Chicago, Denver & LA 2012

(Photo: Hermosa Beach sunset.)

Wow. Just wow. I've had an amazing few weeks, and I'm still reeling from it all. First of all, I am the proud new owner of a MacBook Pro, and I can't believe how different it is from my old laptop. I had lived with my trusty Powerbook G4 for more than eight years now, and well, it was quite a reliable workhorse. Let's call him PB for simplicity's sake. I got through three years of freelance and one year of grad school with PB plus four years of working in New York, but I knew that my relationship had to end soon.

About a year ago, I couldn't stream video anymore because my processor was too slow, and I couldn't upgrade the OS because of the same reason. (I'm a TV person. Not having video capability is a bit ridiculous!) By the time I finally bought my new MBP, I could barely check e-mail from home anymore. Most recently, PB's decided that he would rather live in 1969, so every time I turned it on, I'd have to reset the date & time. I am marveling at how quick and bright my new MBP is. It's really amazing. Hopefully it prompts me to post more often, too!

(Photo: Me & Bugs at the WB lot.)

Ok, so that's that... At the end of August, I went to Chicago to see one of my dearest friends get hitched, and it was a lovely ceremony. Simple and sweet and brilliant all at the same time. Saw lots of old Charlestonian friends and made some new Chicagoan ones too. It started my birthday travel run off just perfectly.


(Photo above: The view from Pike's Peak.)

I came back to New York and worked one week of hell thanks to the Republican Convention and Hurricane/Trop Storm Isaac. I had anchors in two different locations, and of course, there were massive technical problems every 30 seconds. The good news is that our show rated really well that week, so I guess it was compelling and informative to the viewer at home. Needless to say, I was more than happy to say "Sayonara suckers!" a couple of Fridays ago when I left New York for Denver.

(Photo: Our gracious hostesses, me, & my mom at the Pike's apex.)

I'd never been to Denver before, and when I arrived, I was amazed by how beautiful it is there. Mountains and trees and land as far as the eye can see. My cousins who were hosting our family gathering out there took us up to Pike's Peak, where I swear I felt heaven. I've never really been to mountains like that before, so it was a very moving and beautiful experience. We had a great time, until one of our older aunts took ill from the altitude, but everything worked out ok. It just resulted in the park rangers following us all the way back down the mountain and a lot of mocktastic hilarity in the car, because I was with the younger cousins who all love to make fun of these things as much as I do. (Chatterjees & Pakhiras: I love y'all for that!)

I spent my birthday with my parents, aunts and cousins out in Denver. They celebrated my turning 30 (ahem) with lots of presents and cake and good food. I went off to LA the next day, and met my friend Jena who moved out there from New York earlier in the summer. As far as California goes, I'd been to LAX to change planes a couple of times and I'd had the pleasure of spending a week in San Diego with my brother's family when my nieces were little. I hadn't really been to any other places in Cali, and I had no idea what to expect in Los Angeles.


(Photo: Sunset at Venice Beach my first night in LA.)

Jena lives near Venice Beach, and I took full advantage of her proximity to the ocean. I went every day, because I really have missed going to the beach regularly like I did when I lived in Charleston. It even rained one morning when I was walking on the beach in Santa Monica. It was lovely, and I bought a cup of coffee and ducked under an umbrella till it stopped. Rain in SoCal seems to only last a short time anyway, so everyone was caught off guard. I really enjoyed people-watching that morning.

This vacation was the most fulfilling one I've taken in years. Honestly, I can't recall the last time I was so deliriously happy. I am sure it was pre-grad school. It definitely hasn't happened since I graduated or moved to New York. I don't know if it was too much sun or what, but I had an absolute blast out there. Jena and I played super-tourists and did lots of ridiculous things, but we had such fun doing it! (Photo on right: It's raining in Santa Monica!)

