BIG SUR, LOS ANGELES, and LAS VEGAS NOV 6- 9

BIG SUR

   THE NAME IS DERIVED FROM THE SPANISH  "EL GRANDE SUR", THE BIG SOUTH
   AND IT STRETCHES SOME 90 MILES ALONG THE RUGGED MOUNTAINS FROM
   CARMEL TO ABOUT 250 MILES NORTH OF LOS ANGELES.

THE SCENIC ROAD WAS BUILT DURING THE DEPRESSION IN THE '30s AND IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING AND REWARDING DRIVES IN THE COUNTRY.



THE BIXBY BRIDGE IS A WELL PHOTOGRAPHED LANDMARK ALONG THE ROUTE.



THE WEATHER FORECAST CALLED FOR RAIN AND CLOUDY, BUT I LUCKED OUT WITH MANY BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS AND NO RAIN.

THE JUGGLER..... ONE FALSE STEP HE AND HIS BALLS FALL 900 FT

THESE GUYS WERE ZIPPING DOWN THE COAST STOPPING TO TAKE ODDBALL PHOTOS

OCCASIONAL SEA FOG PATCHES WOULD DRIFT INTO THE HILLS CREATING A   MYSTERIOUS SETTING

SOME DAY I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND A GOOD CHUNK OF TIME HANGING OUT ALONG THIS COAST EXPLORING THE HIDDEN BEACHES AND MOUNTAIN ROADS.

SOUTH OF BIG SUR THERE IS A BEACH THAT 15,000 ELEPHANT SEALS HAVE CLAIMED AS THEIR OWN, FIRST APPEARING IN THE EARLY 90's

THE CONSTANT BARKING GOT BUNGEE ALL EXCITED AND THOUGH MOST OF THEM WERE SNOOZING IN THE SUN, SOME WOULD CAVORT OR HEAD FOR THE SEA.

 MORRO ROCK, AN ANCIENT VOLCANIC PLUG, SOARS 580 FEET STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ENTRANCE  TO MORRO BAY. THE LANDMARK CAN BE SEEN FROM FAR AWAY ON LAND AND SEA.

SAN LUIS OBISPO IS A HAPPENING PLACE WITH A SMALL BUT DIVERSE DOWNTOWN 

THAT APPEALS TO ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE. THE TREE-LINED STREETS ARE ALIVE WITH INTERESTING RETAIL, RESTAURANTS AND ONE-OF-A-KIND PLACES LIKE THE "BOO BOO" THAT FEATURES IMPROMPTU LIVE MUSIC WHILE YOU SHOP FOR NEW AND OLD RECORDS, TAPES AND CDs.

 

THE FREMONT THEATER HAS BEEN RESTORED AND BECKONS CUSTOMERS WITH A GREAT CALIFORNIA STYLE NEON LIT MARQUEE.      

IN FACT, WELL DESIGNED NEON SIGNS AND WELL LIT ARCHITECTURAL EMBELLISHMENT REALLY ADD TO THE ATTRACTIVENESS AND SENSE OF LIVELINESS THROUGHOUT THE CENTER OF SAN LUIS OBISPO.                         

PEOPLE WERE VERY OPEN AND IT WAS EASY TO GET A CONVERSATION GOING WITH THE YOUNG FOLKS AS WELL AS THE OLD. NO WONDER SAN LUIS OBISPO CAME IN 2nd ON A RECENT INTERNATIONAL LIST OF "THE HAPPPIEST PLACES TO LIVE"! CERTAINLY A SPOT TO ADD TO MY LIST OF PLACES TO RETURN TO.

ANOTHER VERY PLEASANT PLACE I DISCOVERED THE NEXT MORNING ON A BACK ROAD TO L.A. WAS TINY AND TONY LOS OLIVOS, QUITE NEW ENGLANDISH BUT SURROUNDED BY WINERIES IN THE FOOTHILLS ABOVE SANTA BARBARA.

HERE I FOUND JIMENEZ JUST FINISHING HICKORY SMOKING  WHAT THE LOCALS CALL "TRI-TIP",  SO I FORCED MYSELF TO HAVE A DELICIOUS BAR B Q SIRLOIN TIP SANDWICH ON A HOT GARLIC TOASTED FRESH SOURDOUGH ROLL..... WHAT A WAY TO START A DAY!

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES SKLINE FROM GRIFFITH PARK IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS

NEGOTIATING THE TWELVE-LANE LOS ANGELES FREEWAYS WAS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT AND WE CAME RIGHT INTO OUR HOTEL ON HOLLYWOOD BLVD. WITHOUT A HITCH. AFTER WALKING BUNGEE DOWN A FEW BLOCKS TO HOLLYWOOD AND VINE AND THEN UP INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS, I BEGAN TO ALTER MY ATTITUDE TOWARD LA.... IT'S MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN I HAD IMAGINED. IT WAS SUNDAY AND I WAS AMAZED AT THE TOTAL LACK OF TRAFFIC IN THE DOWNTOWN.........

