This place is HUGE; the second largest city in the U.S. Judy was VERY apprehensive about coming here and was not looking forward to experiencing the LA Freeway system but she has done great. We tried to be smart and time our journeys outside of rush hour and after a couple days she was just reeling off directions like “take the 57 to the 210 to the 134 to the 101 or the 5 or the 405…”

We have seen some really fantastic stuff but we have also really enjoyed all the produce. The fruits and vegetables are phenomenal. Everything is so fresh and lasts so long. We are eating the sweetest strawberries and crispest lettuce ever. On two different occasions we went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and we have also hit several local farmers markets and roadside stands. Judy is in her glory with all the bounty to choose from.
We drove all over Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, experiencing Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, all the mansions up in the hills (a lot of people still have a LOT of money), Burbank, Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice (and Muscle) Beach and lots of other places. It has been very exciting.
Here’s a brief synopsis of some of the things we’ve seen and also a link to some pictures.


• La Brea Tar Pits where about 40,000 years ago deposits of oil rose to the earth’s surface, collected in pools and coagulated into asphalt. In the early 20th century geologists discovered the largest collection of Ice Age fossils ever found in one place. Roughly 100 tons of fossil bones have been removed. There are many pits all around the area and bits of tar continue to ooze up on streets and sidewalks. There are ongoing excavations and the Page Museum tells the fascinating story.
• Grauman’s Chinese Theater where there are scores of famous feet, hands and even the “schnoz’ of Jimmy Durante and the horse-shoed hooves of Trigger, ensconced in concrete.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame where for a mile-long stretch of Hollywood Boulevard we saw the Stars of more than 2400 entertainment folks, each embossed in brass at the center of a pink star. It was fun picking out all the folks we knew.
• We walked along Rodeo Drive and peeked into all the VERY trendy and EXPENSIVE stores along the way.
• We saw the red carpet and setup for the Kung-Fu Panda II movie but we didn’t get close enough to glimpse Jack Black or Angelina Jolie. 
• As mentioned above, we went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, known locally as “Third and Fairfax”, where the Hollywood elite mingle with us common folk. There is not only every beautiful fruit and vegetable you can imagine but also a phenomenal international food court where we had breakfast one day and lunch another. The Farmer's Market was originally started by a guy named Gilmore and his old homestead and gas station are still on the property.  Note the price of gas :))  We have seen a few celebrities while we’ve been here – Jay Leno, Jack Black, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bush, etc. but, sadly, no one has invited us for tea or to “do lunch”. We did, however, have the privilege of meeting up with Freddie and Sally and Mary and MarieElena, our RV friends from Florida who are also out here on a Western trip. It was great to see them and compare notes. We will hopefully cross paths with Mary and MarieElena next month in San Francisco.
• One night we had dinner – the “World-Famous” hot dogs” and fries - at Pink’s, which has been a Hollywood institution for more than 70 years. Stars frequent here and have their own dogs named for them. It has lots of great stories and it’s even rumored to be the place where Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore. (Fortunately Pink’s has out-lasted their marriage.) The hot dogs are REALLY good. Judy had her favorite chili-slaw dog but Pat got more adventurous with the guacamole dog. There is every possible concoction with scores to choose from. The “Martha Stewart” is a 9” dog with relish, onion, bacon, chopped tomatoes sauerkraut & sour cream and the LA Philharmonic dog is a 9” dog with guacamole, American & Swiss cheese, fajita mix, jalapeno slices and topped with tortilla chips, just to name a couple.
• We did a tour of NBC Studios and then went to a live taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was fun to experience all the behind-the-scene workings and to be part of the production. The night we were there Jay’s guests were Jack Black, Mike Huckabee and the band Parachute. The Ricky Minor Tonight Show band is great and Jay is a very down-to-earth guy. He talks to the audience before and after and on the tour we were surprised to hear that every penny he makes from the Tonight Show is donated to charity and he lives off of the money he gets from special stand-up gigs that he does in Vegas and all over. Also he has over 250 vehicles in three hangers at Burbank Airport and every day he goes and picks up a different vehicle to drive. They day we were there he showed up in a classic, blue Fiat convertible.
• We drove up to Griffith Park which affords spectacular views of Los Angeles and also visited the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium which has not only been a working scientific facility but was also featured in “Rebel Without a Cause” with James Dean.
• We drove the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, checked out the oceanfront homes of the rich-and famous and watched surfers and great waves along the way. We joked that here, just like in Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Hills and canyons, most of what we saw was phenomenally landscaped grounds and exquisite gates; the homes are strategically placed out of sight, but it was fun to see how the other half lives. Judy said she would just like the $$$ spent on gardening 
• We also drove to Santa Monica and went on the famous Pier and then walked the Boardwalk at Venice Beach, which is really a several block long paved walkway. What an experience!! You see EVERY form of entertainment, exhibitionism, decadence and fun you can imagine. We were even offered our very own "Medical Marijuana Cards" if we wanted them; we declined…
• Our last evening in LA, May 21st, happened to not only be Pat’s birthday but it was also the day we all survived the Doomsday end-of-the-world predictions. We were REALLY lucky in that our FAVORITE baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, were in town playing the Anaheim Angels. We went to the game and the BRAVES WON in extra innings. It was a GREAT night.
Next we’re off to Santa Barbara. We continue to have a FANTASTIC time and we hope you enjoy sharing our travels.

Here’s the link to some pictures from the Los Angeles area

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMpS

And, if you wish, drop us an email at

PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com

Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy