My Move To LA

Bird watching has become a favorite pastime of ours since moving to the Hollywood Hills. Our little yard has been graced by feisty hummingbirds, loud mockingbirds, yellow orioles and many others but when we saw these ominous dark creatures in the distance we knew they were special. Hawks? Eagles? Condors? We thought there was no chance they could be Condors in this fairly populated area of the Hollywood Hills. But these beasts were far too large to be hawks or eagles. Without seeing their faces we were left guessing.

One day they came back to perch atop the highest point in the neighborhood, an unsightly power line post about a half mile away. As the sun warmed them they stretched their HUGE wings and put on a show for us! Finally, they showed their faces, and thanks to a telephoto lens, we were able to see their bald pink heads! Confirmation! They really are California Condors. A pair of apparently a very small population of about 160 wild Condors! We felt really honored to have seen them and hope this means their population is growing.

Image via Wikipedia

I received my first Los Angeles traffic ticket today. It's been two years since our move and five since my last ticket. I'd might be more upset if I hadn't just changed around all the insurance premiums to reflect my stellar driving record.

That said, it was still chicken shit. In the morning traffic backs all the way up Cahuenga with people driving from the Valley into Hollywood. Those lucky few who know about a shortcut named Outpost never find themselves stuck in even a second of that Hollywood & Highland mess. Well, in order to turn from Mulholland onto Outpost (if you're going our direction) you have to make a left turn from Mulholland and there's a sign that clearly states this isn't legal from 7am to 9am. The whole purpose of this sign is to prevent rear end collisions on a blind right turn to people waiting for oncoming traffic to clear before making their left. I've taken this illegal left turn probably 100 times at 8:45am and never experienced an ill effect until today when just as I turned I saw a man in uniform peaking his head around the corner watching my every move. Once I noticed him it was too late and they flagged me to pull over. I alway keep with the spirit of the law and if there is ever a car behind me in the morning I don't make the turn. Thus, I never hold up a soul. Try explaining that to a man who's mission it was today to meet his ticket quota (just assuming since it's the 29th and all).

What burns me is that they should be getting the people who speed down Outpost while blowing stop signs and could actually kill someone. I made a left turn that's legal 22 hours a day and it was only 15 minutes until 9:00!! When I asked the cop how much the fine was he couldn't tell me because as he said, "That's up to the courts". Right, you mean it increases so quickly you can't even print tickets or educate your enforcement.

I'm hoping it's not over $300.

Jury duty was, as you might imagine, TORTURE. Thankfully, I was able to delay my arrival time 2 whole hours thanks to the online orientation (which was playing on repeat in the waiting room anyway). I shuffled toward the building with some other latecomer's who looked as defeated as I felt. The outside of the building was like something out of Armageddon and smelled like a urinal - not the most inviting place I've ever been. On the inside I was pleasantly surprised that being tortured with the rest of us was a rockstar from the band that inspired Rivers Cuomo to write:

Back in 1991, I wasn't havin' any fun
'Till my roommate said "come on and put a brand new record on"
Had a baby on it, he was naked on it
Then I heard the chords that broke the chains I had upon me

That band was so hugely influential in my life, as in Weezer's and countless others, I can't even begin to describe how starstruck I felt. I surreptitiously texted the one person I knew would understand the most: my dearest husband. Its actually not legal for me to talk about the other torturees but I find this situation to be so statistically rare and special that i just cannot help myself. Luckily none of us were actually chosen for a trial so I feel slightly safe talking about my experience now.

Now off on our separate ways, the drummer-come-frontman will probably never recall the hundred other people in that room but I will not forget the day I spent being tortured with a rockstar.

Photo courtesy of Wilberfan

Nicole and I went to get some takeout from Poquito Mas in Studio City and on our way in we saw Ham from The Sandlot. If you want to Google it his name is Patrick Renna and I don't think I've seen him in anything since but god damnit he was awesome as Ham.

Anyway, Poquite Mas is amazing Mexican food. Especially for the price. Just check out their reviews.

Nicole and I spent $20 and ate like Bosnian refugees and still couldn't finish the food (sorry to the one Bosnian refugee I met once [actually, I don't think you'll be that upset since you own one of the largest pieces of land ever in Malibu and it's rumored you effed George Clooney. So, I guess I'm really sorry to the suffering Bosnian refugees]).

Poquite Mas definitely gets two thumbs up. If you're interested check out their website here: Poquito Mas as they've got a lot of different locations if you're not in Studio City.

The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, California 90049
Admission: Free!
Parking: $15 per car/$0 for motorbikes






On our never ending quest to find cheap/free fun things to do we (re)discovered The Getty Center. The Getty was one of the first places Dominic took me to when we came to L.A. on our honeymoon. It's beautiful and romantic enough for a honeymoon date yet affordable and interesting enough to keep us coming back.

Recently,we heard about the Da Vinci exhibit so we hopped on our scooter and made the drive to see it (for free!). Turns out loads of people were just as interested which made Da Vinci's tiny illustrations a little hard to see. If you could get close enough the Getty provided magnifying glasses through which you could really appreciate the detail and thought in each piece. Overall it was well worth the zero dollars we spent, even if we did have to muscle our way through the crowd.




Additionally, The Getty is a great architectural site to see even if the exhibits don't interest you. Join one of the many (free) guided tours and learn about the meticulous care that went in to building the famous all white grid. Enjoy the many beautiful outdoor spaces and bring a camera for the photo ops!

If you're planning a trip to beautiful sunny Los Angeles wait until July. For most of June we get something they call June Gloom where a "Marine layer" blankets the city giving you the impression that it's so smoggy here you can barely see the sun. In fact, it's a mixture of moisture AND pollution. So there. I'll never forget the first time we drove into the city in our big moving truck and Nicole took one look at the sky and very light outline of some not-so-distant hills and cried, "Where the hell do you move me to?!!". Lucky for me it all cleared up that July and she was left with only 999,999 other things to complain about.

Between my teaching internship and my husbands rocky architecture career we're hardly raking in the dough of our Hollywood neighbors so we're constantly searching for cheap/free fun things to do around LA. Taking advantage of free things while enjoying the amazing weather is on the top of our fun list and we've fallen in love with many local hikes but as it turns out so has everyone else in Los Angeles. Most nearby hikes feel like secret treasure one day and a crowded dirt mall the next. But that's just LA's m.o., all things wonderful get discovered and devoured in practically the same breath. So we've moved on to a new "secret" that is currently being shared and spread with hopes catching on before its gone again.

Our latest venture is being guided by Charles Fleming's Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles. Fleming has documented and mapped over 40 walks that take you through old neighborhoods and forgotten paths. He includes intriguing and odd details about the walk that connect you to the neighborhood in a unique way.

You can grab a copy of the book or get started with the walks posted on the Secret Stairs site We're definitely enjoying exploring these areas with Fleming as our guide. Happy walking!

Image via Wikipedia

Sometimes while riding the line through stopped cars there are two cars too close together and you can't pass. Well, today one of those two cars belonged to the Los Angeles Police Department and bless his law enforcing soul he was the car to move to the opposite side of the lane to allow me to pass. I gave him a nod and a thumbs up and carried on my way.

PS - The new blog format offers picture suggestions. What do you think?

Interestingly silly film featuring our neighbor, George Ehling. Or, as I know him, Crazy Tile House Guy.

Off Mulholland Film

Photo borrowed from Canyon News

This is just weird and to have it happen at the Target we use is even weirder:

Knife-wielding woman stabs 4 in West Hollywood Target store

Just glad to say that I wasn't there.