California to Rhode Island!

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UPDATED WITH PHOTOS!

Finally! THE LONG OVERDUE FINAL ENTRY OF OUR "SUMMER WORK ROAD TRIP" BLOG....PICTURES WILL FOLLOW AT SOME POINT....LOL......ENJOY!!!

As the song goes, "We Love L.A."! LOL! We really do! With that said, April and I didn't have much time to enjoy it. Allow me to explain....On June 30th we had come to the conclusion to LEAVE scorching, scalding, sizzling hot Las Vegas and head HOME for the 4th Of July. We missed our family and pets and were experiencing heat stroke (I am sure of it)! For a brief moment we were going to drive home through Canada and bypass all the HEAT. After much talk we decided to head to the extremely cool (both figuratively and literally), Los Angeles. We were only 4 hours away and have always wanted to visit. The only catch was, we would have to drive through the Mojave Desert in (get this) 120 degree temps! No word of a lie, our jeep's thermometer read 117-120 the entire trip out. Oh baby, who would've thought leaving Las Vegas would be so painful?! There was bumper to bumper traffic and as you can imagine, the car would get quite hot after a few minutes of stillness -- even with the a/c cranked! I didn't think I would make it. I thought this was my time "to go." It felt like a modern version of "crossing the desert on a camel"....However, I shouldn't complain. The traffic on the other side of the highway, the traffic INTO Vegas from California, was 100% worse! What were these people thinking???? There was bumper to bumper traffic the ENTIRE way from L.A. to Vegas. I couldn't help but wonder why people would leave 72 degree, non-humidty temps, to go to 120 degree temps?? WHY? JUST WAIT FOR THE FALL or WINTER! My interest in them soon vanished, as did most of my consciousness, as we drove further into California. We pass the very small and quite off beat towns of Barstow and Bakersfield. I was amazed at how much this section of California LOOKED and FELT like the desert. No joking. There were hills and hills of golden sand and dry ground that looked like white rock. There was this haze that seemed to rise off the ground. It literally looked like you were driving through an oven (and felt like it). It reminded me of a scene from a Star War's movie...the one with the sand people or whatever the heck they were called.....the scorching hot desert people....lol. As we got closer to Barstow, April grew quite excited! Why, you ask? She had seen a sign a few miles back advertising Alien Jerky! I, waaaaaaay too hot to find humor in much of anything (except swimming naked in Antarctica), stroked her curiosity and suggested we stop inside the small, strange, yet extremely intriguing shop. I thought I was hallucinating when I saw the small Alien Jerky shop....it looked like a scene from a Quentin Tarentino movie. Across the street from the shop was the world's largest thermometer (which wasn't as impressive or as big as I thought it would be). What WAS impressive were the actual pictures of (what appeared to be) authentic alien space ships and aliens in the jerky shop! These were not FAKE my friends....or maybe I just nieve....they seemed like REAL photos from the 1950's/1960's and even if I wanted to deny the fact that there is/was no way space ships/aliens exist, I couldn't 100% after looking at these fragin pictures.......like I needed this type REALIZATION.....the existance of aliens....while in the middle of the desert.....???! LOL! I thought maybe it was the heat that made me believe or the fact that April was buying something called Alien Peanuts, all I know is I yearned for the 72 degree temps and ocean breeze L.A. promised more than I yearned for anything else in my entire life! After taking pictures in the 120+ degree desert with some (fake?) alien statues, Ape and I got into our equally scorching jeep and proceeded south on I-15 to Los Angeles. Never in my life had I seen more car breakdowns then I did that morning. Every few miles there was a car pulled over in the breakdown lane, overheating or with a blown tire!!! I felt sick to my stomach for those poor souls as I imagined what it must feel like, waiting for a tow truck, with no a/c. Just writing that makes me woozy! I promised our jeep (Bessy) a nice COLD washing once we reached Los Angeles.....IF....IIIIF.....she got us there in one piece, which she did....gooooood girl Bessy!

As we passed Bakersfield I felt the right side of my face, right arm, and right leg start to burn something fierce. I had to put a pillow up against the window to block the immense heat. For a few seconds, the saying, "I am melting," was an actual fact. To make matters worse, and my stomach even more icky, I swear I saw a pick-up truck with a pet carrier and dog inside! YES, a dog inside a pet carrier in 120+ degree temps! No a/c, no water, no food.....bastard.....sorry, but that person was either an animal hater, an idiot, bastard, or a sick-idiot-bastard. I tried to convince myself that my eyes were playing tricks on me as we trudged along toward the Pacific coast. In the meantime, every time I looked over at April she was drinking water. I figured it HAD to be the heat, or was it the alien peanuts she was munching on? All I know is I was glad she was hydrating herself. She was starting to look a little crispy.

