I love L.A.

Oh my goodness, do I ever owe you a big update! Wow, time flies when you are busy. Work busy, yes, and then I went out of town for the weekend to see my folks. I went into Los Angeles which is something I hardly ever do, mostly, I think, because I can’t stand the traffic and the 405 is enough to make me want to pull my hair out. Or just try the imaginary brake while my Dad is driving.

On Saturday I face the memorial day weekend traffic and gas prices (I swear I don’t even look at the pump anymore, I just swipe my card, close my eyes, and pray) and drove up to Orange County. We went to Anaheim’s The Block at Orange to see The Da Vinci Code Now, as anyone who regularly reads my blog knows, I am a huge Dan Brown fan. Religious flack aside, I really enjoy his novels (no, they are not all religious based novels). I’m a fan of puzzles and all of his books are page-turners. I have lost a lot of sleep reading his books!

Anyway, I was disappointed when I first heard Tom Hanks was cast as Robert Langdon. Have no fear, Tom Hanks was AMAZING. He was just fantastic as a Harvard Symbology Professor. In fact, the whole cast was terrific, the story was riveting, and the theatre was packed despite playing every hour all day long. The 2 hour 29 minute run time was needed to pack in as many details from the book as possible. I did notice a few minor changes from the book, but overall I enjoyed seeing this book come to life.

I went to the Getty Museum on Sunday, which was fantastic! I had never been before, although I have driven past on the 405 a few times. They were concluding a special Degas exhibit (ends June 11th), and the place was absolutely teeming with tourists. The crowds eventually really got to me, but what a bargain this place is- $7 to park your car, and no tickets needed- a real deal for big families. They even have parking for electric vehicles where you can charge your car while you browse! The gardens are beautiful, the views awe-inspiring.

While flash-photography is not permitted inside the museum, I saw two different people use their flash on their camera, only one was scolded by a guard. The guards were everywhere, given the crowds, and I got scolded myself for leaning over a plastic case, not even realizing I was touching it.

Next time, I would like to go see the Getty Villa, reservations are required in advance.

From there, we trekked over to Santa Monica where I got to see my parents’ first apartment (back from 1967), and the hospital where my mom used to work (which is considerably larger than it was back then!) We headed over to the Santa Monica pier, where we sloshed around trying not to bump into other tourists, and got to see the wild and the weird of Los Angeles. Not only did I see the exhibit of crosses in memoriam to the soldiers who died in Iraq, but I also got to see real hookers. Wow, what a mix of craziness in LA, for sure.

We also walked the third street promenade, but my feet were just too tired to go on. I slept well that night!
Of course, I forgot my camera on my adventures through Los Angeles. So sorry. A beautiful day, beautiful sunset, all memories for me to treasure.

Now that I am back in San Diego, I did get to go to the Old Globe to see The Violet Hour last night with my girlfriend. We had a great time, and while I really enjoyed the show, there were several seats empty after intermission (including the folks next to me, who I guess either really hated it or were offended by the “N” word). This is the 3rd production I have seen at the Old Globe, so now we’re considering subscribing to their full season.

Yes, some of the reviewers did not like this show. Yes, the show is more talking than showing, but that’s part of its appeal. You have to really listen and pay attention to get the full grasp of what it is about, and I must say I was thrilled I did not read any reviews before going to see it. Then everything was a total surprise! Which, coincidentally, is kind of what the play ended up being about. If you want to read a review of the New York version with Robert Sean Leonard (of Dead Poet’s Society fame), go here:

http://www.curtainup.com/violethour.html

Up next at the Old Globe is the summer Shakespeare Festival at their outdoor theatre, along with The Sisters Rosensweig . Matthew Broderick is coming to the Old Globe in the next season. He is the lead in “The Starry Messenger”, which should be a sell-out so get your tickets early if you are interested.

*Photo courtesy of http://www.santamonica.com/