I LAID DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF GRAND BLVD, A MAJOR DOWNTOWN STREET TO GET THIS SHOT WHEN SUDDENLY A COP CAR SQUEALED UP TO MY SIDE AND THE OFFICER LEANED OUT OF HIS WINDOW AND ASKED, "ARE  YOU ALL RIGHT?" WHEN I SAID YES, HE SMILED AND ZIPPED OFF DOWN A SIDE STREET.  ONLY IN LA.

BUNGEE LOVED THE LASSIE STAR

BUT, TURNED HIS BACK ON JUDY GARLAND

MORE THAN 2400 BRASS AND TERRAZO STARS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE SIDEWALKS ALONG 15 BLOCKS OF HOLLYWOOD BLVD,,,,,, THE WALK OF THE STARS.   

              

 I WAS ANXIOUS TO SEE THE NEW FRANK GEHRY WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL IN DOWNTOWN LA, AND I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. IT IS AN EXCITING BUILDING THAT LIFTS YOUR SPIRITS AND FUNCTIONS WELL, INSIDE AND OUT.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO ATTEND A MAGNIFICENT CONCERT BY THE LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE WHO FILLED THE SPACE WITH SOME OF THE BEST SOUND THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD. THOSE GIANT FRENCH FRIES BEHIND THE CHORUS ARE HUGE WOODEN ORGAN PIPES!

BUNGEE WAS SAD THAT THEY DIDN'T LET DOGS INTO THE HALL, BUT HE ENJOYED THE STEPS.

 MOST OF THE NEW OFFICE TOWERS ARE PRETTY STERILE, BUT THIS ONE HAS SOME CHARACTER.  SEEING A POSTER FOR THE LA PHILHARMONIC REMINDED ME OF SEEING DUDAMEL, THE VENEZUALAN SUPERSTAR CONDUCTOR WHO HAS BEEN SO WELL RECEIVED IN LA, IN GUANAJUATO, MX A FEW YEARS AGO GUEST CONDUCTING THAT EXCELLENT ORCHESTRA.

I CAN'T COUNT THE NUMBER OF MOVIES I'VE SEEN THAT FEATURE THE LA CITY HALL.

PROBABLY ONLY OUTNUMBERED BY THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN.......

AS WE HEAD OUT INTO THE MOJAVE DESERT TOWARD LAS VEGAS A BROAD RAINBOW SPRINGS UP IN THE DISTANT MISTY SHOWERS AND I NO LONGER HAVE DISTAIN FOR THE SPRAWLING CITY OF ANGELS, IN FACT I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND MORE TIME THERE EXPLORING THE VARIED NEIGHBORHOODS AND PLACES THAT I MISSED.

THE FOUR HOUR TRIP TO LAS VEGAS WAS LESS BORING THAN USUAL THANKS TO A SPECTACULAR CHANGING SKY.

LAS VEGAS

I CAN ONLY TAKE THIS PLACE FOR A VERY SHORT TIME AS IT IS SO UNREAL AND FULL OF EXCESS EVERYTHING:  GARISH BUILDINGS, STUPIFIED CROWDS, NOISE, TRAFFIC  AND OVERUSE OF WATER AND ELECTRICITY.

THIS IS HOW A FEW HOURS IN VEGAS MAKES ME FEEL

THE BRAND NEW "CITY CENTER" MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT ON THE STRIP  IS ANYTHING BUT AN URBAN CENTER. TOTALLY AUTO ORIENTED AND LACKING IN ANY PEDESTRIAN PLAN, IT IS A BORING, POORLY DESIGNED ADDITION TO A PLACE THAT ALREADY HAS TOO MUCH OVER THE TOP CRAP.

ATTEMPTING TO EMULATE FRANK GEHRY, BUT WHAT A WIDE MISS

THE ENTIRE CORE OF THE "CITY CENTER" IS A MASSIVE AUTO DROP OFF SPACE.

THE PARIS CASINO ACROSS THE STRIP BLVD FROM THE BELLAGIO'S HUGE SMOKING POND THAT HAS AN ENORMOUS  FOUNTAIN DISPLAY TO FRANK SINATRA SINGING ON THE HOUR.

THE CITY OF EXCESS JUST KEEPS ON GROWING WITH CURRENTLY124,270 HOTEL ROOMS AND 36.7 MILLION VISITORS PER YEAR.

WHILE I SPENT LESS THAN 18 HOURS IN THE CITY THIS TRIP,  I DID SEE A 2 HOUR JAW-DROPPING CIRQUE DE SOLEIL "LA REVE" SHOW. AMAZING!

AS GRANDSON BEN SAID IN LAS VEGAS ON OUR 2004 CROSS-COUNTRY TRIP, "LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"