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| Fun in LA |
Our
holiday celebrations have grown to span a two+ month period beginning at the
end of October and ending with the new year. Our 2018 has been busier than
usual with trips to Los Angeles late October, Portland for Thanksgiving
weekend, and Oaxaca, Mexico the first week of December. With a visit from
Lauren planned over the Christmas holiday, as well as possible visits from
Scott and family and Raelin and her family also the last week of December, the
fun continues.
Our October
trip to SoCal began on Friday with a walking tour of downtown Los Angeles (or
DTLA as locals call it). I have grown to love our time in LA. The downtown area
has been described as “the pulsating heart of the city’s core” and you only
have to visit the city’s downtown to appreciate the truth of those words. We
started our tour with a visit to the Los Angeles City Hall, which offers an
observation deck with 360 degree views of the city and beyond (as far as Catalina
Island). Verne and I are avid fans of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch series
that is set in the SoCal area. It’s always fun for us to look for references
from the books, like the Bradbury Building, Grand Central Market, and Angels
Flight that we’ve visited on earlier trips. Parker Center (Los Angeles Police
Department until 2009) was visible from the observation deck of City Hall, both
part of Harry’s turf in his role as an LAPD homicide detective. We had hoped to
tour the Los Angeles Times building, which is just a few blocks from Jana and
Andy’s home, but they were closed for tours as the bulk of the paper production
moved to El Segundo this past July. We spent several hours walking the
historical Olvera Street and listening to street musicians in the town square,
as locals prepared for the annual celebration of Dia de Muertos (Day of the
Dead). In that same area we stumbled upon the Chinese American Museum, which
turned out to be a little gem. It included exhibits on the history and (shameful)
experience of Chinese Americans in California, as well as fine art exhibits.
Our final stop was the beautiful Union Station, where we all bought metro
passes and rode the subway the one stop to Jana’s exit.
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| Walking tour of DTLA |
That
evening Jana had bought tickets for us to attend the 25th
Anniversary of the Nightmare Before Christmas live performance by the original
cast at the Hollywood Bowl. We loved the concert a couple of years ago when we
attended, and this experience was made even more incredible with our front row
seats. Raelin, also a Nightmare Before Christmas fan, joined us for the evening
and the three girls enthusiastically sang along with every song. The movie is a
classic and watching the live performance is unforgettable.
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| Hollywood Bowl |
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| Hollywood Bowl |
When I
thought it couldn’t get any better, the following day was spent at the Walt
Disney Concert Hall for an open house for members. The Los Angeles Philharmonic
is comprised of some of the world’s finest musicians. The open house included three
separate one-hour performances followed by a Q&A with the orchestra members
and an opportunity to view and touch the instruments (kind of like a petting
zoo). As a point of interest, Jana and Andy chose the Concert Hall as a venue
for part of their wedding photos. Below is one of my favorites.
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| Wedding Photo |
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| Afternoon at the Walt Disney Concert Hall |
That
evening we were joined by Lara and her family for dinner at one of Jandy’s
favorite restaurants, Maccheroni Republic. Our plans always include good eats
while we’re in LA. From street food to the culturally-diverse food court at
Grand Central Market to fine dining, there’s something for everyone in DTLA.
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