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Published: January 23rd 2011
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Hi Friends and Family,
We're here and have arrived safe n"well. We're still suffering from a little jet lag but suffice to say we have been all over Los Angeles and have just returned from having dinner in Hollywood. That's right. You heard me.
H-o-l-l-y-w-o-o-d!
Right!
We arrived in the noon and took the shuttle bus to pick up our car from the car rental company - Alamo. After sorting all that out we took to the road.
Wow! We're in America.
In LA.
It felt slightly surreal as we had seen the city on TV but perhaps Berlin seems like that to other Europeans too!
Driving was a little weird as there were potholes and one could see little signs of shabbiness here and there but the drive was nevertheless, smooth and easy. And the view was amazing and filled with a few rows of skyscrapers that stood out tall and proud in the midday sun.
We were staying at The Millenium Biltmore Hotel.
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel is a luxury hotel located in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Upon its grand opening in 1923, the Los Angeles Biltmore was the
largest hotel west of Chicago in the United States.
The interior of the hotel is decorated with frescos and murals; carved marble fountains and columns; massive wood-beamed ceilings; travertine and oak paneled walls; lead crystal chandeliers; caste bronze stairwells and doorways; fine artisan marquetry and mill work; and heavily embroidered imported tapestries and draperies.
Most notable are the frescoed mural ceilings in the main Galleria and the Crystal Ballroom, which were hand painted in 1922 by Italian artist Giovanni Smeraldi, known for his work in the Vatican and the White House. Smeraldi and his team famously painted the ballroom's colorful, seamless fresco over a period of seven months, decorating it with figures of Greek and Roman gods, angels, cupids and other mythological creatures. It was meticulously restored in the 1980s by Smeraldi's apprentice, Anthony Heinsbergen. The imported Austrian crystal chandeliers that adorn it are 12 feet (3.7 m) in diameter.
Its a work of art and as such has been sought after and utilized in the world of both politics and entertainment.
The Los Angeles Biltmore is known for being an early home to the Academy Award Ceremony for the Oscars and The Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences which was founded in 1927.
The 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles chose John F. Kennedy as the party's presidential nominee, and his acceptance speech was given at this very same hotel and the Beatles paid a visit to the Presidential Suite in August 1964 during their first U.S. tour.
Our room - Rm 1168 was right next to the PRESIDENTIAL SUITE.
How cool is that?!
In recent years, the Biltmore has hosted the semi-finals for American Idol and multiple Grammy Awards After-Parties. Not only that, but while were there, a film crew had taken over the ballroom!
Anyway, we checked in and quickly parked the car elsewhere as the hotel only "did" valet parking at the horrendous price of $40.00 per day not including a tip.
No way!
So we looked around for "off street parking" that was very near the hotel and then paid $12.00 for the day and $5 on Saturday and Sunday. Not too bad.
Due to jet lag we had to stay awake so we walked around and took photos of the banks as we were Downtown in the Financial District which
meant very pretty to look at and very dead at night!
We needed to find somewhere that had warm food and would also welcome children. We found a Mexican resturant that filled the gap and then home.
To Bed.
See ya!
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Florence
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Enjoy, you will love it, these huge horizons are making you feeling very small and the nature is so nice!