Well, actually, it was an event-filled weekend even before Justin graced us with his presence. Mike and I went to the Hollywood Bowl with our coworkers from MHAS. By the way, Mike saw this GT2 and kind of geeked out about it for a second. We had a bit of a trip over, trying to meet one of our coworkers so we could park, get on the Metro, and subway it over to the Hollywood Bowl so we could skip all the traffic (at the end of the night, the trip was definitely worth it because traffic would have been terrible). We passed through Hollywood and saw the opening night pre-set-up-red-carpet-event for the movie Inception, which I am just DYING to see. (Oh and speaking of movies, I really, really want to see The Expendables too!!!) Anyway, the GT2 was that matte black on cars that I see more and more nowadays. I kind of like it, but it seems like it'd be hard to clean. Anyway, it was a Tuesday night, and Tuesday events are classical. The show was called French Passion? Whatever the name, the music was absolutely beautiful. The program was as follows: Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3, Debussy's La mer , and finally Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2. Seriously beautiful, seriously. The violinist was amazing, as was this one amazing flutist. They hit the high notes without any of the sharpness or squeakiness you sometimes hear even with solid players. Plus, we got to enjoy delicious wine, hummus, flatbread, cheese (cheddar and jack, I think), creamy cheese spread, salami, edamame, green string beans, crackers, and tasty little cookies. Mike also wanted a hot dog, so he got one from the concession stand. I am so glad I got to visit the Hollywood Bowl. It was a beautiful night, not too hot, hot too cold.
Then, on Thursday evening, Romerson and Cora came to town on their way to Romerson's home. My friend Steven also came down (for work) all the way from Seattle. Aw, it was so good seeing you! We were going to celebrate my birthday, belatedly, at Houston's, but they wouldn't make a reservation for more than six. The tables are apparently bolted down, so we would have to split up. Lame. So Mike made a last-minute reservation across the way at Rocksugar (think Pan Asian Cheesecake Factory; same owners). I really liked the crispy chicken samosas with cilantro yogurt (appetizer) and I LOVED the blood orange sangria made with champagne, Riesling, and blood orange. Delicious. For my entree, I had the Indonesian Cilantro Shrimp dish. Unfortunately, the corn was super salty even though the consistency was okay. Definitely not worth the price, this place. Plus, the decor is super "this is what Asia is like, only not, because we're just blowing everything out of proportion." Still fun though, I guess. Very Vegas feeling. Also unfortunately, the picture below cut out Sam and doesn't fully show Steven, but hey, waitresses aren't usually photographers too so whatever. Sam was super late, but I don't mind that she is. Moreover, she brought me a delicious chocolate ice cream cake! Thanks Natasha, Sepe, Sam, Eric, Steven, Romerson, Cora, and of course Mike, for coming!!! I feel like my birthday lasted forever. Thanks, everyone, for making every day of it so great. :)
Then on Friday, Justin came to town all the way from Somerset, Massachusetts. Let me just say, Los Angeles (and almost anywhere in California) is way cooler. Just kidding, Justin! We spent his first night in Westwood area, showing him where the UCLA kids hang out and how that is vastly superior to Ithaca/Collegetown (as if he didn't know that). We (Mike, Justin, and I) went with Sam, Avi, and Eric for a chill and a pretty comfortable night (although the bartender at
Brew Co. was horrible - he ignored us several times, walking by and making eye contact but refusing to serve us and going up to people that had just walked up to the bar or choosing randomly to ignore others who had been sitting around. I mean, come on, your bar is not crackin' enough for me to take that crap. You're a server; do your job and serve with a smile. Even if you hate your job, hate your life, or are just having a bad day, leave that crap at the door).
The next morning, we woke up bright and early (kind of) and headed over to Santa Monica to meet our coworker Jyoti and her friend Hillary (both from USC Law). We hung around Venice beach, which was a great place to go people watching. We found this bar with a nice, airy second-floor and just drank pitchers of margaritas while the cool breeze flowed in from beachy-windows (you know, the kind that remind you of ship portholes, but are square, and hook onto a bar or something in the ceiling to stay open? Oh, never mind!). Then we just lay around on the beach (well, I did) or threw the football around (Mike, Eric, Sam, and Justin did). What a lovely way to spend the afternoon. I got a tan!