As we entered the San Bernardino Mountains, the outskirts of Big Bear Mountain (yes, California has snow in the winter), the temps started to drop dramatically. It went from 120 to 99, to 87, to 85, to 82, 79, 76, 74, 68, 64, 62!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY, SWEET MOTHER OF NATURE'S A/C!!! As we entered Los Angeles County the air became COOL and down right chilly! Yes, that's right, I said it....chilly. Chilly. The air was chilly. One more time everybody.....chilly. It was July and I was chilly. NIIIIICE! There was a beautiful breeze and crispness to the air. All I can say is, L.A. had me at hello! LOL! ;-) What a reward for passing through that unrelenting desert. Ape and I squinted as we tried to find the L.A. skyline but could barely make anything out, due to the smog L.A. is famously known for. But who CARES? Who needs a skyline? Who needs buildings? With temps like this I'll take the smog any day. Heck, toss me around with the earthquakes......at least I'll be COMFORTABLY COOL!!

We were instantly stuck by how "familiar" Los Angeles County felt to us. The highways, which we had heard SOOOOO many horror stories about, were actually comforting to us. We found them to be like the highways we are use to back in Providence, Boston and New York. As a matter of fact, after driving through Boston and New York traffic, Los Angeles was a piece of cake. I felt like I was on I-95 south heading toward Warwick, RI at one point. It was very nice. The next thing that struck me were the trees. I had seen my first Joshua Tree near Barstow and now, here we were, driving past palm trees, pine trees, fruit trees and as April called them...."coifed" trees. I had never seen so many different type trees in one area! It had an exotic, almost Hawaiian feel. It was absolutely gorgeous. Los Angeles is so lush.

After squealing with delight that we made it to Los Angeles and vowing to NEVER, EVER, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVER cross the desert again in the summer, we arrived at our hotel for the next couple of nights, SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Hawthorne, CA (located several minutes outside of downtown LA). We got the travel agent rate of $39 per night, this was quite the deal! The area was very classy and homey. There were lots of familiar chain restaurants and stores, including a P.F. Changs (one of our favorite Chinese restaurants) and a great movie theater complex. We were only minutes away from Manhattan Beach, downtown Los Angeles, and LAX airport. A perfect location.

After we freshened up, we HAD to go out. We just couldn't wait to drive down Melrose Ave and Sunset Blvd! But first, we were hungry and there was one place we were dying to go to --- PINK'S HOTDOG'S! Yes, the famous Pink's hot-dog stand I had read and seen so much about on the Travel Channel and Food Network and. We figured the wait wouldn't be bad since it was 10:30pm. When we finally found Pink's we were very excited. There seemed to be 50 people in line and the place was hopping. They even had a security guard help with parking. April, thinking the line would move quickly, said she would get our dinner while I waited in the car. As I waited for April I almost had to pinch myself. There I was at 10:30pm, in Los Angeles, looking at the temp in my jeep reading 62 degrees. I had jeans and a T-shirt on for the first time in months. I wasn't sweating! People were coming in droves down the ally from nearby Melrose Ave for a late night bite at Pink's. Everyone seemed nice and down to earth. Lots of young adults in their early to mid 20's. They were smiling, laughing and walking hand-in-hand. It was like a scene from a movie. How ironic. I paid attention to the sound of the swaying palm trees, the music playing from passing cars on Melrose Ave and noticed what everyone was wearing as they walked by. Between the smiles and hello's, I noticed the guys had some of the coolest street clothes I had ever seen! Everyone was wearing cool t-shirts, sweaters and jeans and most everyone had blond highlights and funky sneakers. The people in LA definitely dress to impress and are quite trendy, I love that. Maybe it was just the fact it was Friday night and people were heading to (or coming from) nightclubs. I saw several gay couples walk by and felt SO comfortable and at ease. For the first time, since New Orleans, I felt like I could REALLY be myself and not worry about being.....well.....killed..lol. I took a deep breath and looked up at the California night sky and felt butterflies (or was that hunger)? I soon realized a 1/2 hour had passed and April was still missing. Another 15 minutes went by and then.....ta-da.....there was Ms. April, big smile covering her pretty face. She was SO excited about her experience in the Pink's hot-dog line. She said there were many interesting people and she couldn't believe some of the hot-dog choices they had. She said if we went back I would have to stand in line with her because it was THAT much fun! I would've agreed to stand in the middle of the road without my top on at that point -- anything to get one of the delicious hot-dogs she was holding!!!! Boy did they smell good. Something about relish and onions when your stomach is growling....mmm....mmmm......I took my first bite and wow, I am not a big hot-dog fan by all means, as a matter of fact I usually don't LIKE hot-dogs, but I liked these, wow, were they goooooooood! I am glad April got me two because they were small and two was just enough. The bread melted in my mouth and the hot-dog tasted so moist, if that makes sense. April loved her's too, please forgive me, but I forgot what type she had....I know it was something different. It is 6am as I type this portion of the blog and I won't wake her up to ask this question....lol......could you imagine? I know she loved it. It may have had cheese or something. Anyway, we give pinks an A+ and recommend it to all fellow meat eaters!

