A Golden New Year's Eve in LA

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We've been so busy the past few days, and especially today, that I've forgotten that it's also New Year's Eve. Today was especially hectic, because I had a few specific places I wanted to visit while in town. I had never seen the Pacific before, so that was my first stop. I had also wanted to visit the LA Memorial Coliseum, where USC plays, but I found out when I put it into Google Maps that an NFL game was happening this afternoon. Bummer—no parking, and a nightmare amount of traffic, for sure. Gives me a reason to come back, I guess. So that meant we were going straight to the Pier in Santa Monica. Because let’s be tourists!

On the way to LA, we stopped for gasoline in Coachella. Yes, that Coachella. But we were running low, and it was the first place in California where gasoline was under $3/gallon. It was $2.89 there. Dad went in for some coffee—I hadn’t realized how much that was going to be a necessity for him, but I’m glad that all the hotels we’ve stayed at so far have offered it every morning. Anyway, after he went in, a lady in her 50s asked everybody at the gas pumps frantically if she could borrow $10 to fill up to get back home. I put in my card, because I’m apparently a nice guy. And she told me I would be blessed or that karma was going to be good to me or something like that. I said it was nothing. But I filled up, and she filled up. I don’t know how much she put in, because she drove off without really saying anything else to me. I suppose I’ll find out in a few days whether she only put in $10 or if it was more. Another car pulled up and started using the pump before I could check.

We finished with The Picture of Dorian Gray with still an hour left before Santa Monica, and seeing that we would need something a little more episodic than a novel, I opted to put in the 2^nd David Sedaris book. So we’ll be listening to that until probably Tuesday.

Traffic in LA wasn’t bad at all. Maybe I was expecting worse, or maybe the fact that it was Sunday morning had something to do with it. Either way, we got to a parking spot right on the beach around noon, and it cost $1/hour with a 2-hour maximum. So we paid $2 to stroll along the beach, check out the Pier, and step into the Pacific Ocean.

I had a great time at the Santa Monica Pier. At first, I was startled to see people in UGA colors walking around, and then I realized that it’s probably where every Dawg fan with money and time would be. Most of the Pier was covered in fog, which was especially thick for most of the day. But we were able to walk along a bike/strolling path the entire way. Again, we were greeted by quite a few people wearing Georgia gear. And the Pier itself was a wonder. All on those thick boards, with nail heads sticking up above the planks in many places. We walked through the carnival area but really wanted to get out to the edge of the Pier. We got there, got the obligatory selfie, and then slowly poked around the edges. We saw loads of birds and street performers. And I was beginning to get hungry, so we found a burger shop called Pier Burger; it was pretty splendid, though a little pricey.

The Santa Monica Pier is also the end point of US Hwy 66, the so-called Route 66 of American lore. Dad has always been fascinated with it, so I obliged him with a photo next to one of the signs indicating that landmark. On the way back to the car, we took a detour down one of the boardwalks that appeared to go out to the ocean, and it didn’t quite go all the way. So we walked on the sand and all the way into the surf. I wanted to actually touch the water, and neither of us intended to get our feet wet. The Pacific, however, had other ideas. So a little surf took us by surprise and soaked our socks and shoes. Luckily, I was wearing dri-fit socks, and my shoes are pretty quick to dry, too.

Our next stop was 245 Saltair Ave in Los Angeles. This address shouldn’t mean anything to you, and it really didn’t mean anything to me until I did some digging. This was the house where the creators of The Golden Girls took exterior shots of the house. So, naturally, I had to go. It was easy to find, and with no hassle at all. We even got to drive down Sunset Blvd for a stretch. It was a dream come true. A pilgrimage, if you will. The house had no obstructions out front, despite many of the nearby houses being hidden behind large bushes. And there were no other pilgrims on the street at all. I was relieved about that, but it made me wonder how many people actually knew about this place. Check out the photos.

Our final must-see destination in LA was the Griffith Observatory. It has so much going for it: Art Deco, great views of the surrounding hills, and then the exhibits themselves. Words cannot describe how much a feast for the eyes this place is. This is probably the largest amount of pictures I’ve uploaded for this trip so far, and with good reason.

I had intended to use the walking path up the hill, but once we parked (for free at the Greek Theatre at the base of the hill), one of the attendants told us about a DASH bus that would take us from the Greek Theatre all the way to the front door of the Griffith Observatory. The parking situation looked like a nightmare to begin with, and I couldn’t believe when we found a spot in the free lot. And the round-trip ticket on the bus was only $1 (cash only, exact change only). And once we got to the top, dad commented that there would’ve been no way he could’ve made it to the top by walking. Glad we found the bus. Which he paid for.

It was another religious experience for me to see the Observatory for the first time. I was not prepared to be so overwhelmed. When we got done, dad even remarked that I must’ve really liked it. Yep.

We found out when we went into the building that the Observatory was closing at 5 PM tonight (despite nothing on their website saying this at ANY time when I was planning this trip), which meant a few things. First, it meant that we had less than two hours to enjoy the sights. Second, and more importantly, it meant that we wouldn’t be able to see place at night, which meant that we couldn’t actually see the telescope working. We saw the major telescope that they had on display, but it was a bit of a bust because the dome wasn’t open and then there was only a space of about 40 square feet inside to walk into to see the telescope.

I was more impressed by the Art Deco style than with the machinery. And the views over the hills and valleys were spectacular. One of the first things you notice when you get off the bus is the famous HOLLYWOOD sign sitting out there in the hills. I guess you can go visit it (the bus claimed it stopped along the way to hike to that sign, but I don’t think it actually stopped), but that seemed boring. I wanted to see the Observatory. And dad had no care to see some big letters in the hills.

Any more words about this wonderful place would be in vain. Just check out the pictures.

After the Observatory, we went to our hotel, the Quality Inn Burbank Airport. It was easy to find, and traffic was still no problem. But once we got there, it turned out that I had only reserved a room with a single queen bed. Oops. But the desk clerk was VERY accommodating, making a call for us to rearrange with one of the regular guests to get us a room with a king bed and a pull-out couch. It’s called the “Executive Room,” and it normally costs about $100 more than we paid for it. I was floored. My error, and this lady went out of her way to make sure we had a better experience. That’s some service. And then I got my Rose Bowl tickets that had been waiting for me at the desk since Wednesday! Hallelujah!

It really has been a day for good experiences. I’m not really a “fan” of LA, and I wouldn’t ever want to live here (or any big city, honestly). But a couple of days getting to see some of the places I’ve always heard about has been great.

And it’s New Year’s Eve. Our celebrating consisted of going to the Jack In The Box right next to the hotel. Now we’re back in the hotel room for the night, waiting for our friends on the East Coast to start texting us or whatever. I’m just glad I get my own bed, and that my ridiculously-priced tickets are now in my possession. Tomorrow, in 2018, we’ll be spending the day with tons of other Dawg fans and getting to enjoy the festivities with them.

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