Bluejake

7am Woke up; anxious. Still worried about the future. Did some work, read the papers, waited for K to wake up.

12pm Jumped in the car and drove down to the Starbucks on San Vicente. Afterwards, drove a few blocks down to the Brentwood Country Club. Met with the director of food and beverages for a hour and took the tour of the club. A nice place- beautiful golf course, but the room felt a little 1950s. K thought it wasn't the place.

1:30pm Lunch at the Country Mart. The famous BBQ chicken and fries was indeed amazing. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The 1970s era red-barn style decoration at the Country Mart always make me smile. Lots of kids running around the outdoor fireplace in the middle of the courtyard.

2:30pm K drove us downtown via the 10 and 110 while I napped in the passenger seat. I woke up when we got to the Hill Street/Chinatown exit on the freeway. Our Mapquest directions were off by a few blocks, so we ended up circling up towards the new cathedral before finding our way back on Alameda. We parked in a small lot and walked up to park in front of Olvera Street, the site of the first Spanish missions in Los Angeles. Then down through the little street crowded with stalls selling Mexican goods. Lots of tourists and families enjoying the nice day. I liked the feeling of history the place gave off- it's rare in Los Angeles.

3:30pm Walked across Alameda to Union Station. Amazing- built in 1939 and featured frequently in some of the noirish novels I've been reading this year. From the outside it looks like a Spanish mission, and on the inside everything is polished wood and 1940s elegance. We walked through the place and took some pictures, and then made our way back to the car.

4pm Drove back to the apartment via the 101, Hollywood Boulevard, Laurel Canyon, Sunset, Beverly Drive, Santa Monica, and Wilshire. I love driving in Los Angeles. We talked a little bit more about the different wedding venues and the stuff we have to do back in NYC.

5pm K took a rest while I caught up on the day's correspondence.

6:45pm Drove up Wilshire to the Doubletree to pick up G, who was in town for a conference. Lots of smiles and congratulations. Then down to A's bungalow on Hancock in West Hollywood, via Santa Monica.

7:15pm At A's place- amazing. On a hill, with little gardens outside and the place smelling like lilacs. We took a tour of the house- just three rooms but all of them beautiful, with hard wood floors and high ceilings and windows in every room. Mainly 1950s furniture and art books, impeccably laid out. A brought out a tray of food and wine from the kitchen, which opened directly out on the porch. We sat out there and talked for an hour about everything. What a peaceful and serene place to live.

8:30pm K and I drove down the block and took a right on to Santa Monica. A few blocks later we came to the Palm, where we were meeting I and D for dinner. As always, an enormous meal. We split steaks, giant onion ring platters, chicken marsala, and Caesar salads. Every few minutes the waiters would break into a chorus of Happy Birthday- I think it's a popular place for that kind of thing. One of the birthdays belonged to an actor from Sabrina, Teenage Witch. I felt embarassed that I recognized him.

11:30pm Back at the apartment, instantly asleep.

Travelogue