After our late night dinner at Pinks we drove down funky Melrose Ave. It was one store after another of pure goth, punk and must-have oddities. It was like Thayer Street in Providence on acid (or any cool college town shopping district)! It went on for miiiiiiiles, or at least it felt like it. I imagined people like Kelly Osbourne and Ashley Simpson shopping these trendy stores. I vowed to shop at some of the shops NEXT time I was in LA. We had a limited amount of time and wanted to SEE as much as possible, plus our funds were getting lower by the minute.....ugh.

Before we knew it we were driving down Sunset Blvd!!! Yeeeeeah baby, Sunset Blvd is everything you imagine it would be and more. Trendy nightclubs, cool restaurants, funky shops, pretty people and lots of cool billboards. As cool as Sunset Blvd. is (a.k.a. West Hollywood/Gay District), it still felt somewhat SMALLER than the image I had in my mind. It didn't seem overpowering or too chaotic, as say, New York's Time Square. We drove past Hollywood Hip Hotel's such as The Standard and Roosevelt and wondered who, of the Hollywood A-listers, were at the very popular hotel nightclubs/bars? One thing about Sunset Blvd, maybe more so at night, is that it is a very STYLISH area. No jeans and T-shirts here please, unless they are $200 jeans and a $100 T-shirts. Everyone was dressed to the nines. Not like they were going to the prom or fancy dinner, but like they were going to the # 1 nightclub and "see and be seen" restaurant. Everyone's hair was perfect. They all had tans. There were lots of white pants and linen. Lots of gay boys and celebrity looking gals. It definitely had the vibe of -- PLEASE DISCOVER and NOTICE ME!! LOL! Yes, a lot of people were thin, but there were also a nice mix of alternative sizes as well. I found this comforting and "nice" -- people are trendy and cool in all shapes and sizes -- remember that! 😊 I loved the neon of Sunset Blvd. I loved the whole vibe and excitement. We drove by the ORIGINAL Mel's Diner (the one they replicate at Universal Studios) and lots of cute/fun looking restaurants. It FELT like HOLLYWOOD here. You FELT like there was a lot going on. Like the street was just coming alive.....and it was almost midnight! I love that! I wish I could bottle that EXCITEMENT up and take it home with me to Providence.

After our gawking fest we decided to head back to our hotel and get a good nights sleep. The next day we would head to Hollywood & Highland and do all the touristy things such as Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Beverly Hills-Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica Blvd., etc.,

When I woke up the next day I could barely contain myself. I was so excited to GET OUTSIDE and SIGHTSEE! Like I said, our time was limited (only 3 days) and we had to fit work/sightseeing into that. Since we promised Bessy a car wash, that is the first thing we did. Good thing too, cars are a very serious accessory in Los Angeles. It seems everyone has a car and since it hardly rains, they are (mostly) all shiny and beautiful looking. We took Bessy to a car wash around the corner from our hotel. The place (forgot the name) was swarming with police cars being cleaned and get this, they hand wash/dry the car! It takes a while, but the cars look so nice and shiney when then are done. Like I said, cars are SERIOUS business in L.A.!

