San Diego 1.7.99 ...but what happened in-between Denver and San Diego?
We made it!
It’s mid afternoon Thursday. I’m sitting at Kelly Russ’ bungalow looking
down the few blocks to the ocean. Sunlight floods in through the screen door along with an
occasional soft breeze. Outside people in shorts ride by on bikes or skateboards. Surfers
bob up and down in the frothy water beyond. It was in the seventies today and yesterday.
I’m sitting here barefoot in a T-shirt and shorts. We just had beers and Mexican food down the street. Welcome to winter in Southern California. It’s wonderful!
Yesterday Jen and I spent the day house hunting. Although we found a place right on the sand on the Del Mar Beach, its’ heavy price tag didn’t seem worth it. (Although truth be told – I’d most likely have paid it since it was only for 2 months and I’ll probably never live on the San Diego beach again.) Still $5,200 for 2 months seemed a little silly even for California.
So tomorrow we’re moving in a block off the beach. For only 1k a month in a spare room with one of Kelly’s friends. Kelly is a friend of a friend (cousin Holly Poag). One can hear, but not see, the waves crashing a hundred yards away. It’s on 20th street in the heart of the Del Mar beach scene.
I sent out some resumes today, so now I’ll just sit back and wait. Hopefully I’ll be working in a week.
Larenzo (our new roommate) is a surfer. He’s got a few boards, a extra shower in his patio garden, and an ocean a block away. Looks like I’m stocked for a new sport!
Jen is working today. She has a short week since leaving Michigan late. Tomorrow is already Friday and our first weekend in So-Cal is almost upon us. The weather is supposed to be good in LA.
LA Story 1.11.99
Saturday morning we woke up to another perfect day. I was
getting used to the congenial weather. We ate brunch outside at Jen's favorite sidewalk
café, The Potato Shack. 
On Friday I was offered a job with the county of San Diego Public Works. I started Monday. Last task complete; I was now employed, had a place to live, and ready to take off for the weekend. Time for an adventure! We split town right after breakfast.
We drove north along the coast to L.A.. We were supposed to meet Monica at her pad in Hermosa Beach after she got out of work. She got a cool job working at a Beverly Hills Opthalmologist office giving eye exams to the stars. Last month Tyra Banks was one of her patients. Tyra Banks!
Since Monica didn't get home until around four o'clock, we had some free
time. We rode the tram up to LA's newest Museum – The Getty Center. The modern
architectural wonder overlooks Los Angles. It houses a sizable collection in its airy
modern glass and gardens. And although the exhibits were interesting, the panoramic views
and fresh architecture alone were worth the visit.
Goofing around we snapped some photos against the Hollywood backdrop and waited for Monica to call.
When she did, we drove down the Santa Monica Blvd to the
ocean. When we got back to Hermosa beach where Monica lived, we watched the sunset, and
waited for Molly.
Molly was in LA doing a shoot for Hal Riney. She was staying at the Sunset Marquee in Hollywood. Soon we were at their bar. It seems the night before, the tiny dark room was full of Hollywood stars. We were there before dinner so it was still empty. Molly promised when we returned we'd be Star struck.
So it was off for A Night at the Roxbury. Only the Roxbury on Sunset had been turned into a 3-story gourmet sushi bar. OK, whatever. Instead we drank Saki and beer instead of gin and tonics. Molly used the hotel connoisseur card to get in, after the meal when we left, we knew why it helps to have connections. The line beyond the velvet rope was around the next block. It felt more like Studio 54.
Next it was up to a Hollywood Producers' private party in the hills anyway. And soon enough we were handing over the car keys to the valet. He appeared out of nowhere next to the cliff house hanging off the Hollywood hillside. Molly was greeted warmly at the door, then promptly ditched us.
So Jen, Monica, and I drank in the views and the free drinks. It was cool. But these directors and producers were mostly commercial. Even if we had known all their names and scoured movie credits for them, they weren't the familiar faces of "Ross" from Friends, or comedian Chris Rock. (Both of whom, back at the Sunset Marquee, I drunkenly slapped their backs and slurring told them I enjoyed their work.)
But that was when we ended up back at that tiny little bar around 3 in the morning drinking beers and stargazing. When the party next moved from the bar into one of Molly's friends rooms at the hotel it was time for me to go to bed.
We woke up late the next day with hangovers. And despite a greasy meal at Mel's Dinner, I nursed it most of the day. Mid afternoon though we jumped into Molly's convertible Saab, dropped the roof, and drove down to the beach. Venice Beach that is. Muscles. Piercing . This wasn't Cadillac anymore.
We wandered around LA's strangest and most tattooed world before driving to Malibu for sunset. It was a mellow day and no one wanted to make any sudden moves. Jen and I finished our trip with a drive back down the coast to our own little beach pad back in Del Mar.
When our car finally rolled to a stop late Sunday night we were exhausted. LA is overwhelming for both country boys or city folks. It was bright, and big, and famous. Yet, I'm looking forward to this weekend.
On this Martin Luther King weekend, this cultural awareness 3-day holiday, we're doing a cultural reflection in the crumbling place the Douglas Copland's Generation X made famous.
Palm Springs.
More to come soon from So-Cal.....