At night, we decided to show Justin the Hollywood area. We wanted to show him the Avenue of the Stars, the Chinese Theatre (which is pretty iconic), and give him a feel of the vibrant nightlife there. But that was probably a terrible idea because Mike hasn’t really gone clubbing in Hollywood for awhile and we didn’t really know where to go. He remembered one place from a long time ago, so we headed over there, went in, and realized OH MY GOD THIS IS AN 18+ CLUB! Worst idea of the summer. We tried to have fun, but it was hard with teeny boppers screaming, awkward guys who felt like they had to prove themselves without having the option of social lubrication (liquid courage), and twitter posts projected all over the place about how “poppin’” this place was. I think it was called Level 3 at one point but it got joined together with some other venue. Let me just say: no good. And the looming question is: why were there so many people who were legally able to buy drinks at the bar lingering along the walls? Gross. Find someone your own age. At least we left pretty quickly with some shreds of our dignity left. After that, we wandered around a little bit and headed back to Santa Monica to have a sleepover bash at Eric’s house. Let me just say, air mattresses are not that comfortable and I woke up with a slight crick in my neck. But overall, it wasn’t too bad! Thanks for letting us stay, Eric! (Avi, you are lame for going home, you debbie downer!)
Still, at least he got to see some of the sites and glittering lights and whatnot. AND he got to experience the lame side of LA, so at least that's something.
The next day, we slept in pretty late and ate a pretty tasty breakfast at a small cafe in Santa Monica called
Kafe K, which had really fresh food and friendly service. I had freshly squeezed orange and pomegranate juice (interesting, I know!), with poached eggs over wheat toast and delicious cheese and fresh veggies, with a mixed greens/arugula salad. Yum! Great way to start the day - with a healthy, but filling and delicious, meal with friends. Love it. Plus, we needed the energy because we were going to
Huntington Library in San Marino, and there is lots to see there...
We got to the Library pretty late and didn't have time to see everything, so we went to see the rare books and manuscripts first (definitely something I love). The whole time I was practically drooling at all the wonderful items in the collection. Ancient 13th Century Bibles? John Locke’s scribbled treatises? Isaac Newton’s developing theories? Darwin’s original work on his theory of evolution? A signed copy of the thirteenth amendment written on parchment? Frederick Douglass’s powerful arguments for equality? Moreover, there were all these beautiful (and sometimes terrifying) illustrations about the human body, animals, reproduction, and overall scientific advancement. I also loved the small end-room display of Huntington’s strange affinity for lighting fixtures (tons of light bulbs, which must have cost him a fortune to collect in his day and age because they were all hand-crafted with intricately looped filaments). Truly, it was an amazing display of one man’s interests, love for books, and ridiculous access to resources (i.e. he was a filthy rich oil tycoon). I was simply in love with the place. And it helped (just a bit) that it was baking hot outside and pleasantly air-conditioned and cool on the inside!
Note: I really want to put some of these twinkle lights up in my room when I buy my own house. What an elegant, gentle light. But I guess that all depends on the style I'm going for... Regardless, they're pretty to look at. :)
See what I mean about his mild obsession with lighting fixture? It was really interesting to see all the different light bulbs though, and to see how technology hasn't really progressed that much, because we're often really just building on the same model over and over again (basic idea, shape, size). It was definitely interesting to see the variety, though, and how much sturdier light bulbs are now in comparison.
When we walked outside, the dry air settled over us in a sunny, warm, and comfortable way at first, that slowly increased until it became more than pleasantly hot. Still, it was nice being outside and having an opportunity to enjoy the warmth of southern Californian weather. This has been quite the mild summer in LA, from what I can understand. Too bad. I was looking to get some color on my pasty self (and eliminate my horrible flip flop tan... ew) after months without light in Ithaca! As we enjoyed (or baked) in the heat and looked at some of the beautiful outdoor sculptures and gardens, we enjoyed the shade here and there so it wasn't too bad overall.
There were way too many gardens for us to see all of them given our limited time at Huntington, but we focused on the newer places (the Chinese garden) and then zipped across the Japanese garden and through the rose garden before heading on the Jungle Garden path toward the lily pond and then back to the front of the Library past the Desert garden with the looming cacti. Great variety, I'd say, in just one fluid walk all the way around the premises.
I seriously love this place and I hope I have the chance to come back...one day.
Love their structures/sculptures littered around the grounds, too. I think the hunting statues are just so full of life (and death), the movement is really striking. The stag and the boar are frozen in an eternal moment of struggle and fear... pretty powerful stuff and wonderfully detailed. In contrast, the Dionysian sheep heads on the vases look vaguely stupid and blank, and yet nonetheless kind of creepy... Maybe something lurks beneath that vapid exterior, no? Makes me think of Septimus from Neil Gaiman's book,
Stardust, if you know what I mean. (I have a signed copy!)