After Bessy was doused, we headed to breakfast at a place I had been dying to go --- The Original Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. I was so excited when I saw the statue of "Bob" outside the funky/old-fashioned restaurant. See, I have been reading ROADSIDE AMERICA and ROADTRIP USA books for years. These icons are like celebrities to me. I get very excited with stuff like this. The wait was under a 1/2 hour, not bad for a Saturday, and the weather outside was DELIGHTFUL. It was roughly 72, sunny and quite breezy.....aaahhh.....and it was JULY!! While we waited, I flipped through a local entertainment paper and noticed all the cosmetic ads. Everything from eyes to teeth to LEGS, yes...LEGS...lol! Don't be quick to judge! I mean, if you had the $$ and weren't afraid, why not, RIGHT? Everyone likes to look good. Before I could finish daydreaming about a surgery that would make me taller, we were seated! The place was hopping! I did a quick scan to see if I could spot any celebrities (Bob's is a celebrity hot spot), but the only famous "person" I saw was the statue of BOB! I ordered yummy pancakes, and I am sorry but ONCE AGAIN I forgot what Ape got. It had to have eggs (omlet?) or bacon involved. We took lots of pictures and planned out our day. We would go to Hollywood & Highland to see the famous Hollywood Sign and Kodak Theater (where the Oscars are held and American Idol finale), do some shopping, drive down Beverly Hills, go to Santa Monica Beach and end the day at Third Street Promenade....and that is exactly what we did!

We were SO impressed as we drove down the streets of Los Angeles County. The houeses, trees and flowers were so gorgeous. We never saw such a beautiful mix! It was SOOO strange to see pine trees, fruit trees, palm trees and exotic flowers all mixed together. It felt SO California! We loved driving up and down the side streets and looking at "average" peoples homes. They were so cool looking. It was fun driving down palm lined roads with our sunroof down! It reminded me of so many movies I had seen -- like Down & Out in Beverly Hills.....can you picture it??

Our first stop, Hollywood & Highland, was a lot of fun although smaller than I had imagined. It is attached to Marriott's Renaissance Hollywood Hotel (where we were going to stay, but couldn't pass up the $39 per night rate at SpringHill Suites). Even the parking lot was decked out in bright, fun colors. I felt like a little kid as I scurried through the parking lot, up the escalators to the main section of the complex. The Egyptian theater surrounded us as did lots of cool shops and a stage with a jazzy/rock band from Canada playing. I couldn't concentrate on anything because all I wanted to see was the HOLLYWOOD SIGN! Ape and I made our way past the crowds of people to the viewing section and once again I was struck by how small the sign looked, well, from our viewing point anyway. But it was SOOOOOOOO awesome to be there, to be that close to an image engraved in so many of our minds. We took lots of pictures and gawked a while before venturing into one of my favorite stores-- Lucky Brand Jeans. Oh my God! This store has the coolest street clothes around. I like boy clothes so I was in pure Heaven. Strike that, I like GAYISH boy clothes...not masculine...yuck.....the kind that girls can get away with too....gender neutral. This store does not disappoint, BUT the prices are enough to induce a comma! HOLY ALL THINGS IN THE NAME OF CHARGING! The old saying of, "If you have to ask the price you can't afford it!" is sooooo true, but luckily (no pun intended) they were having a sale. Well, sale in their sense! I found a beautiful funky/green shirt with yellow swirl design for a "reasonable enough" price and treated myself to it. April talked me into it and I am glad she did. It is BEAUTIFUL! I always read how Brad Pitt and Ashton Kutcher shop the Lucky Brand store in Beverly Hills-- so it felt kinda cool.

