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Published: August 8th 2007
We woke up early and showered by about 8am. During breakfast, Lauren and Allyn wanted coffee so Amy went next door and borrowed the neighbors' coffee machine. While she was gone, Allyn and Lauren went out onto the patio. A very loud alarm sounded! They weren't sure what was going on so we all traipsed upstairs and asked Amy what was going on. "Ok, they're testing the fire alarms this morning at 8am. Sorry, I forgot." Throughout breakfast, numerous apartment alarms went off through the building. But Peanut Butter Puffins and coffee made everyone happy to start the day. We set off for Redondo Beach and got out and took pics of surfers and the pier. Even got to take pictures with a VW van that had been "chopped" to fit a surf board.
Back in the car, we headed for Beverly Hills to have lunch at The Ivy. Our reservation wasn't until 11:30am so we went into the Surly Girls boutique--and got yelled at for trying to take a picture of Lauren trying on trendy sunglasses. In order to secure a table outside, we went to The Ivy a bit early. We were seated in a prime location along
the fence. We ordered our drinks and the waiter informed us that the electricity in the kitchen wasn't working so he wasn't sure if we'd be able to order. We decided to stick around and hope! We enjoyed the people watching and our drinks and eventually he retured to say that we could order as the electricity had come back on. Amy and I ordered mesquite grilled halibut--mine with lime and herb sauce, hers with cajun seasoning, Lauren had the cold poached salmon, and Allyn had the grilled vegetable salad with shrimp. We thought someone famous would get our of one of the Rolls Royces or the Escalade with a driver but alas, they did not.
Then it was time for dessert! We had White Chocolate Lemon Cake and LA Desserts Praline Ice Cream with Hot Fudge Sauce and a Pecan Square. Both were excellent! On the whole it was a fabulous meal and experience. We even had a tremendous laugh when the bill came. Thanks, Mr. Burke!
From The Ivy, we drove down Sunset Boulevard through nice neighborhoods past the Beverly Hills Hotel and on into West Hollywood. West Hollywood is kind of trashy and we could
Looking south
The point in the background is Palos Verdes, south of Redondo Beach where we were standing.definitely tell when we had crossed the "border." Then onto Hollywood. Amy pointed out sights--including the Chateau Marmont where Lindsay Lohan lived while her place was being readied. We parked at the Hollywood and Highland parking deck and got on the Galactic Express--cheesy name for the shuttle bus up to the Griffith Observatory. Amy had booked tickets online for us so that we could go see great views of the LA megalopolis. The actual observatory has been around since the 30s and has played a role as a backdrop for movies--James Dean had a fight scene here in Rebel Without A Cause. The observatory sits on the western slope of Mt. Hollywood and we took great pics of the Holywood sign from here. We rode the shuttle back and were able to check out Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theater. There were sooooo many people in this area, not only because of the theaters, but also because of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was very cool to see the different stars but also to laugh at the juxtapositions...I think it was Michael Jackson that was next to Annette Benning. Made me chuckle!
We jumped back in the
Cosmo likes the view
of Palos Verdes from the beach. car and drove back through Beverly Hills on our way to Santa Monica. We saw the building where Amy used to work for Montgomery and Company--but no more! Her last day of work was the day we arrived! We parked a couple blocks away from Ocean Avenue and then walked over to get a sweeping view of the beach and pier. The beach was significantly below us and the pier was off to the left. We contemplated going to the pier but decided not to cos there seemed to be a ridiculous amount of people already there.
Allyn and Lauren went back to Amy's to pack and have an early night while Amy and I headed south to Huntington Beach to meet up with our cousing Tiffany and her boyfriend Mike. We had a good time catching up with Tiffany and getting to know Mike before heading back to Amy's place.
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shelley
non-member comment
who does cosmo belong to?
Looks like you had a great time. I LOVe the cosmo pics.