Debbie took me to see downtown LA (that's the part that has the skyline used in all establishing shots for films/shows shot in LA). We went to the city hall which has a panoramic view of the whole of LA from the 26th floor. It was a pretty awesome sight :) we drove through the actual tunnel where Bumblebee transforms from the "piece of crap" old Camarro into the beautiful, sexy new version we all know and love (my inner geek almost couldn't cope with all this coolness), drove past the Kodak Theatre which is where the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, etc all take place, and then headed up to the observatory. At the bottom of the hill upon which this awesome piece of history sits was a film set! Not sure what for because we didn't feel brave enough to take on security to try and find out, and we were in a hurry to hike the hill before sunset. But I'm still claiming it as my first film set encounter! The hike was pretty intense... We both worked up a good sweat and heart rate by the time we got to the top, but the view was simply fantastic and so worth it!
Many of you should know the observatory. If not, Google is your friend! It is famous for so many reasons! The older folks might remember it from "Rebel without a cause", while younger folks will more easily associate it with Demi Moore's awesome "bad guy" reveal moment in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" or as the place where the Autobots meet in Transformers! Too cool :) it too has an amazing view of the whole of LA, including a brilliant view of the Hollywood sign! Eeeeeep! Picture time! :) It has all sorts of cool and interesting space and science stuff inside (I was very amused by the door marked "Entrance. Not an entrance.") lolsies Americans are so funny. There is a massive brass pendulum in the lobby area. It is brilliant. It's called the Foucault Pendulum and it was invented in 1851. It was the first proof that the earth rotates on its axis! Once started, the pendulum swings in the same direction the entire time completely independent of what the earth does, and as a result it is possible to see that the earth has moved by referencing the markings on the slate beneath the pendulum. (This might make more sense with pictures.)
We then headed down into Hollywood and saw the El Capitan (very famous movie theatre where many a movie has made its blockbuster premiere) and I walked the Walk of Fame!!! Kinda lost my mind and cool factor a little when we got to the infamous Chinese theatre and I saw all the cement slabs with hand and footprints! I went into full-on geek mode I'm afraid. I stood in Johnny Depp's footprints, sat with Johnny Depp, Robert de Niro, Al Pacino and Sean Connery all at once, put my hands into Morgan Freeman's and basically just walked around like a total loon with my eyeballs falling out of my face and jaw somewhere under my toes. Imagine a kid actually got to go visit Santa in the North Pole? Yep... It was probably pretty funny to see :) I also sat with Charlize's star, took a picture of Elvis taking a picture of Marilyn Monroe (hahaha!) and had a picture with Batman (oh yeah!).
We wandered down Hollywood boulevard and back up again and I got myself a pretty cool costume for Halloween! (Don't ask, it's a surprise!) but yes, I'll be partying in Hollywood for Halloween! :) all in all a pretty awesome first day in LA! Can't wait to explore some more! But for tomorrow, it's off to San Diego for the day!
“Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means ‘a whale’s vagina.’” — Ron Burgundy
You stay classy now! c",)
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