Thursday morning and I am full of good intentions as to what I will do for the day but fundamentally it ends up in a most satisfying day of doing not much. I go to some shops and wander around. I did recall that in the 1980’s and 1990’s Linda and I used to come to the USA to buy Reeboks for the kids and that shopping, being a much less universal experience was much more fun. Nowadays same shops same stock. That said I still and always enjoy mind emptying wandering around shops.
In the afternoon I decide on something slightly offbeat – A Sony Studios tour and it was great. I drove to Culver City and arrive at 1:30 for the 2:30 tour and luckily was allowed to join the 1:30 tour. Sony only do four tours a day and there were only 12 on this particular tour.
The history of Sony Entertainment is interesting in itself but in summary it is the accumulation of Columbia Pictures and MGM and a large number of others such as Screen Gems etc. The studio is located on the original (1920’s) Columbia Studio Lot.
The night we are there Shirley McLean is to receive an AFI Lifetime achievement award so there is a lot of activity all around the place for the event.
One interesting titbit is that Merv Griffin, the king of quiz shows sold the rights to Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to Sony in the early 1990s but excluded the theme song from Jeopardy which he had in fact written and on which royalties would continue to be paid. To date he and his estate have received over $80 million in royalties.
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I do astound myself at just how much I know about studios, films and actors. It must be stored in the little used part of my brain but I was able to answer a lot of questions which the excellent tour guide posed.
Anyway a very interesting and not overly structured studio tour which I would recommend.
I head back to the hotel for a brief relax and am dining alone tonight so head towards the Beverley Centre and decide on something that I may, nay will never try again. I opt for an Organic Vegan Restaurant called RFD. I don’t really want to relive but having a latte with almond milk – nup it’s not happening
Friday morning and I wake up the opening ceremony and opening game of Euro 2012. Poland versus Greece and it is a very exciting game. I have to move hotels and choose the Westin at the Airport which is not ideal but with Gay Pride on this weekend choices are very limited and it is only for two nights before I head off to Phoenix.
I arrive at the hotel just in time to watch Russia versus Czech R. another great game and if I wasn’t footballed out I also watched USA vs Antigua and Barbadu in a World Cup 2014 qualification match. I am calling this football Friday.
At 20:00 I meet David at Sherman Oaks and he takes me to meet a film producer friend (Jewish – surprise surprise) of his who lives at Calabasas which is North West of Hollywood. I must say that Calabasas is a most beautiful area of most beautiful homes and I am guessing the “beautiful” people. It boasts the Kardashians, Will Smith, Justin Beiber and many more celebrities. Apparently the area does not suffer Los Angeles pollution and the temperatures in winter can be 10 degrees Celsius higher than Los Angeles proper.
Mark is an interesting guy who lives in a spectacular house atop a hill. He lived for three years in Australia in the early 1990’s sub-contracting to the studios chasing film piracy until each studio realised how fertile Australia was for sales and each established their own staff to deal with piracy. He did lose me a little (ok a lot) when he used the cloth napkin as his handkerchief throughout dinner.
Anyway he showed me around his house and we head down to the Commons which is a most beautiful looking shopping/food district where I am guessing the ‘beautiful’ people gather. We try an Italian restaurant and despite being huge and only open two months is full so settle for another restaurant which proves very ordinary indeed.
Mark worked with Michael Jackson for 20 years and invites us for a swim the next day where Michael Jackson's three kids will be there. This doesnt have a lot of appeal and it doesnt happen.
David drops me back at my car and I drive the 25kms to the hotel. LA is a difficult city to live in because getting anywhere requires a car and distance. For example David lives about 35kms from his work and if traffic is good that is 45-60 minutes but can be up to 90 minutes and people here think nothing of that.
A broken night’s sleep is greeted by another fine soccer game of Netherlands versus Denmark which gives me a good opportunity to catch up on work while watching this excellent game.
