Thursday, October 25, 2012

Los Angeles, Day One

Well, you live and learn.  My flight from SF was delayed and I got here about 5 pm.  I have no idea why I picked this location, I think it got good reviews, but I may as well be in the middle of a field for how close I am to anything.  It's a one hour walk to Hollywood and Highland, I took the bus there today, and it's definitely a place I would not recommend. (EDIT: I am beside an old folks home.)
The area is economically depressed and unlike say SF where the people are homeless like forever, this seems to be newly homeless and crazy, people sleeping in their cars, that type of thing. Take your good handgun when visiting here, not the every day one you used in SF, the good one, the one you keep for when company comes over.
I didn't take any pictures of buildings as really, why?  I got there just as it was getting dark and couldn't see the Hollywood sign, although I did see it on the ride in from the airport.  The only famous building I could find was Grauman's Chinese Theatre which was hosting a movie premiere for Cloud Atlas and Orlando Bloom I think was signing stuff and held up our bus and was gone by the time I got off the bus.  Plus there was barricades all around and road work and the street was closed for construction and what a disaster.

So the good part is my room is Shangri-La, with more room than I think my house.  The bad part is no WI-fi in the room, and remote doesn't begin to describe the location.  I thought I was at least near the Theatre for tomorrow night's Book of Mormon, but no, turns out that was from ANOTHER Banana Bungalow, so I'm like a 30 minute bus ride away from ANYTHING and a 1.5 hour ride even to the pier.  Nuts.
I've prepaid, so I'm stuck but it's only for a few days.  Looking forward to Paul Monette tomorrow and the show.

Also a problem with my luggage, when I got to the airport it weighed 83 lbs, or a $200 charge.  Yep.  So I said I would split it into two bags and paid the $60 for the two bags but my one duffel I could only get 20 lbs in, not the 30 lbs required, but the man took pity on me when I gave him bribe money and nearly cried and let it through.  I have no idea how I'm getting home, I need to start throwing away things and can't buy one more thing.  I did buy a backpack downtown which I can use as carry-on for my computer and other things.

Yes, so I walked down the walk of fame until it was too far from the tourist section and I was approaching certain death, then I turned back.  The crazy person holding the knife stabbing the air convinced me.  Here's the few stars I cared about that I walked past.  Also I was thinking, they give this at the end of the person's career, most of these people are long forgotten by now.  Everyone today wants Justin Bieber.  The walk of fame is hardly a draw.







 This is my room.  Notice the hugeness and the three beds.

 This is just SOME of my clothes.  I think I know where all the weight is.

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