After taking Justin to
In and Out for his first true burger experience (I should have documented this epic moment), we took a little break (during which he hit up BevMo! for it's wine sale...buy one bottle on select wines and get a second bottle of that wine for 5¢!! I went ahead and bought two bottles, and Mike got a
Suntory whiskey. Mike's mom had bought 12 earlier already) and headed on over to the
Griffith Observatory with Mike's parents in tow (thanks for driving, Mr. Hsueh!). We hit some traffic because we forgot that the Hollywood Bowl was going on, but after a trek up from our parking spot, I'd have to say the time and effort was worth it. The view was really spectacular... kind of a romantic spot, too. Of course Mike would want to take Justin here...! You dweebs are going to have fun being roommates. Haha
I think the crowds were especially thick because it was the Observatory's 75th anniversary! Cheers to a legacy of stargazing, big thoughts, and amazing "new" discoveries that probably exploded eons ago and are only just reaching our eyes (telescopes) now. I loved astronomy... I wish I hadn't forgotten so much about it. At least I still have time to learn. One fun fact I gleaned from an astronomer at the Griffith is that the dispute over whether Pluto is a planet has been settled. It has been classified in a new category of planet-like-entities as a proto-planet. It doesn't fulfill certain requirements that make it an actual planet (such as traveling in it's own orbit, because it piggybacks on Neptune for a bit) while it has other ones (such as its mass and round shape). I wish it was less crowded and we had more time. :)
The view was spectacular. We didn't get to look at the moon through the telescope, but I've gazed upon her face up close before, so I enjoyed just hanging around outside the actual dome and avoiding the seething masses/lines. In doing so, I had a much more peaceful experience, I think. And the sky was this beautiful, rich and yet dusky blue...
I was surprised that the city lights didn't affect the view too much although I think there was some lingering effect that made it harder to see some of the more distant or indistinct stars with the naked eye. We did see the evening star, though, which is actually Venus. Mike's dad pointed it out and my camera could just catch the gleaming white dot in some of the pictures. Below, though, the moon shone in the distance, seemingly casting a gentle glow over the city. Everything seemed beautiful, cold, and surreal. Kind of lonely, but in a peaceful and content way. Really makes me think of the way somethings are described in Stardust. I think I'll have Mike read it with me... We finished reading
Peter and Max earlier in the week. We started it on our way to and from northern California. I really like reading with him because we read at a comparable pace and we always have something different/interesting to share afterward. I digress. At the Grifftih, we also saw a memorial for James Dean (he shot part of A Rebel Without a Cause here at the observatory). Good way to do two touristy-things in one go, so that's nice. Anyway, it was a really fun and wonderful way to end the last full night of Justin's stay in Los Angeles. We were too pooped to do much when we got back but we did get to enjoy a nice night of sleep. Mike and I had work the next day, which also prevented us from going out.
Speaking of the next day... I felt bad for poor Justin. The next day, because Mike and I had to go to work, we dropped Justin off at the
Peterson Automotive Museum. He loves cars and whatnot, so we figured he'd have a good time and we would just meet him for lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't know the Peterson is closed on Mondays! That was okay, though, because I figured if things didn't work out, the Peterson was across the street from the
LACMA, and I gave Justin a free ticket too. But then, the LACMA didn't open until noon! Ok, ok. At least he could walk one block down to the
La Brea Tar Pits, right? I guess. But by then he was tired and just hung around in the sun and read a magazine. Sigh, at least he had an easy going morning. THEN disaster struck again! Mike and I had to tour Twin Towers (prison with a mental health focus) for work so we couldn't do lunch. Oh well, we picked him up afterward and he hung around our office until it was time to go. And then we went to dinner in Sawtelle with Sam, because what is a trip to Los Angeles without any Asian cuisine? Justin finally got to appreciate un-cubicle tofu, which was a delight and which he actually found he enjoyed! Yay for delicious Asian food, for once. Ithaca just is NOT a good representation of that.
Once Justin left, Mike and I needed to take a little breather from our exciting weekend, so we popped open a bottle of zinfandel that I got. It was really difficult, and Mike broke out in a sweat trying to get the bottle open. At long last, he got it and we ended the wonderful weekend with a tasty wine. Ahhh. Thanks for coming, Justin! Isn't California great? :)
