t see the fabulous sculptures at the entry to the facility.

The Columbian mammoth sculptures were created by Howard Ball and installed at the La Brea Tar Pits in 1968. The sculptures show a mammoth family consisting of a male (standing), a baby and a female becoming trapped. What is depicted is that the female has wandered knee deep into the lake, presumably to take a drink. Sticky tar that was concealed by several feet of water traps her there. She trumpets in terror while the male stands helplessly on the shore.

In reality, most Columbian mammoths trapped at La Brea were males because they typically lived on their own. They didn’t have companions to yank them out of the tar!

Hollywood Walk of Fame

From the tar pits we drove to Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard to see all of the Stars on the Walk of Fame. Anyone in the entertainment business who has made it, has a star there. My main focus was to find Bobby Flay’s star. Everyone who knows me knows how much I admire Bobby Flay. I watched every second the ceremony on television. Chef Flay was the first chef to receive a star! Never did I imagine back then that I would actually be able to touch his star.

Finding his star was no easy task. After walking about a mile we realized that the stars go on for blocks and blocks. And they are on both sides of Hollywood Boulevard. So we Googled the exact address. Drove to the site and 6 years later, there we were, able to touch Bobby Flay’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Hollywood sign

Our next stop was a drive through the Hollywood Hills. The homes on the side of the mountain were gorgeous. But it was the Hollywood sign that we were determined to photograph.

On our previous visit to LaLa Land we kept driving around trying to find the sign but we never did. Then, on our last day of our trip the smog had lifted and there the sign was. In plain view and quite visible from our balcony. It had been there the whole time. We just couldn’t see it!

After hours of enjoying the sights and sounds of a day in LaLa Land we decided that a day was certainly not enough time for this fabulous city.