After my 1 item shopping spree we proceeded to poke around the complex and found ourselves overlooking Hollywood Blvd. Yes, we were right across the street from the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio, the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, AND the place I was most looking forward to visiting -- Manns Chinese Theater. Sorry, but I have to say it once again, the area seemed smaller than I had imagined it to be. I guess when you picture people like Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Angelina Joli, Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor , etc., going to movie premiers, you envision something BIG and MASSIVE and although The Manns does impress, it is no where as MASSIVE as I thought it would be. I couldn't believe the amount of "characters" I saw posing for pictures (for tips) on Hollywood Blvd! There was a Spiderman with a fanny pack and wedgy, Zorro with a ripped mask, Marilyn Monroe with fishnet stockings, a very trashy looking Sponge Bob (poor thing), a very freaky looking Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Johnny Depp, a very nice looking Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp, a weird dragon type drag queen in red high heel boots and freaky contact lenses (woah), what appeared to be an s/m looking cat woman, and some other sexually confused children characters!? Hmmm......lol! It was VERY, VERY funny if not disturbing! LOL! When we finally worked our way down to Hollywood Blvd. we were bombarded with tourists. They came from everywhere. We felt like sardines (someone was definitley eating fish down there...don't get me started). We pushed our way through and made it to the front of Manns Chinese Theatre. TA-DAAAAAAAAA.....I was so excited!!!! They were showing WAR OF THE WORLDS so Ape and I tried to get tickets but they were sold out for the entire day/night, so we bought tickets for the following night (Sunday). Down in the crowd of tourists and fishy smell we worked our way back inside the complex and went in and out of the shops, we then decided to take a ride to Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills was soooooooooooo Beverly Hills. It IS everything you imagined! All I can say is WOW, WOW and WOOOOW. First off, the greenery and foliage is amazing. Flowers like I would imagine in Hawaii and trees you would see all of North America, including places like Vermont! Most of the houses are gated (but of course) and have major security systems, but who cares about that! Just driving down the side streets of Beverly Hills is an experience. We were near the Beverly Hills Hilton and witness our fist "spoiled brat" of the day. There was this very petit, blond girl standing on the street corner YELLING at someone on her cell phone. I mean, YELLLLLLING! She looked so miserable and bratty! YUCK! But it was still entertaining to us tourist who find this to be VERY Beverly Hills. When we turned down Rodeo Drive we drove past the weirdest trees. They looked like broccolli, but they were very pretty and neat. Before we knew it we were passing places like Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Versacci etc., -- WOW.....I never saw so many expensive cars, especially hummers, in all my life, not to mention "gorgeous" people! I saw SO many women walking with their "boy toys" -- I am not kidding. The guys were more pretty than the women and the women just clung to their arms and it was the guys who had all the shopping bags! LOL! Everyone was so tan and trim. A couple of images that stuck in my mind were that if a farther, his wife and obviously spoiled daughter, walking hand-in-hand in and out of all the shops, with tons of bags....I could just picture her saying, "Daddy pleeeeeeeeeeease?" UGH...lol! Another image was 3 older women, maybe mid to late 60's, all in high heels, bleach blond hair, almost stepford wives looking, peering in and out of the shops windows. Heads turning at the same time, fingers pointing at the same time, almost the same steps....strange! I think I also saw an adonis. This guy was one of the most gorgeous guys I had ever seen (and I am lesbian). He was over 6 feet tall, had olive skin, white linen pants, a tight black t-shirt, dark hair with blond highlights and a smile that would kick Tom Cruises's ass! His petit girlfriend was pratically swinging on his arm muscle as they walked up and down the street. This was the first area that seemed as LARGE as I imagined it to me. No skimping here. Even the buses were cool and funky colors! I felt like I was in another world. Being the type person I am, I couldn't help but think of how much money was being WAISTED on stupid materialistic stuff. I kept thinking how much money someone spent in just one bag full and how much GOOD that money could've went to. I don't understand $200 jeans or $500 shirts. Even if I had the money I would NEVER spend it like that. Yes, I like stylish clothes, but c'mon.....there is a limit. I would rather be out DOING for people than spending on myelf. I know, I know, I bought that shirt in Lucky Brand Jeans, but trust me.....I hardly EVER spend that kind of money on myself and I did feel guilty. I guess it's just hard to understand because I'm not a millionaire or billionaire. I guess if you are charitable and have money to blow....why not?? I guess. I just feel umconfortable with that whole idea. Truly. OK, enough about that!!!

After our excursion through Beverly Hills we decided to head down to Santa Monica Beach. Believe it or not, we STILL hadn't seen the Pacific Coast! LOL! We drove down Santa Monica Blvd. until we met up with the ocean. YAAAAY, we made it!!!! It was even chillier by the ocean. I swear it dropped to like 58 degrees! I needed a zip sweater or something! My first impression of the Pacific Ocean was that it wasn't nearly as pretty as I thought it would be. The beaches in Florida are the most beautiful anywhere....period. New England also has some spectacular beaches, especially Martha's Vineyard...the color of the water and sand are better there. I found the ocean to be COLD looking. It was foggy out and the sand was dirty. Lots of litter. The cool part was all the vollyball nets and bike path. It reminded me of the opening to Three's Company! LOL! But the water and sand.....not so impressive, at all! Although, in all fairness, I heard the water south of Orange County are sappouse to be more pretty and warmer (i.e. Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, LaJolla, San Diego). By this point it was getting darker out and we were getting a bit hungry so we parked our car and headed to 3rd Street Promenade which is an outside mall in downtown Santa Monica. It isn't "just" a mall however. 3rd Street Promenade is PURE Californian. There are street performers, musicians, movie theaters every few hundred feet and lots of cool/fun shops and restaurants. I highly recommended to anyone in the area. It was very entertaining. Word of advice. It was early July and I was pretty chilly and couldn't find a zip sweater to purchase in ANY of the stores!!! Please bring a light sweater with you! After poking in the stores and watching some street performers we headed for dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express. I wanted something small and light as did April. As we sat there I started to feel VERY homesick. The 4th of July was right around the corner and I felt worlds away from my family and animals. I think I got misty eyed and choked up. I was having such a good time in California but wanted to be home sooooo bad at that point. April snapped me out of it and before too long we were back outside, walking around and enjoying the cool air.