Between the first game (09:00) and second one (11:45) I drive down to Long Beach - another area I haven’t visited before. I find a Sports Bar and watch another excellent game Germany vs Portugal. While I didn’t plan it being in the USA with Euro 2012 has been a lot of fun watching games from 09:00 till 14:00.
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I walk around Long Beach which is a strange place. It used to be a naval base and is now the Port of Los Angeles and it is as though time stopped here. No shopping malls just a main street with a mix of old world and new world shops. I look at housing prices and basically $A200,000 will buy you a 150 square metre house on a block of land – and that’s just the asking price.
I head back to the hotel to change and pick up my friend David to head into WeHo (West Hollywood) for Gay Pride night. This is the night before their “Gay Mardi Gras” and David, two of his friends and me are going clubbing. Well my opening statement is that Gays know how to party and party hard. We go to a bar called Eleven which is just how many millimetres there is between each person packed in there. Loud but pleasant techno music, lots of alcohol, people dancing and everybody happy and smiling.
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After a while we head to D’Etoile for a very pleasant French style dinner which really hit the spot as it has been eight hours since I had eaten. We head to Mickeys and a whole new scene – sure loud music, dancing, alcohol but here there are dancers scantily dressed leaving nothing to the imagination in one case having one dollar bills stuffed into their socks, g-strings and other parts of their bodies that I can only imagine. But past that it is awesome to watch so many people truly enjoy being there and being who they are.
A few more bars/clubs and I wind up home at 2:30 which is a bit of a bummer as I have a six hour drive to Phoenix the next day. I wake at 07:30 check out and head to Pasadena to meet David and his boyfriend, Dan, to watch Italy vs Spain at a sports bar. There are a lot of Italian supporters wearing their blue jerseys. I start talking to Dan about things Jewish (he’s not) and a young guy sitting at our table tells me he is Jewish and applied for Birth Right this year which is an interesting program which is most interesting.
Taglit-Birthright Israel offers the gift of a free, 10-day educational trip to Israel for Jewish adults between the ages of 18 to 26. Since its inception in 2000, Taglit-Birthright Israel has sent nearly 300,000 Jewish young adults to Israel. They come from 54 countries, all 50 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, and from nearly 1,000 North American colleges and universities. The trip aims to strengthen participants’ Jewish identity; to build an understanding, friendship and lasting bond with the land and people of Israel; and to reinforce the solidarity of the Jewish people worldwide. Taglit-Birthright Israel is a partnership between the Government of Israel, Jewish communities around the world (through the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Hayesod) and some 25,000 individual supporters in North America and around the world.
Anyway off to Phoenix six hours of shit boring driving through hot desert. I wanted to stop and go through Palm Springs where I have never been but the extra 45-60 minutes of driving was more than I could handle but I do plan to do it on the way back. I am thinking next time I am in the USA to use my timeshare to stay in Palm Springs based on what everybody has told me.
I arrive in Phoenix and check into my timeshare which is an excellent and very spacious 1 bedroom apartment importantly with a washer and dryer.
The Phoenix portion of the trip has been a bit of a bust as firstly Riley (11) was going to be at camp but when he got there he was nervous and worried so his brother Hunter (12) offered to stay as well so I won’t get to see the kids who are great fun.
Anyway Penny Graeme and I have one of the best Mexican meals I have ever had which wouldn’t be too hard and head back for some much needed sleep.
Next morning England vs France a non miss match and I then meet Penny for a light salad lunch at Kierland Commons which is a lovely shopping district think Yummy Mummies “doing” lunch.
Penny takes me on her rounds of errands which includes Costco which I love. I notice that designer frames at $60, lenses $110 and I am due for an eye examination $55 which means glasses for around $200 – 1.4 of what my last pair cost and as it has been two years since I had my eyes tested and I have time I make an appointment for tomorrow.
