My brother is playing this course this weekend. Lucky jerk.
Los Angeles. Photo by my brother.
A video by my brother of the view of LA from the Hollywood sign.
Friday, after having Ramen with Pinguino and some of her hacker friends who now work (I think) for the government, I looked up at the hills that seem to surround the valley on Sunset hugging the entire area into place.
I said, “There’s this layer—I know it’s not my glasses—of film over the hills. As if the camera lens I’m looking through is smeared.”
“It’s not your glasses, it’s the smog.”
Friday we made cupcakes, I read Josh Fialkov’s Elk’s Run because I couldn’t stay in Pinguino’s apartment for more than five minutes because my cat allergies would flare up. Cupcakes made, we went to the 11th floor of an apartment building behind Mann’s theater. Followed by dinner with Andy Khouri and his friend Nick at The Counter which is a custom-made burger joint, also the home of the best burger I’ve ever had.
Saturday, I met Boom! Studios Editor and Darkwing Duck writer Ian Brill for comics discussion and Sunset Grill. Then Trader Joes with my brother and it’s cool record cover decorated elevator. Mom and Dad arrived shortly after. Dinner at Pizzeria Mozza, which was delicious followed by night ending drinks and watching Weezer play live on Fuse in Tokyo.
Sunday: breakfast somewhere, Mulholland, down to Santa Monica, the Grove and it’s adjoining Farmer’s Market, dinner at Spark. Probably in the top ten best steaks I’ve ever had. Not the best, but still pretty good. Boardwalk Empire.
Monday, flight left at 11:45am, didn’t get to Rebecca’s apartment until around 10pm Eastern. Crashed.
LA was…like one big town. Not a city. A town, a series of Saratoga Springs (if you’ve ever been there) connected and going endlessly, framed by hills, palm trees, high end fashion sequestered to a certain area and not allowed to drift off to other areas. Mountain ranges that just barely hang over the highway to fall abruptly into the sea, like some kid took scissors to the mountains and decided to cut them away. It’s nice this way, comforting, like you’re living in a great big wide area that is purely residential. Spread out, allowing everyone a little space, not stacked high and cramped like it is in NYC. Let your arms out and stretch. Relaxing.
Also, probably where I’ll end up moving in two years or so.
Photos of it all.
Dude, I totally never got the chance to do this. From one appointment to the next and running around with my folks, time just ran out on me. So, tell: what was it?
The Decemberists
Her Majesty
Los Angeles, I'm Yours
Here are some notes from my first night in LA:
- I was surrounded by wasps on my flight from LaGuardia to Chicago: “My parents threw a retirement party for my fake id when I turned 21.”
- There was, of course, the requisite baby screaming the entire flight (this is not news).
- Gave up my seat on the Chicago-LA X flight so I wasn’t smothered by a family of four sharing two seats
- Got a drink out of it
- Almost done with Zero History. More on this when I finish it after my trip.
- (I figure I should get Franzen’s Freedom before it gets that Oprah Book Club stamp and people think I jumped on the bandwagon because of that).
- Embarrassing: I’ve never read Franzen, never appealed to me, but I guess I am jumping on some kind of bandwagon.
- Ten minutes into being in LA, my brother and I see Larry King at the In N Out Burger. Apparently this kind of celebrity sighting so early in arrival in this town is pretty common place. Still it’s fucking cool.
- Hanging out with Pinguino today to do some running around.
- Also seeing the awesome Andy Khouri at some point.
- Here are some pictures.
- Sorry for the obvious song choice.
- Now I’m going to go flat line my magic card at Meltdown Comics.