As I pick this blog up, I am writing from HOME (it is July 21) so please bare with me as I try and remember things clearly. Anyway, the next day, Sunday, we had to catch up on work and made plans to go see WAR OF THE WORLDS at Manns Chinese Theatre at 7pm. We got there early and were surprised at how long the line was! OH MY! Even with tickets you have to wait in line until they open the door. The line swung around Hollywood Blvd all the way around the corner into a parking lot! It was SO cool! Going to a show at Manns is like going to a play! It is a major event! There were these people selling sausage & onions on the steet and boy did that smell good. It had a very festive atmosphere. Before we knew it they started to let us in. The ushers were all decked out and it felt like the 1920's for a breif moment. What a beautiful theatre Manns Chinese is! Wow, to think of all the celebrities that have past through here and sat in the seats we sit in now. THIS is where all the major Hollywood movie premiers take place. I found out a few days after we were there, Johnny Depp had his Charlie & The Chocolate Factory premiere there and stars like Britany Spears showed up! The inside of the theatre was deep red and velvet. Almost like an opera house. The seats in my opinion were comfortable, but April said they weren't. The best thing about Manns Chinese Theatre is the SOUND! WOW, no where else is there sound like this cinema -- they have a SPECIAL SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM they use. It felt like we were IN the movie. Absoultely incredible. Another cool thing about the L.A. audience was that there is a lot of interaction with the movie. People were cheering, clapping, laughing....it was awesome. A true event and a MUST do for anyone in Los Angeles!

After the show we grabbed a quick bite at a fast food joint and headed back to our room. We were looking forward to our last day in California, July 4th!

When I awoke on July 4th I was SO excited to be in California, although I did miss being home. I tried not to think of it much because we had planned for the day, a trip up Pacific Coast Hwy 1 to Malibu, lunch at Duke's and sightseeing down Pacific Coast Hwy 1 toward Venice Beach, Marina del Ray and Manhatten Beach. The plan was to see fireworks at Marina del Ray. The day was very foggy at first and chilly. I would say it was in the low to mid 60's. As the day progressed and we got closer to Malibu little bits of sun came out, but the temp still hovered in the 68 degree range. We weren't too impressed with Malibu. I mean, after vacationing in Destin or any of Florida's panhandle or Key West area, nothing compares to that. Not to mention the beauty of Newport, RI's Ocean Drive and Cliff Walk. Malibu WAS pretty, don't get me wrong, but the water didn't have that beautiful color I had heard about. I think it has something to do with all the rain they got this year. The roads were kinda messed up and the fog kinda blocked the view. Also, maybe we were in the wrong section, but the shops and restuarants weren't impressive at all either. I mean, this is where a lot of celebrities live, right? Brad Pitt? Britany Spears? Kevin Bacon? Barbara Streisand? Am I missing something? Florida and New England are much more beautiful. Maybe I was there on an off day??? Anyway, we were looking very forward to dining at Duke's (a restaurant made famous in Honolulu Hawaii for the famous surfer Duke Kahanamoku's) and were happy when we arrived and saw it overlooking the Pacific ocean. We were seated near an ocean view window and placed our orders. A huli-huli chicken sandwich for me and a huge Czlifornia Chop Cobb Salad for April (more on that later). The food sucked -- plan and simple. Ape liked her salad (more on that later) but, trust me, the food sucked. The ONLY good thing about Duke's (even the decor was so-so) was the cute seagull that flirted with April near the window. April, of course, teased the poor thing with a peice of bread (she tried feeding a peice of bread to the seagull through the glass window...the seagull, obviously offended, took off never to return..lol). I barely touched my lunch because the chicken was dry and tasteless and their home made chips were too greasy! Anyway, one hour and a new t-shirt later, we were back on the road heading toward the south end of Malibu. There were lots of expensive homes high on the soiled hills, overlooking the ocean, but none impressed us much. It was also too cold to even have our windows open (61-63 degrees & windy). We turned around and headed back toward Venice Beach, the scenery didn't change much until we accidently turned down a side street and then we found out WHY they call this area VENICE beach! Wow, it was so cute. There was a canal with mini boats docked in front of people's homes (which were decorated for the 4th Of July) and a series of mini bridges that crossed over the canal. I couldn't believe it! People were standing outside their homes, grilling up burgers and waving to the passerby's! The foliage was beautiful and it just looked like a very nice/fun place to live. They had a special 4th of July boat reggata that day....nothing big...mostly a local thing with tiny boats and there was also a parade (which we missed). The area was very inviting but we couldn't find a parking spot. It was already after 4pm and people where already walking the famed Venice Beach Boardwalk and preparing for the nights activities. We arrived too late! We decided to save Venice Beach for our next trip out to California and headed a mile or two north to Marina del Rey.

