Beverly hills, trucks, Hollywood, and fires…not necessarily in that order

The day and night were spent in the outskirts of L.A. With a large orange glow and a building arsenal of trucks beginning to surround me, I suspected something was up.  I turned on the radio and sure enough, there were out of control forest fires in the San Fernando Valley, just miles from where I was staying.  The reason for the hundreds of trucks lining the shoulders, turning lanes, and every parking lot within a square mile was because the highway had been shut down.

I felt no threat as the fires were far enough away to not effect me in any way other than the road closure.  I only hoped that the road was open by morning.

Morning arrives early when you sleep in your car.  The car windows are a magnify glass and trying to start the interior contents of the car on fire. The noises seem as though they are made specifically to wake up the homeless, car dwellers, and the dead.  Needless to say, it was time for me to wake up…. ready or not.

The highway was open and it was pedal to the metal.  First stop: Hollywood.

The infamous sign

I don’t know if I could have ever imagined me doing the cliché photo with the Hollywood sign in the background, but I did it.  I now see why so many people have their photo taken in this matter, it’s not by choice…it’s not that every tourist longs for their photo in front of the hill with the word Hollywood spelled out on it…. it’s because we have to.  The sign has possessive powers over us, which ultimately force us to take the photo.  Has anyone actually visited Hollywood without having this photo taken?  I didn’t think so!  I empathize with these people now.  The last thing I remember is driving in the direction of Hollywood and then regaining consciousness later in my car on Hollywood Blvd with approximately 10 photos of the sign and I together.

I might be exaggerating a “little.”  There may actually be some memories of me asking a Federal Express driver about “How can I get up the hill for a better photo?”  There may also be a few memories of approximately 20 people lining the streets with their cameras waiting for traffic to pass by so that they can run out into the middle of the road to get an unobstructed photo of the sign…that may have all happened ..I’m not sure though on account of “I do not recall.”  Thanks for that quote Mr. Reagan.

After getting a photo with “The Sign” I had to see the Walk of Fame.  I made my way down to the infamous Hollywood Blvd.  It is home to the Oscars.  The Kodak and Chinese theaters are among the more famous attractions besides the stars that line the sidewalks. If you are looking for a specific person or group with a star, you’re best off looking online to find out exactly where they are because there are stars up and down Hollywood Blvd and all of the side streets too.  In addition to the better-known attractions, I must not forget the so-called weirdoes.  They are the modern day versions of the traveling circus.  People dress up as movie characters and stand out in front of the theaters begging you to take a photo with them in hopes of receiving a tip for their efforts. I didn’t find it necessary to have my photo taken with Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean or Sponge Bob

The Foot meets The Doors

Maybe it wouldn’t have been as weird if the tourist places on this street would have paid these guys to be entertainment, but it was quite to the contrary.  The theatres and stores actually had signs exonerating themselves.  The businesses made it very clear that they were in no way affiliated with the “street performers.”

I found Hollywood interesting and would have liked to have more time so that I may attend many of the free show tapings nearby.  I actually had a “Price is Right” ticket lined up, but ended up turning it down on account of not wanting to sacrifice an entire day to the show.

It was starting to get dark and I needed to keep moving, so I made my way to 90210, Beverly Hills. Let’s just say that TV and film portrays Beverly Hills pretty accurately.  Every car was a high end luxury car and the stores on Rodeo Dr. and Wilshire were made exclusively for the super rich. The combination of the store fronts, high end cars, and stuffy people carrying their dogs in handbags made me leave. Oh, I cannot lie, there was something else that made me leave too….Darkness

As much as I would have loved to spend my life savings on a parking spot and a cocktail, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I had to leave.  I wanted to get to San Diego before it got too late.

Driving through Los Angeles was a treat too.  I have never seen roads that were stacked nine lanes across in each direction for a total of 18 lanes of traffic at one point

L.A. is truly a sea of city.  It took nearly an hour of driving 70mph to get out of the place.  It was non-stop traffic and suburbs.  The surrounding cities (or burbs) were all familiar names, which makes me seriously question, “How much TV have I watched in my life?”  For a person that has never been to California before now, I sure was familiar with the names.

Let’s give all of you whom have never visited Cali a test.

interesting or just weird?

If you recognize a lot of these names, you may suffer from the same infliction that I do: TV Saturation!  Ready? Check:

Venice Beach? Laguna Beach? Malibu? Santa Monica? Burbank? Anaheim? Compton?  Pasadena? Santa Barbara?  Chances are, if you have never been to California, but recognized five or more of those names, you have watched too much TV too.  I even left the obvious ones out…(Hollywood & Beverly Hills.)

Anyways… back on track

After I finally finished “Escape from L.A.,” I was in approximately 20 minutes of “no city” before I started hitting the San Diego suburbs.

I was nervous with anticipation to arrive in San Diego because I will be meeting my grandfather’s and grandmother’s brothers & sister in-laws.

If I had met any of them in the past, I was much too young to remember.  I must add that I’m an introvert by trade; so meeting “new” people is very much out of my element.

With all of the above being said, I’m eager to meet my great uncles & aunts, hear about their lives, and learn a little more about “Who I Am.”

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