Almost Done with the License Plate Game

---

Uncle Ronnie.

He made me do that. I forgot to mention that I was staying with him and Uncle Larry in Studio City last night. So this morning we woke up and went to breakfast at Du-pars, a really good restaurant that has absolutely amazing pancakes. The only problem was that they were too big and many to finish, even as a short stack. But it was delicious and really got us going for the day.

Back at their apartment, we planned our day. First we went to The Grove and Farmer's Market. The outdoor mall looked like an upscale version of Short Hills Mall, so ridiculously nice. They had a cute little fountain that danced like the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas (which we will see tomorrow!) and we were a little mesmerized by it. Then we walked through the farmer's market and the smell of fresh fruits which came from the one fruit stand and the smoothie place made me happy. Sadly, however, I didn't get anything. 😞

We then went to be "real tourists" in Hollywood. We walked around Mann's Chinese Theatre, saw all the handprints and footprints in the pavement outside of it, then looked at the stars on Hollywood Boulevard. The area was literally overrun by tourists, and we were a part of it.

But then we decided it would be a good time to leave to go further down the coast to San Diego. So we drove down, through Laguna Beach (really not that exciting of a town - they think they're better than they are), and down towards Coronado Island. The Bridge to get to the island is an extremely high arc so it was fun to drive on. Nothing like the hill of Lombard Street, but fun nonetheless. We then stopped at the Hotel del Coronado which looks like a palace. We walked around it for a bit then snuck inside behind some guests who nicely held the door open for us - how could we say no? It is magnificent inside and, one day when I have millions, I will stay there for a night because I doubt I'll ever be able to afford two.

Leaving Coronado Island we arrived at Chula Vista, the location of our campground tonight. We had a much easier time setting up the tent than last time, which I guess was to be expected. We ate dinner at Outback Steakhouse, knocked off another few license plates (the reason for today's title; lame, I know, but I couldn't think of anything else that would be even mildly appropriate or relevant), and will be going to sleep in a few hours so we can wake up early tomorrow and beat the desert heat as we drive to Las Vegas. Sounds like fun!!!

---