Marina del Rey is another very cute area. There are lots of hotels, restaurants and BOATS GALORE! It seems like everyone on the California coast owns a boat! LOL! Marina del Rey is located in Los Angeles's Westside and is between LAX airport and Santa Monica -- it is walking distance of Venice Beach. You can explore the area by foot, kayak or boat (there is a great boat trip around the marina that only cost $2.00). There is a cute, small section called Fisherman's Village. This is where April and I stopped. It is made to look like a New England village and they do a great job at it. This would be a great place to rent a boat, take a walk, do a little shopping and have a quick bite. They have every kind of watersport immaginable available for rent. Paddle boats, sail boats, windsurfing, harbor cruises, whale watching and even ocean fishing! I noticed some people having a little picnic as well. When we were there it was overcast and chilly, but on a sunny, warm day it would be a great place to picnic. There was this cool, tiki-looking, waterfront restaurant near the village called Shanghai Red's that looked nice, but they were having a special 4th Of July buffet and it was a bit too fancy for us and we weren't that hungry. Several other restaurants are in the complex, most casual, so you won't go hungry! 😊 We poked around the souviner shops and April, of course, had to get some weird Chinese tea/ice coffee liquid of death stuff...I don't know...it was different and April likes different so she took a chance. I don't know how the girl does it! Earlier in the day she had a spiced apple or cinnemen spiced apple something soda that was AWFUL, but she drank it all...lol! Crazy girl! After we explored the area we looked at the time and noticed it was only 5:30pm and the fireworks planned for the area weren't until 9:00/9:30pm!! It was very chilly at this point so we decided to head back to our hotel room to "freshen up" and rest a while -- plus there was ALWAYS work that could be done. I should've known! Once we got back to the hotel room we both "crashed" and fell asleep.....afternoon naps can either leave you refreshed or groggy and I think we both woke up groggy. We were missing home, were chilly and at this point hungry and tired. We decided to stay in and watch the 4th Of July special from Boston (how ironic)! We also decided to head down the street to California Pizza and pick up a pizza to go. Back at the room we watched TV and before 11pm were fast asleep. Not too exciting, I know -- but we were getting kinda worn out from the road and work at this point. Not in a BAD way, a GOOD way because we had been making SO MUCH use of our days -- we needed the rest.

The next morning, our last full day in Los Angeles, we had plans to go to Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk, BUT......(Jaws theme playing)......April woke up....GREEN......VERY GREEN.......and before we knew it, she was full out sick. I mean....SICK.....SICK......SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK! Sick like I had never seen her before. It was 100% food poisoning.....I know this because for the first time in HISTORY....I, Desiree Sousa, didn't get ANY of the sysmtems she had. I felt 100% fine! Nervous, yes....but NOT sick. If it was a "virus" or "cold" I would've gotten it, hands down. This was food poisoning. Was it from her salad which had eggs, avicado and blue cheese on it? Hmmm....was it from the funky spiced apple soda thingy.....hmmmmm.....or maybe it was the weird Chinese tea/ice coffee thingy???? I am leaning toward the salad....but, MY WORD.....POOR THING!!!!! Stupid Duke's.....I was so unimpressed with them as it was and this was the final straw! My dinner sucked too and I didn't eat it, but April's salad tasted fine at the time....not great.....just good enough.....I hate when these "popular" restaurants put no love or concern into their food. Then again, it was 4th of July and the people in the kitchen were all under 30.....the last place they probaly wanted to be was there....but still.