Back to the apartment to change and back to Zinc Bistro for Dinner. This is one of my ‘preferred’ eating places in Phoenix especially Parmesan Truffle Fries. The waiter clearly understood my need for fresh and hot fries as they were cooked to perfection and beautifully hot.
Not sure if I mentioned the Truffle popcorn at Bouchon in Los Angeles but that was awesome to try.
Home to bed and another good night’s sleep and ready for Greece vs Czech and what I am guessing could be a fiery Poland vs Russia.
Anyway am having a good time and doing what I do best in Phoenix – nothing and relaxing in the 40 degrees of wonderful dry desert heat.
Hope all are well and talk soon
Love to all
David
In the afternoon I decide on something slightly offbeat – A Sony Studios tour and it was great. I drove to Culver City and arrive at 1:30 for the 2:30 tour and luckily was allowed to join the 1:30 tour. Sony only do four tours a day and there were only 12 on this particular tour.
The history of Sony Entertainment is interesting in itself but in summary it is the accumulation of Columbia Pictures and MGM and a large number of others such as Screen Gems etc. The studio is located on the original (1920’s) Columbia Studio Lot.
The night we are there Shirley McLean is to receive an AFI Lifetime achievement award so there is a lot of activity all around the place for the event.
One interesting titbit is that Merv Griffin, the king of quiz shows sold the rights to Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to Sony in the early 1990s but excluded the theme song from Jeopardy which he had in fact written and on which royalties would continue to be paid. To date he and his estate have received over $80 million in royalties.
.JPG)
Anyway a very interesting and not overly structured studio tour which I would recommend.
I head back to the hotel for a brief relax and am dining alone tonight so head towards the Beverley Centre and decide on something that I may, nay will never try again. I opt for an Organic Vegan Restaurant called RFD. I don’t really want to relive but having a latte with almond milk – nup it’s not happening
Friday morning and I wake up the opening ceremony and opening game of Euro 2012. Poland versus Greece and it is a very exciting game. I have to move hotels and choose the Westin at the Airport which is not ideal but with Gay Pride on this weekend choices are very limited and it is only for two nights before I head off to Phoenix.
I arrive at the hotel just in time to watch Russia versus Czech R. another great game and if I wasn’t footballed out I also watched USA vs Antigua and Barbadu in a World Cup 2014 qualification match. I am calling this football Friday.
At 20:00 I meet David at Sherman Oaks and he takes me to meet a film producer friend (Jewish – surprise surprise) of his who lives at Calabasas which is North West of Hollywood. I must say that Calabasas is a most beautiful area of most beautiful homes and I am guessing the “beautiful” people. It boasts the Kardashians, Will Smith, Justin Beiber and many more celebrities. Apparently the area does not suffer Los Angeles pollution and the temperatures in winter can be 10 degrees Celsius higher than Los Angeles proper.
Mark is an interesting guy who lives in a spectacular house atop a hill. He lived for three years in Australia in the early 1990’s sub-contracting to the studios chasing film piracy until each studio realised how fertile Australia was for sales and each established their own staff to deal with piracy. He did lose me a little (ok a lot) when he used the cloth napkin as his handkerchief throughout dinner.
Anyway he showed me around his house and we head down to the Commons which is a most beautiful looking shopping/food district where I am guessing the ‘beautiful’ people gather. We try an Italian restaurant and despite being huge and only open two months is full so settle for another restaurant which proves very ordinary indeed.
Mark worked with Michael Jackson for 20 years and invites us for a swim the next day where Michael Jackson's three kids will be there. This doesnt have a lot of appeal and it doesnt happen.
David drops me back at my car and I drive the 25kms to the hotel. LA is a difficult city to live in because getting anywhere requires a car and distance. For example David lives about 35kms from his work and if traffic is good that is 45-60 minutes but can be up to 90 minutes and people here think nothing of that.
A broken night’s sleep is greeted by another fine soccer game of Netherlands versus Denmark which gives me a good opportunity to catch up on work while watching this excellent game.
