Friday, October 3, 2014

Los Angeles, California: Day 2 - Exploring more of L.A.

In the morning we headed to a local coffee bar for breakfast.


Walking some of the side streets of Larchmont, Los Angeles in 'hot weather'.


I appreciate the coffee bar name: go get em tiger.


It is truly a bar where you walk up to the bar. There are no lines. Order your beverage and food and find a place to sit (if one is available).



Koral has her latte with a lovely artwork.


That's my breakfast.


A lady walked in and put up sunflowers near where we were sitting. It was beautiful to look at.


Time to dig in.


After a beautiful bloated breakfast I need to get a walk in. We head over to Griffith Park. The plan is to see the Observatory, the Hollywood sign and get a hike in.


Parked and getting out our hiking gear.


The view of Los Angeles initially.


We begin the pedestrian uphill climb to Griffith Observatory.


On the way up I see the famous Hollywood sign.


There she is the Griffith Observatory.






After walking into the Observatory we see the Foucault pendulum showing that the earth does rotate.





Then we go by the planetarium which is pretty cool.



Pluto is still listed as a planet. Since I'm old school I like what I see.


We see the seismograph at the Depths of Space Hall.


And we decide to do a little test.


After that I see Albert Einstein and we have a little chat.


Going outside I notice this long curved object lined up against a metal plate of stars with sun stars listed. It piques my interest. I notice a tour guide in training so I ask a few questions and we get a thorough explanation of the Gottlieb Transit Corridor. It lights up somewhere around noon and 1 pm when the sun is right over the metal arc.



Leo's rule. :-)


We walk upstairs to a higher level and see a panoramic view of L.A.


Another view of L.A. and Griffith Observatory.


And now it is time for the hike.


We are doing the Hollywood Hiking Trail.



Proof I was there!


A view of the terrain. Brown is the new green!



L.A. in the background.


We make it to an overlook.


A view of L.A. from the overlook.



A 'difficult to do with the sunlight' selfie.



We head back home, hot and a little sweaty. Shower and change and the pizza delivery guy comes by. Great timing. :-)


Nom. Nom. Nom. Get in my belly!!!


We lounge about for a few hours and watch the Georgia and South Carolina game. And the Uber out for some drinks before dinner to a dive bar: The Daily Pint in Santa Monica.


We get some drinks ...


and then play some pool with Ferrell.




We head over to the Santa Monica coastline and walk for a bit and enjoy the sunset.





And then we head for dinner at Blue Plate Oysterette. Koral is definitely on top of her game with reservations and being early or on time.



Celebratory beer.


We start talking to the couple beside us. And make some new friends. The gentlemen is from Australian and Koral and Ferrell have a friend who lives there and they connect on the small town she lives in. Small world!! I have never met an unfriendly Australian.


Forgot what this was.


And the amazing Red Curry Mussells.


The red curry sauce in the mussels were so good that Koral and I decided to actually drink the curry as is after we finished the mussels.


No jokes. We drank it all. Funny we drank the curry and documented it with a picture, yes. Delicious and no regrets doing so, absolutely!


One last picture with one of my favorite couples and the couple we met.


Since I am in Santa Monica I call my friend and ex co-worker Geoff to hang out with us and have a few drinks. After the delicious dinner Koral and Ferrell treated me to we decide to meet up at West 4th and Jane.



Geoff and I used to work together at Sigma Nu Headquarters. He worked for the Foundation and I met him on his first day at work by picking him up from the Charlottesville airport. Since then we've kept in touch over the years and spend time whenever we get to see each other.


As soon as Geoff meets Koral and Ferrell they hit it off with them, and he has wonderful stories to tell. I haven't seen Ferrell and Koral laugh so hard. Fun times and good memories.

Reflections:
Day 2 in L.A. was fantastic. I had a really really good breakfast, and got some hiking in. The hike gave me a sense of my threshold with dry heat and I was quite happy with the results. Spending time with Ferrell and Koral again was fantastic. Thank you both also for the generous lunch and dinner. Seeing Geoff was fantastic and watching my friends and friends get along made it even more special. Looking back at today and this experience makes me vibrate with gratitude. I am surrounded by people who are so giving and such great friends - no matter how long we haven't spoken to each other nor the distance. Two fantastic days with Ferrell and Koral. Can't wait for Day 3. Did I say fantastic enough already?

Expenses:
Beverages: $25.00 (The Daily Pint)
Pool: $2.00 (The Daily Pint)
Beverages: $35.00 (West 4th and Jane)

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