You may have noticed I didn’t publish a blog entry last week.  That’s because I took the Labor Day weekend for a quick trip to the West Coast to spend some time with my brother, who lives in Los Angeles.  It was a short visit, but boy did we pack it in.

Day 1

After a cross-country flight, I touched down at the Hollywood-Burbank airport around noon local time, where I was picked up by my younger brother.  His wife was out of town for the weekend, so it was a good time for some “bro bonding”.  First thing we hit up?  Why, In-N-Out Burger, of course.  Yes, it is all that.  I’ve been on a plant-based diet, but it you think I was passing up on a chance to scarf down a Double-Double (animal style), fries, and a 7-Up, you are sadly mistaken.

After getting situated at my brother’s place while he finished up work (he’s a producer/editor for Fox Entertainment), we later met up with my niece for dinner at Kura, one of those sushi conveyor belt places, where the food comes by on a revolving carousel and you pick what you want (you’re charged by the plate).  A robot even delivers drinks to your table, and as you shove the empty plates into a slot by the table’s edge, they tally up and you earn little prizes, which plunk down into a plastic holder above the seating area.  Great fun.

We then took a tour of Hollywood, my brother driving me all over to see the landmarks.  Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Chateau Marmont Hotel, the Capitol Records building, the Comedy Store, the Sunset Strip (with a stop at the famous Whisky-A-Go-Go), Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, and the campus at UCLA.  Along the way, he peppered the drive with stories of landmarks, celebrities, and Hollywood lore (which he has picked up over the years).  If you’re going to visit Hollywood, get hooked up with someone who knows the territory (like my brother).  It makes all the difference.

We then made a late night stop at Afters Ice Cream for ice cream sandwiches, but not just any ice cream sandwiches.  These were made with fresh, glazed doughnuts (with no holes – dubbed “milk buns”) stuffed with your choice of ice cream (I chose salted Oreo), an added topping (I opted for “Captain Crunch” cereal), and then pressed and slightly heated before serving.  I’m not much of a dessert guy, but I will punch an old lady and shove a toddler to the pavement to get my hands on another one of these.  Delish.

Day 2

Jet lagged and still living on East Coast time, I awoke at 4:30 AM to stare at a still-darkened nighttime sky.  California was in the midst of an unseasonable heat wave, so the temps were expected to hit well over 100 degrees for the next few days, and boy – did they ever.  Hot stuff. 

We headed up into the Hollywood Hills for some sight-seeing, stopping off at fun and quirky filming locations – like the original Batcave entrance (from the 1960’s TV show, ‘Batman’).  We hit up the iconic Hollywood sign for some pictures and then headed back down into the valley for lunch at the ‘Original’ Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles.  Why did I order jambalaya on a 100+-degree day?  I have no idea, but it was good.  Lots of great stalls and people watching.  Picked up a bottle of “Da’Bomb: Beyond Insanity” hot sauce as well (made famous on the YouTube series ‘Hot Ones’).  Don’t know if I’ll ever be brave enough to try it, but I have some, all the same.

Then, we stopped at Gelson’s Market for some “to-go” deli sandwiches and headed over to the Hollywood Bowl for an evening concert.  The bowl is celebrating its 100^th year, and I can’t think of a better concert venue.  Tucked into one of the numerous nooks and crannies of the Southern California landscape, it offers great views and a fantastic atmosphere.  We were also here for the primary purpose of my visit.  A concert of John Williams movie music performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and conducted by the maestro himself, who appeared onstage with great enthusiasm and energy.  Not bad for a 90-year old legend.  As the evening twilight turned to darkness, the air was filled with the familiar strands of music from ‘Harry Potter’, ‘ET’, ‘Indiana Jones’, and ‘Star Wars’.  Many in the crowd had toy light sabers, and the colorful swords lit up the audience, swaying in time with the music.  It was a magical night.

What else could we possibly cram into in my remaining two days?  Stay tuned as next week, I’ll document my remaining adventures of a great travel weekend!