Music in the Zoo

I like music.  I like the zoo.  Therefore, I like Music in the Zoo!

The L.A. Zoo hosts an annual after-hours event with several band stages throughout the zoo, and you can wander from stage to stage...and exhibit to exhibit, since many animals were allowed to "stay up past their bedtimes" for it!

Naturally, we stopped at my seals first.

With the lazy, sleepy seal

Hollywood Sign again

I went back to the Hollywood sign again on Sunday. I love that I can do that. It's a nice, easy "hike" with enough people to take away the murder mystery thought (see Temescal), but not super touristy crowded.  It probably took me an hour and a half round-trip, including some time spent at the very top—there's a little dirt hill next to the tower that I had never climbed up before.

I love this hike, and I love living by Hollywood.

A Belated Happy 4th!

Wow, I'm late with this. So, um, Happy Independence Day!

I LOVE the Fourth of July.  From the time I was fourteen or so, until I was eighteen (and no longer in the area in July), I'd spend the holiday in Washington, DC—right on the west lawn of the US Capitol.  We'd always get there super early (9:00am?) to camp out for a spot just to the left of the stage they set up for A Capitol Fourth.  Most years, we'd also go the day before for the rehearsal.  During the full day of waiting around, my sister and I would disappear elsewhere on the lawn to take pictures and goof around.

Rehearsal day - July 3, 2005

Now that I'm an "adult" and live on my own (and not on the east coast), I've had to find other things to do. This year, I started the day off with a stop at a friend's pool party in Calabasas. After two hours or so, I left with another friend to meet a third friend for a beach day.

We cut through the canyons and ended up at a nice little spot in Malibu.  Veronica specifically chose this stretch of beach for the seafood restaurant across the street.

  

After our late lunch, we laid out in the sand for the rest of the evening. The plan was to stay until it got dark, and watch Santa Monica fireworks down the coast.

We brought out Apples to Apples and played a never-ending round, which resulted in some awesome pairings.  As the tide came in, Veronica and Jeremy claimed to see a seal not too far out...but I swore it was just the rock we had seen protruding from the waves earlier. (I wish I could say I knew it was a seal, because I love seals!) We ended up calling it a day around 7:00pm, as it was getting colder and we could no longer see very far down the coast.  Fireworks-viewing wouldn't be successful.

However, when I got home, I went to my rooftop and saw over 180° of fireworks shows across the horizon.  There was a big one close by, as well as other shows farther in the distance, all across the valley.  I even synched up Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture from my iPod during the finale of the big nearby show.  Super fun "chill out" day.

Hollywood Forever (and ever and ever!)

Movie nights in a cemetery: brilliant, or fantastically brilliant?

Hollywood Forever hosts summertime movie screenings, and it is amazing.  Bring your blankets, bring your snacks, bring your booze, and hang out.  Two years ago, I went with a friend (and her friends) to see Jaws on the Fourth of July.  A week later, I went with another friend for The Bride of Frankenstein, and maybe two weeks after that, we returned for Some Like It Hot.  I didn't make it to any screenings last summer, but I'm determined to not let it slip by again.

Sunday evening was Ghostbusters.  Though neither of us was sure if we'd even previously seen the movie all the way through, my roommate Lisa and I were excited for movie night.  I made guac, packed a cooler, gathered some blankets, and we were off to fight for some grassy space.

We ended up scoring an awesome spot right up front and slightly to the side.  It was slightly obscured from our view when walking up to the screening mausoleum, thanks to my new buddy Douglas Fairbanks and his elaborate resting place.  We laid out the blankets, dug into the snacks, and waited.

"Wait, I wanna be eating guac in every picture!  It'll be my thing!"

The movie itself was improved by the crowd.  People sung along with the theme song and all "Ghostbusters!" chants, and even got into yelling, "Noo, don't! Ahhhh!" at times.  Super cool atmosphere.  And, bonus!  At the end, as we got up and walked out, the DJ immediately played "Thriller"...so I had no choice but to get my Leo Strut on.  If my hands weren't full with a cooler and bags, I probably would have needed to rock out the "Thriller" dance (like I did on Jaws night).

On the drive home, I decided to take us down Sunset Blvd, rather than the normal, less scenic route.  I pointed out the Hollywood Palladium, Hotel Café, fun billboards, and finally the "real" Sunset Strip.  Lisa had never been to the Roxy, or Key Club, or anything down that way.  Eventually we hit Beverly Hills, and I really turned into a high-class tour guide.  "And on your right, we will soon be passing a classic Beverly Hills neighborhood sign." I tried to throw in a lot of fun facts and tidbits, communicated in a sweet tour guide announcer voice.  Or maybe I sounded like a game show host.

I decided to take a minor detour, and we turned on to Roxbury Drive so I could show off Lucille Ball's former house, "and next door, you'll see Jack Benny's house! Oh wait, is that a dude in Lucy's door??" Yep, there was a silhouette of a man standing in the glass doorway as we drove by...so I sped up a little to not be that creepo who's driving by super slowly.

I also tour-guided our way past Bel Air and UCLA sorority/fraternity houses, then we were dropped onto our northbound route home.  I suggested a final detour: the Jackson family home, conveniently located within (long) walking-distance of our house...or a short drive.  I told her about my evening outside the gate the day after Michael Jackson died and everyone created a nice memorial, and seeing a family car drive out and be mobbed by reporters.

Nights like that remind me exactly where I live.  For my first 2+ years in Los Angeles, I was stuck in a little bubble surrounding my apartment due to lack of car (and low-quality public transportation).  Getting to Hollywood and Highland took a bus transfer to a train, about a half hour from my door to tourist central.  It's not that I would forget where I live, but I didn't realize how close I am to all the cool stuff.  Now I am mobile and able to explore. And I love Los Angeles.

PS: I just asked Lisa, "If I was on Yelp, how would you rate my tour guiding?" and she said she liked that I knew where things were, and I was very lively.  So there you go.  Hey tour guide companies, I'm willing to learn your route and tour highlights.  Also, I am likable and energetic and available for hire!

Sushi challenge preparation #2

Woo-hoo, three day weekend!  I had a good day at work, the weather is finally summer (seriously, 70° in June wasn't quite enough...85° is more like it!), and I have plans lined up for the long weekend.  I was in a good mood this afternoon, and I was ready to take on my next step of spicy sushi challenge preparation.

Back to Yagumo for a #7 and #8 roll.  Last time, I did a #5 and #7.

Pretty presentation again (shifted a little on the drive home), with nicely labeled #7 and #8

Close-up detail on the #7

My strategy is to devour the rolls as quickly as possible.  It's going to burn anyway, so why drag it out?  Both were gone in about 2 minutes...but the deadly burn lasted longer.  I downed a shot glass of half-and-half, which did very little.  Back to two shot glasses of coffee creamer, and a giant glass of water.

After ten minutes, my lips were still tingling and I still felt the heat, but it was tolerable.  Ten minutes after that, I was good...until about forty five minutes after eating, when I started to feel sick.  I think that's due to the spicy and coffee creamer combining in my stomach.  I might not "train" for this challenge anymore and just jump into it next time—I have a plan and a technique for the actual eating, and I'll just have to handle the afterburn consequences.