A Day in L.A.

Ok I won't go into TOO many boring details about what happened AFTER the Barnes and Noble gig. All I can say is THANK YOU to my wonderful pal Laura for picking Anjoli and her blind mother up from the Grove. No mention of just how difficult THAT was for her. (I really do love an LA girl who has absolutely no clue about where LA's best mall is. She's a little indie rocker/ filmmaker...art is what it's all about to Laura. Art and Converse hightops!).

I wish all of you could meet Laura and her roommate, Michelle. They are a total comedy team. So sharp and quick witted...I am amazed every time I visit. They really crack me up. Here's a taste of their dry wit: when one of them leaves the apartment, one will say, "bye, don't die!" (when asked about that their answer was: "who will pay the other half of the rent?") Anjoli was in heaven playing (or rather observing) their gorgeous cat, Judy. Judy is fond of "vanquishing" sundry objects around the apartment, which, after destroying, she drops into her water bowl...ah, just because I guess!

So, having left my car at the Grove...Laura was our chauffeur for the next day.
Laura has been telling me for months about the NIRVANA/MOTHER of ALL record stores...Amoeba Records. I finally made my pilgrimage:





Oh JOY oh RAPTURE. WOW!! I wish all of you lovely people could visit this store. I could have stayed ALL afternoon. It's HUGE and full of bargains galore. It's a mixture of used and new cds, albums, dvds, posters, etc. Here is my damage:
For Anjoli - Nanny McPhee and Harry Potter 2 dvds, Tommy and The Who Isle of Wight on DVD- both were new...Tommy was $9.99 and Isle of Wight was only $15.98, Willy Mason's cd Where the Humans Eat ($5.99) and Joni Mitchell's
Songs of a Prairie Girl for $7.99. I left spending about $75.00!! Unbelievable. I am glad it's in LA and not in San Diego though! Like Laura, I am MUCH more at home in a record store than a mall. We are two peas in a pod that way.
After my little shopping spree, Laura buzzed up a steep hill and showed us...GASP...the house where MORRISSEY lived. (It's in West Hollywood). Sadly Morrissey moved back to (?) London maybe? Anyway, this is where he used to live:




After kissing the "Morrissey Stone" (hee hee), we headed for "Mel's Diner" for lunch. Many of you may remember the movie, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore- this was the diner where Alice worked in that film:




Anjoli's favorite food is diner food...ok I confess it's actually mine too! They served her a cheeseburger in a 50s Chevy:



The clock was ticking, and Anjoli wanted to see Hollywood Boulevard/The Mann Theatre - all the stars in the sidewalk. So Laura took us on a whirlwind tour. Wow - the area is very, very seedy - as we had been warned. LA in general gives me this uneasy feeling - it's a cool place, but I always end up with knots in my stomach for some reason. (Sorry if you live in LA!). I don't mean to rag on LA but the vibe is a little twisted at times. (NOT at Laura's or at shows though - just on the streets). I know, I know not exactly a groundbreaking observation about LA!
As we drove down the Boulevard, I kept hearing Ray Davies' voice in my head: "You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard...some that you recognize, some that you hardly ever heard of...people who worked and struggled and suffered for fame...some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain...everybody's a dreamer, everybody's a star....everyone's in showbiz, it doesn't matter who you are"...and the clincher..."success walks hand in hand with failure, along Hollywood Boulevard."
Wish I had better pics to share...I don't think I even saw the Mann Theatre! Not sure how that happened.







It was a quick tour - we didn't get out of the car,so I couldn't take any pictures of the sidewalk stars. No biggie ...we've all seen them anyway!
After the little tour Laura was so sweet - she took me to LensCrafters so I could get a new pair of glasses. I felt SOOOO bad - it took nearly 3 hours for the exam and to have them made while we waited. It was a badly managed store.
But she put her time to good use planning my dream Taiwan musicfest! Laura is the creative force behind this - my connection to "the kids" and great Indie music.

With new glasses on my mug, we headed BACK to the Grove where Laura dropped us off to retrieve my car. The Grove peeps were so kind - they gave me a pass to leave my car there overnight. The entire 2 day parking fee was only $20. And I will not mention the price of my glasses for the umpteenth time. They are nice DKNY glasses though!
Anjoli and I got to the car...then promptly got LOST again on the way to the Hollywood Bowl to see you know WHO. I stopped at a gas station and then got on the right track...only to sit in concert going traffic for, oh about an hour maybe? I was hoping and praying the Pretenders weren't opening (they didn't).

I paid $40 to park my car in the first lot I could find - one with easy access out. It was worth the $40....

(TO BE CONTINUED!!!)