My trip to Los Angeles was even better than expected. I was there to drop Mason off at UCLA football camp and cool my heels for a few days while he mastered the gridiron and lived the life of a happy bachelor. I’m not really sure what a gridiron is, but I know that football players must master it. He stayed in the dorms and got his brand new football cleats stolen. We’re not in Kansas, or Reno as it were, anymore, Toto. Valuable lesson learned. Saturday we arrived at LAX at 8 am and quickly grabbed our rental car and were off to Venice Beach. After a quick bite, we rented some rust-bucket bikes and rode the path for miles. I love that place. I can see why people gravitate to it. After that we decided to see if we could find a place to get Mason some shoes. Well we didn’t find any for him off the bat but we found some for ourselves as well as a Krispy Kreme and See’s Candy. All right there on Wilshire Blvd. Continuing on Wilshire, we eventually came to Rodeo Drive. Lo and behold if there wasn’t a Nike store on the corner of Wilshire and Rodeo. So yes my son can say he got a pair of shoes on Rodeo Drive which is more I can say for myself…Mine came from Shoe Pavilion. I dared not venture into any Dior, Gucci, Chanel, etc. Thank God I am a Kate Spade sort of girl.
Later on, we checked into our little hotel in Marina del Rey. We were smack dab right next to the Cheesecake Factory and had a fine meal there. Our hotel was the Foghorn Inn. Nothing swanky, but at less than $200 a night, dirt cheap for LA.
The next morning we brought Mason to UCLA bright and early. Some swank school. One of my best friends went to school there and she is the most well put together chick I know so it’s no surprise to me that she loved this school. Let me just say that at 5′10″ and 190 pounds, my 13 year old son was one of the smaller kids at the camp. Good lord what a bunch of baby giants.
We bid farewell to Mason because we had bigger fish to fry. We had tickets for the matinee of the wildy popular broadway hit Wicked. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I didn’t know much about this production, but Maddy and I love the theatrical life and living in Reno we are much starved for it. We just wanted to see us a show. And what a show it was. The fabulous Carol Kane had a leading role, and the roles of Glinda and Elphaba were played by some wickedly talented women. What a moving story and score. Apparently Britney Spears and her mystery man doesn’t think so. Sources report that when she attended a weekend showing of Wicked, she left after an our….I wonder if she thought the intermission was the end of the show….hmmm. Anyways, I offered to get Maddy a memento, and she chose a little plastic Glinda wand. Seriously this thing would not be out of place at the dollar store. $45. yep. wow. That’s entertainment. 
After our show, we checked into our second hotel, The Farmer’s Daughter. Located on Fairfax, this gem is right across the street from CBS Studios and the Farmer’s Market. The schtick of this place is “farmgirl in the big city,” with a restaurant called Tart right next door. They carried through the farm theme down to the “do not disturb” door signs. On one side the sign reads “please gussy up,” and the other side reads, “if this room is rockin, don’t bother knockin.” Suffice it to say that said sign now hangs on my bedroom door. The bedspreads were denim, the furniture was country, the floors were wood, and there were pictures of cows and old pick up trucks on the walls. Even the little notepad next to the phone was shaped like a watering can. Suffice it to say that it ended up in my suitcase as well. The toiletries were from Lather (www.lather.com), which is a cool spa where all the hip kids go in LA and NY.??The restaurant area is “upscale country” as is the lobby. Our room was $179.00 a night. www.farmersdaughterhotel.com.
We had dinner across the street at a place called Marmalade Cafe http://www.marmaladecafe.com/ which was great for people watching. Apparently Tracy Morgan (http://www.tracymorgan.net/) was there, but we didn’t see him.
The next day we went to see Nancy Drew at the Grove and then tea time at American Girl Place (http://www.americangirl.com/stores/) and what an extravaganza. Words do not do this place justice. If you don’t know what I’m talkin bout, Willis, then you don’t know any girls between the ages of 5 and 10. We’re talking big time here. American Girl makes expensive dolls that cost about $100 naked and $125 with any sort of clothing. There is a two story gigantic place in LA, NY, and Chicago that is a shrine to American Girl Dolls. Here is Maddy, Molly, and Jess.
Those two dolls were looking pretty nappy so of course they had to get their hair did. $15 bucks each to have a lady braid a doll’s hair. I should really look into an anti-psychotic medication because I must be nuts paying $30 to have a lady braid my kid’s doll’s hair. But doesn’t my baby gurl look happy?
We picked up Mason at UCLA the next day at noon. He looked tired and was hungry but happy. We were happy to see him. He was hungry and wanted seafood. We figured we’d go to Santa Monica to eat but Maddy had seen a trinket she wanted in Westwood a few days ago when we dropped Mason off, so we decided to eat in Westwood. I call that little jaunt the “$100 stuffed animal.” By the time we paid $16 for two hours of parking, $80 for a couple of salads and a burger at inflated Westwood prices, and $16 for the damn stuffed animal, I was livid. At myself.
We came to our senses and went to Santa Monica Pier and had lots a fun. It was so good having our Mason back. He harassed some old men on a “Segway” thingamabob (they didn’t know he was harassing them but he made us laugh all the same with 13 year old humor), we saw the original “Hot Dog on a Stick,” Maddy rode bumper cars, and we had dinner at Bubba Gumps, and all was right with the world. Of course my lovely mother was along for all the festivities and here’s a photo of the three of my favorite peeps.
After dinner, it was time to return the rental car and mosey over to LAX. Again hassle free and I just did not have a lick of trouble getting around LA. I don’t want to jinx myself but that’s a very easy town to find your way around. All directions point to Wilshire Blvd.
And yes this was a spoiling trip for the kids. But no regrets.
I can see why people live in LA. I don’t think I could do it but I can see why others do. A very fine time indeed.
My trip to Bermuda is quickly approaching. We’ll be flying in to Providence, RI, wherever the hell that is, on 8/4. We’ll take some train to Boston, stay the night, and leave on our Bermuda cruise on 8/5. We’ll return on 8/12 and fly back to Reno. Should I be spending the money?? Nope. But I’m going with my best friend since 7th grade, Barbie. Of course our better halves are coming as well, but it’s actually the first trip Barbs and I have ever taken together.
