Tourist destination: Santa Monica

This is why I felt like a tourist in Santa Monica, because I thought that it was a gorgeous day. I guess it was not a gorgeous day on California standards because I noticed several people, mostly women, dressed in wool, wearing winter coats and fully wrapped in scarves and other winter accessories. I know that it is January, but wearing your winter coat and scarf outside on the Pier is pure crazy. People you do not even know winter.

After visiting Santa Monica a few times, I still do not think that I have developed an opinion on whether or not I like it. It, to me, is basically an outdoor mall, which should be avoided at all costs on the weekend. Santa Monica has great people watching though, and maybe that it what brings me back.

The best place too truly people watch is by far the Santa Monica Pier. There truly are some characters like the neurotic juggler, who actually gets upset if you do not watch his show.

“Hey, do you want to see something cool?”

No audience response.

“I said do you want to see something cool?!!!”

Still no audience response.

“You are going to miss the coolest thing ever!!! I am going to balance this bicycle on my head!!!”

He does his act anyway even without audience participation and still goes around with his bucket asking people for money even though no one watched.

The Pier musicians are a wide range on Blues singers, Hippies and Classic Rock fans. This is what I like about the street musicians on the Pier; it doesn’t really matter how good or bad they are, whether or not they just sing songs with California in the title, they always, and I mean always, tell you who originally wrote and sung the song. I think that is really polite. I know that if someone was making money off of me, I would like at least a little recognition.

Warning to all female tourists: The public restrooms at the park building right before you get to the Santa Monica Pier are probably the worst public restrooms you will ever come across. I have done a lot of traveling in my lifetime and if I were to rate the worst public restrooms in America I would give these restrooms the blue ribbon prize. Go anywhere else in Santa Monica, but never there.

Tourist Stuff

Since my boyfriend's family is in town, we will be doing a bunch of touristy stuff this week. I am actually excited. The majority of these sights I have never seen before.

Due to the tourist extravaganza, I will be posting a little less often than I have been. I apologize.

Thursday

I missed a post yesterday because I was busy getting my information together for my registration at a temp. agency today. It was a bit nerve racking since I worked at my past job for six years.

Oh well change is good.

It is also nice having my own personal cheerleader.

One week mark

(View of downtown Los Angeles from top of the Beverly Center)

Minneapolis 30 degrees feels like 18
Los Angeles 63 degrees feels like 63

Today I celebrate the one week mark in Los Angeles. Technically it was yesterday, but I got into LAX at 11:30 p.m. and since there was only a half an hour left in the day, I am celebrating it today instead.

The first thing I did when I got up a week ago today was head to the famous Farmers Market on 3rd and Fairfax, went to the French Crepe Company and had what I consider heaven on a plate a.k.a the banana nutella crepe. I used to dream about the banana nutella crepe during my long breaks away from Los Angeles. Now that I am here 24-7 I can have the guilty pleasure whenever I want. That could be a problem though, it is within walking distance.

Mainly, as I have mentioned, I have been organizing a lot at a feverish pace due to Asher’s family coming to town. I think I have met my clutter soul mate. (This will be a post for a different time.)

I have been walking a lot and enjoying the nonstop sunshine. This is such a change from Minneapolis. We didn’t see the sun once from December 23rd to January 9th. So when I see the sun, like most Minnesotans, I want to be out in it. My boyfriend and other Californians assure me that I will get used to it and I wont feel so motivated to be outside all of the time. I really don’t see that happening anytime soon.

I have a lot of landmarks in my area and will be starting a blog series about the places in my neighborhood.

I am very happy and very excited about being here and so grateful that I am finally having a close distance relationship with my boyfriend.

When in doubt go vintage

Saturday night was my first L.A. party. I guess not my first L.A. party, but a party with people who are celebrities. What shocked me was that it was so normal and effortless; just a bunch of people hanging around chatting and having a few cocktails. I guess I am used to the drama club parties of my youth where everyone starts to talk over each other and try to put quarters up their nose. This was not the battle for attention fest that I thought it was going to be.