April spent the entire day sick as a dog and by nighttime I was a nervous wreck. I desperatly wanted to be home. I wanted to see my pets and family. Every emotion was taking over me. I couldn't believe it had been over 60 days since I had been home.......60 days......that's a long time to be away from the pets and people you love (yes, in that order....lol....)! By Tuesday morning, April was feeling somewhat better -- sore, but better -- and we decided to HEAD HOME! We were going to try and squeeze some time in Anaheim and try to see my cousins Douglas and Derek, but were just TOO far gone at this point -- we just wanted to be home!! We wouldn't of been good company at this point, trust me....we look liked wounded puppies! LOL! ;-)

We packed up our jeep and with slight regret said goodbye to Los Angeles's glorious 72 degree, sunny weather and headed north up I-5 toward Lake Tahoe/Reno, Nevada. There was NO way we were going to drive through the desert again. As much as we would've liked to go home through Santa Fe, NM and Texas...we just couldn't. We figured Lake Tahoe would offer the cool temps we were now accustimed to.

Before I end this blog and write about our journey home, I just want to say how much I truly loved California. Yes, we weren't there long at all, but the few days we WERE there I loved everything about the Los Angeles area. The weather was great (although a bit too foggy and cool at times, but in July this is a welcome treat), the people were so nice and down to earth, the restaurants were delicious, the shops were very cool, seeing a movie at Manns Chinese Theatre will always be a highlight for me, driving down Rodeo drive and seeing how the rich & famous live will also be an experience I will never forget. The thing that sticks out more than anything is the FOLIAGE and TREES! Oh my gosh! So many beautiful flowers, exotic trees, pine trees and of course, fabulous, tall, skinny palm trees! Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade was awesome. I was so amazined how many movie theatres were there! I also loved the side streets of Venice and the boats at Marina del Ray! I loved driving down Sunset Blvd. at night, looking at all the funky/fun restaurants and trendy people. It was just cool. Los Angeles has a cool, laid back vibe -- it's true! Melrose Street was SO funky.....and Pink's hotdogs were the best I ever had. I loved how busy Bob's Big Boy was in Burbank, CA and I love that you could see the Jimmy Kimmel Live Studio from the top of Hollywood & Highland complex. I love that there was a lady grilling sausage and onions while we waited in line to be seated at a 7pm, SUNDAY NIGHT showing of War Of The Worlds. I love how serious movies are in Los Angeles. It was like going to a play. Yes, we were there a short time, but it made a lasting impression and it only wet our appetite for further exploration. Thanks Los Angeles!!

Happy Travels!

Des & Ape

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Photos

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Welcome to Hollywood!

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Before we arrived in California we had to say goodbye to fabulous Las Vegas!

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Forum Shops

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Desert Passage

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MonteLago Resort - Nice property but the staff wasn't so friendly.

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Leaving MonteLago Resort & Casino

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Saying it was hot is an understatement!

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Leaving Las Vegas via 1-15 South through the steamy Mojave Desrt!

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Pretty joshua tree.

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We just had to stop!

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Especially now! LOL!

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I don't know why I feel like saying this, but ROCK ON! Hmm?

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We weren't impressed either...lol!

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What DID impress us is that someone would stop for TACOS on a day when it is 120 degrees outside! UGH! YUCK!

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Getting closer to Los Angeles!

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Sweet releif!

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Such a beautiful sunset.

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After 120 degree temp this is HEAVEN!

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Cool store on Melrose ave.

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Where we stopped for dinner.

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Famous Laugh Factory!

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Umm...err...you tell me the irony that this was at OUR hotel? Yeah...

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I Love LA!

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Bob's BIIIIIG BOY! Yummy!

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Ape trying to decide what to order.

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I so wanted to believe this was Jennifer Garner?

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I don't know why I am sharing this photo of my feet with you? Umm?

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Downtown LA!

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Manns Chinese Theatre

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Typical day in downtown LA.

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This poor bastard needs to earn some $$ to buy a new costume!!

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Beautiful homes & foliage near Beveryl Hills.

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Beautiful homes & foliage near Beveryl Hills.

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Beautiful homes & foliage near Beveryl Hills.

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Getting closer to Rodeo Drive - Beveryl Hills.

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Hmm...who lives here? Beverly Hills.

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Welcome to Beverly Hills.

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Beverly Hills 9021-WOAH!

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Beverly Hills

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Oh, Look! Somebody bought a boy toy! Nice!

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These two gals are for sale! Hmm?

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Look, it's Gimme! Gimme! and Gimme!