Between the first game (09:00) and second one (11:45) I drive down to Long Beach - another area I haven’t visited before. I find a Sports Bar and watch another excellent game Germany vs Portugal. While I didn’t plan it being in the USA with Euro 2012 has been a lot of fun watching games from 09:00 till 14:00.
.JPG)
I head back to the hotel to change and pick up my friend David to head into WeHo (West Hollywood) for Gay Pride night. This is the night before their “Gay Mardi Gras” and David, two of his friends and me are going clubbing. Well my opening statement is that Gays know how to party and party hard. We go to a bar called Eleven which is just how many millimetres there is between each person packed in there. Loud but pleasant techno music, lots of alcohol, people dancing and everybody happy and smiling.
+(Copy).JPG)
.JPG)
A few more bars/clubs and I wind up home at 2:30 which is a bit of a bummer as I have a six hour drive to Phoenix the next day. I wake at 07:30 check out and head to Pasadena to meet David and his boyfriend, Dan, to watch Italy vs Spain at a sports bar. There are a lot of Italian supporters wearing their blue jerseys. I start talking to Dan about things Jewish (he’s not) and a young guy sitting at our table tells me he is Jewish and applied for Birth Right this year which is an interesting program which is most interesting.
Taglit-Birthright Israel offers the gift of a free, 10-day educational trip to Israel for Jewish adults between the ages of 18 to 26. Since its inception in 2000, Taglit-Birthright Israel has sent nearly 300,000 Jewish young adults to Israel. They come from 54 countries, all 50 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, and from nearly 1,000 North American colleges and universities. The trip aims to strengthen participants’ Jewish identity; to build an understanding, friendship and lasting bond with the land and people of Israel; and to reinforce the solidarity of the Jewish people worldwide. Taglit-Birthright Israel is a partnership between the Government of Israel, Jewish communities around the world (through the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren Hayesod) and some 25,000 individual supporters in North America and around the world.
Anyway off to Phoenix six hours of shit boring driving through hot desert. I wanted to stop and go through Palm Springs where I have never been but the extra 45-60 minutes of driving was more than I could handle but I do plan to do it on the way back. I am thinking next time I am in the USA to use my timeshare to stay in Palm Springs based on what everybody has told me.
I arrive in Phoenix and check into my timeshare which is an excellent and very spacious 1 bedroom apartment importantly with a washer and dryer.
The Phoenix portion of the trip has been a bit of a bust as firstly Riley (11) was going to be at camp but when he got there he was nervous and worried so his brother Hunter (12) offered to stay as well so I won’t get to see the kids who are great fun.
Anyway Penny Graeme and I have one of the best Mexican meals I have ever had which wouldn’t be too hard and head back for some much needed sleep.
Next morning England vs France a non miss match and I then meet Penny for a light salad lunch at Kierland Commons which is a lovely shopping district think Yummy Mummies “doing” lunch.
Penny takes me on her rounds of errands which includes Costco which I love. I notice that designer frames at $60, lenses $110 and I am due for an eye examination $55 which means glasses for around $200 – 1.4 of what my last pair cost and as it has been two years since I had my eyes tested and I have time I make an appointment for tomorrow.
Back to the apartment to change and back to Zinc Bistro for Dinner. This is one of my ‘preferred’ eating places in Phoenix especially Parmesan Truffle Fries. The waiter clearly understood my need for fresh and hot fries as they were cooked to perfection and beautifully hot.
Not sure if I mentioned the Truffle popcorn at Bouchon in Los Angeles but that was awesome to try.
Home to bed and another good night’s sleep and ready for Greece vs Czech and what I am guessing could be a fiery Poland vs Russia.
Anyway am having a good time and doing what I do best in Phoenix – nothing and relaxing in the 40 degrees of wonderful dry desert heat.
Hope all are well and talk soon
Love to all
David
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