Betwixt The Coasts From West to East in 80 Days Part 2: Hoogay for Hollywood!
Where WERE we Dear Reader? Ok. Arrived in L.A. Already off to a flyer with dinners and chats. Finding myself currently (Day 3) at THIS MOMENT in gorgeous gay WeHo L.A. I’m not sorry to admit it that I still feel happy and chilled here. I’m 67, I’ve been supporting LGBT+++ rights forever and will NEVER stop even if someone I respect asked me not to wear my pink hat. Honestly. It happened!
Yes this one! My world tour 2017 blue one died disrespectfully earlier this year😢
Just a Wee Bit about The Gay Scene West Hollywood you may (not) ask ? It’s a lovely posey silly mostly rich-ish outrageous set here (other end of Santa Monica Boulevard East end of WeHo The Akbar for instance is more UK and rather wonderful too) but I flipping 🥰 love it all….
See? I’m still going on about Gay Stuff at my age..
Put a 100 down and buy a car…
In a week maybe two…..you’ll actually get to cross a road if you don’t drive. The roads here in L.A. are so wide you need prescription sunnies just to see the sign say Walk on the other side…still, I’m in a minority: this trip I wanted to do lots of Public Transport. L.A. has got really decent in recent years with lots of buses most with wifi plus light rail systems to most places. Still, it’s Cars & Uber that still appear to rule Mrs Roost…
Whatever, you need your phone with a map app or three. Plus MOST bars have fantastic phone charger things costing about $2 to recharge your phone in 30 mins…..In the part of town where I’m staying, it’s one of the many cities that make up Los Angeles. “Culver City” is the home of the great MGM studios (now Sony)…and the only people really out on the streets are those walking their doggies (often to the millions of pet stores) or us few bus and metro takers. It’s a really fascinating place actually! Had a Cuban lunch yesterday (cigar and fries) …er… pork black beans rice fries more pork oh and fries, washed down with Mexican Beer …then another…thanks to the great Jake Bluenote whom I’ve just seen (last night) in his residency gig playing some sublime geeeetarrrr…..
Mind you, back to TRAFFIC. There’s a LOT OF IT. LORD KNOWS what they’d make of ULEZ. There are however Tesla specific charging bays all over Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards….at least I think that’s what they were …. “What’s a Tesla, Ringo?”… never mind.
Downtown L.A. has a weird rather “dead” feeling about it, rather like Washington D.C….. lots of space, tall buildings, and hardly any atmosphere…maybe City of London used to be like that too, but it was I thought always much more bustle-y….
At least I’ve now seen Columbo’s old HQ….LAPD Police Headquarters, they don’t ‘alf love taking down your ID details in lots of places too…have to carry the passport with me everywhere…
Sorry nothing TOO hilarious really as yet, just nice people sweet friends and gorgeous weather. Plus a new favourite Gallery of Modern Art MOCA right in the cultural centre close to the concert halls…truly lovely, and Forever Free.
Then there’s this: not to be outdone by the UK transport Watch slogan “see it say it sorted..” (what genius thought of that?), LA Metro Transit has: “if you see something, say something..” then repeated in Spanish! Wooooo hoooo I say!
There’s also this. US Khazi water levels….why oh why oh why is there water right up to the top of every bowl you’re having a number two in? Eh? What logic? (Let’s just say it can get rather damp dumping….).
If you’re Happy & you know it….
….Happy Hour gets people a little twiddly widdly early in here in L.A. So I’m trying it…. I’ve had Dick Van Dyke impressions back at me in a few bars already, cuddly guys saying hi, are you from ENG-ER-LEND? But stuff that is just hey well brilliant. And great bar staff. And mostly slightly CHEAPER than UK (London anyway). (Where isn’t? -Non Existent Ed.)
SPORTS BARS EVERYWHERE? Every flipping bar and eatery of whatever genre has umpteen video screens ALL SHOWING “SPORTS”. Yup. Apart from the lovely seedy bar Mother Lode which also shows Kylie and Gaga videos!
Not doing San Franciscan this time sadly but LGBT+ ness can be even lovelier there…in London’s West End, it pays to be NICE …and make the drinks taste good …so Jimmy, for 20 years your beer tastes of garbage. Do something about it!
Los Angeles this time, probably my final visit. Ok there’s violent bits tragically poor bits stoopid bits and slightly heartless downtown bits. But dear reader, I personally feel happy here. I know I might have got a music Oscar and three Grammys if I’d moved here 30 years ago. Next Life. Maybe. But I didn’t.
But I DID complete my Film Studio and Moviebilia tours….Academy Museum (fabulous), Dolby Theatre (even better, 1 on 1 escort there, thanks Jeff), Warner Studios (bit tedious and way too much TV especially Central Flipping Perk Friends friends and snore Friends, and finally Universal Studios, which I’ve gotta say is rather fun, expensive but entertaining (and I didn’t do any of the “not for the heart attacked” Harry Potter or Despicable Me rides.) But all gently chucklesome …
A rather magnificent bonus was a personalised Warner Bros Studios Prop House tour for me and mate Jake organised by his delightful friend Eva…literally millions of props from 120 year old Chaise Longues to 5 year old Fridge Freezers, Egyptian Sphinxes to 40s Cash Registers…..truly astounding. We even recreated the cover of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here!
Now it’s back to the music buddies for a few days b4 saying TaTa To Tinsel Town.
And tata til Part Three….