My other concern that people would be pretentious and label conscious. I have not and probably never will be anyone who can afford Prada sandals and $400 hoodie sweatshirts from Kitson. So I guess when I went out rockin’ my GAP trousers and H & M top, I felt a little Midwest. The thing is that people wear a lot of black here. (I know, my version of heaven.) I actually got a couple comments about my little handbag (pictured) So, note to self, wear a lot of black and when in doubt go vintage.

I know that you are all dying to know who was there. Well it was his birthday and the only other person I recognized was this guy . He played Dr. Joey Martin on All my Kids. I guess the place was crawling with Soap stars, but I didn’t know any of them. I haven’t followed a Soap since 1995 and the only reason I did then was because of someone I was interested in at the time. (Now that I think back that does sound kind of weird. Me pining after a boy who changed his college schedule so that he could watch Days of Our Lives.)

So, that was my first foray into the VIP party set and it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.

FYI

This is just a quick note, I have changed some of the colors in my blog so that people understand that there are websites that I have hyperlinked. Before it was hard to tell that I did that. Now if you click on the plum colored words it will link you to other websites. For example, if you want to know what other movies Amy is in you just have to click on her name. I will keep doing this throughout this blog.

So far-redux

My days so far have really been dedicated to unpacking and rehashing floor plans of how we are going to rearrange the bedroom and office area. But even in Los Angeles you do not have to go far to see the stars. Staying in the same apartment is none other than Amy Locane

Some of you might know her as the star opposite Johnny Depp in Cry Baby . Cry Baby is not the best of movies, but I remember liking it when I first saw it. The reason I liked it wasn't because of its story or that I happened to be in love with Johnny Depp, but because it was one of the first movies that I saw that was not the run of the mill Hollywood picture. I appreciated that John Waters didn't dumb anything down for me or blow anything up; there weren't two perfect Hollywood stars falling in love, it was a not as well known Depp and a girl from New Jersey.

I am tempted to ask her what it was like working with Johnny Depp and John Waters, but maybe I will wait.

By the way, I am going to a certain soap stars birthday party tomorrow night. If you must know he played Raul Guiterrez on the Young and the Restless for five years. i never watched the show, but I am sure someone out there might be impressed, because I know that that is one of the soaps my family watches.

Happy Anniversary

Today is my parents 33rd wedding anniversary!

Congratulations Mom and Dad! I hope I have someone to love me as long as you two have loved eachother.

Have fun at dinner tonight.

Love, your daughter

the metro

Little things about Los Angeles are weird to me, like that they have flat screen televisions in all of their city busses. These televisions do not play primetime television but a special loop of metro line programming. Yesterday, I rode the metro for the first time and found myself mesmerized by the amount of times that the television screen thanked us for being riders, that they provided national weather programming, I learned about a deadbeat dad who faked his on death and of another suicide bomber attack. All until this woman with a really big head sat infront of me.

So, if you would like to know what the weather is like in Kansas City or if you were wondering how your stocks were doing just jump on a Metro. It only costs a $1.25.

De-iced

In all of my flights over the years, I have never been in a plane that has had to be deiced before take off. If you are not familiar with Minnesota winters nor have you flown to/from locales that hit below freezing consistenly, deicing is:

"crews use heated glycol-based fluids to remove existing ice, then coat the airplane with ice suppressants to prevent new ice from forming."

Not very comforting is it.

I though that this was fitting since I was leaving Minneapolis for California. Minnesota had to get in one more jab before I left to remind me of another reason that I decide to leave, that nasty, bone chilling, nosehair freezing, winter.

I know a lot of people who say they love Minnesota winter. Those are the people who love to ice fish, snowshoe and snow mobile, but as many of you know, I am not that person.

I would like to say to all of you Minnesotans that I have a deep respect for all of you people who can stay out in a fish house for 12 hours at a time, all of you who can walk around in minus 30 degree weather, etc. without complaints. Minnesotans are a hearty people and deserve your respect.

Today, I was walking around in flip flops and 63 degree weather and I wouldn't trade it for the world.