Wednesday: 

• Walked around Santa Monica beach, pier, and main street. 
• Went to California Heritage Museum to see vintage movie poster exhibit, but got trapped in an old ladies' tour of rattan furniture and Hawaiian influence on California instead (I saw the movie posters eventually, but I ran out of there as fast as I could afterward.) 
• Did some boutique shopping in Santa Monica (Saira, I've got some jewelry-making stuff for you.) 
• Went to a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and couldn't escape that fast enough either (very boring guests that night, and they make the audience wait around for three hours before anything happens - that would never fly in New York!) 
• Had a bland dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe on Hollywood Blvd which was across the street from JKL. Serves us right for going there for anything, but we decided to cap off our tourist day as the Romans would do. 
• Discovered that the Oscars happen inside a giant mall every year. Movie magic makes it NOT look like a mall on TV. 
• Tried to get Sprinkles cupcakes from the ATM in Beverly Hills, but the line was crazy long, so we opted for McDonald's sundaes instead (I was on vacation, don't judge me, people.)

(Photo on right: La Brea Tar Pits - it's right smack in the middle of LA proper.)

Thursday:

• Did a walking tour of Hollywood Boulevard & the Walk of Fame. Learned a lot about Sid Grauman and the history of the movie business, so it was time well spent.

(Photo below: Getty Museum on a beautiful afternoon.)

• Saw the La Brea Tar Pits, because I just had to. Too many Flintstones references in my past to miss that one. 
• Went to the Getty Museum and really enjoyed the views and architecture much more than their art exhibits. It's a lovely place to spend an afternoon. I would love to have my wedding there. But I need to find a Getty heir to marry first...
• Cruised on Mulholland Drive from the 405 to the 101. It really is the best view of the city. And we accidentally found the Hollywood Bowl at the end of it, which is useful to know, I suppose.
• Dined at a delicious Brazilian place on the Hermosa beach pier. Most important moment of the day: Found a new cocktail place for Jena to stop at during her weekend bike rides.

Friday:

• Watched a surf class in progress on Venice Beach while having breakfast. 
• Visited colleagues at our LA office and matched faces to some of the voices I work with every day. 
• Bought some chocolate pasta at the Farmers' Market. (I had to, didn't I?)

(Photo: Iconic WB water tower. Ref: Animaniacs opening credits.)

• (Photo on right: WB prop house. Biggest prop house in LA.) 
• Took Warner Brothers Studio Lot Tour, and bugged the tour guide to show me all things Gilmore and Big Bang while I was there. We also saw the Ellen, Conan, and Mentalist sets. (BBT was in rehearsal, so we couldn't go in there. Tour guide's tip: do this tour on the weekends when everything is open, but there will be no chance of star sightings.)

(Photo below: Jena & me after our fancy birthday dinner. A food coma soon overcame us.) 

• Enjoyed a fancy birthday dinner at La Boheme Cafe with Jena. Had delicious drinks, apps, meals, and desserts (banana bread pudding for me and molten chocolate cake for her.) 
• Tried hard to rally for going out afterward, but decided instead to relax at home due to the ensuing food coma. 

Saturday:

• We decided to spend Saturday as if we were just two friends hanging out. So we went shopping!
• Found outlet malls, and bought enough new clothes that I had to buy a suitcase to bring it all home. 
• Discovered a really quaint wine bar on Venice Beach that has excellent food. Had dinner there before heading to the airport. It was a fabulous time. I relaxed, I didn't think about work, and I spent money as if I earn a whole lot of it. It felt great! I can't wait for my next vacation, but I think I'll be paying this one off for a while... 

PS - I went to the US Open men's final match yesterday. It was super cool. Literally and figuratively. We left halfway through because we weren't dressed for the chilly weather and also b/c I now work at 5am, but the match was so long, that I caught the end of it when I got home later. Hooray Andy Murray! (Although Djokovic's second place speech was much more gracious and well-spoken.)

(Photo: Entrance at the US Open. Need to do Aussie &French Opens now to complete my Grand Slam spectator circuit.)