So, I’m about a week behind. I hope to catch up now that I have a “home” base for a month or so. 
The picture here is still from my first week in Los Angeles.
I stayed at the Hostel for a few days and visited lots of downtown LA. Including The Hollywood YMCA. Almost as old as the one I worked at in Knoxville.
It was very strange to go into it and be the one taking the tour. There was a turn-style to get in. They too had towels, but they were everywhere. They charged for their lockers. A lot. It was stacked like ours with machines literally EVERYWHERE! They had a gravity room where they taught all gravity classes. Very cool. Loved the marble Y insignia work.
Had lunch at the Kodak Theater and went to the Farmer’s Market in downtown off the Miracle Mile. But by far the strangest was Venice Beach. It is of course well-known from movies, but movies never really do it justice. So bizarre. I was FREEZING and foggy. I met lots of nice ppl, saw muscle beach….okay a word about muscle beach – it used to be a bunch of males with oil all over lifting NOW it is a “sectioned off” space with weight machines and up to date gear – where I just watched, and met several 420 medicinal doctors and their surfer nurses demonstrating their cure-all.
One place I didn’t know existed and was so happy about is this walk-up pastrami sandwich place. The Hat or something to that effect….the sandwiches are HUGEEEEEEEEEEE! No lie, I ate on it for three days. And the friend I went with warned me NOT to order the large fries. I didn’t get fries at all, but split his small and there was still fries left over. The guy in the window seemed please I had him pose for one of my “tourist” pictures.
I enjoyed LA and will be back soon, but was ready for the trek to Orange County. But first my trip to work at the San Gabriel Playhouse and my home town of Bellflower, California…
AFEWCA 