Tinseltown, a By-Gone Era
Here are a few words to describe how I feel the second I step off our airplane in Bob Hope Airport Burbank; I’m in Tinseltown.
Beauty, health conscious, diverse, eclectic, vibrant, mountainous, fast paced… did I mention beauty? It’s not just the landscape I am speaking of. The city seems to buzz with the ghosts of beautiful actresses and actors.
Faster Pace
Louisville, Kentucky it is not! The slow paced lifestyle that I am used to does not exist here. Leave slow behind. The traffic is exactly like the photos and videos show and the lifestyles seem to be at a much faster pace than what we southerners are accustomed to. Even exiting the plane is an experience. We can exit in the back of the aircraft, and walk down the steps to the ground below. I feel like I stepped into the 1960’s. The walk across the asphalt gives me time to take it all in. The air is warm, the palm trees are blowing and mountains loom in the background. It’s very obvious we aren’t in Kentucky anymore.
Some of Our Favorites
Our favorite place to stay while visiting is the Tangerine Hotel. We found this by accident the first time we traveled to Burbank. Our Airbnb room was a nightmare so we had to quickly find something close by. We truly hit the jackpot with this place. Again, we stepped into the another era. We LOVE staying in The Tangerine with it’s retro feel and beautiful views. And it’s not bad at all having a breakfast of latte and pastries from Porto’s Bakery & Cafe ! The view of a nearby mountain is incredible first thing in the morning when the sun is rising up behind it. And since we are still on Louisville time, we are up and ready to go before the sun even rises. So the sight of the sunrise greeting us is pretty amazing.
By-Gone Era
Los Angeles holds a similar experience. I can almost sense the by-gone Hollywood Era. Everywhere we look there are signs that some of my favorites have walked the streets and entered the theaters. But what amazes me the most is seeing mountains in the distance. No matter what direction I turn there are mountains, palm trees, pine trees and my favorite…. lemon trees. I am not ashamed to admit that I travel home with a suitcase full of fresh lemons from nearby trees.
During our amazing morning walks we pass the Bob Hope Estate as well as homes that are owned by Steve Carrell, Viola Davis and Miley Cyrus. It’s truly an adventure each time we visit. We can be perfectly content staying in Burbank/Toluca Lake area, relaxing or walking the streets with the amazing little nooks and crannies but there is a huge city out there begging to be explored. Down the road is Warner Brothers and Universal Studios. The Warner Brothers tour was something I was glad we experienced. It was off season so we were able to sit in the audience seats and see the sets of some of our favorite shows.
Places to Visit
LA has an overwhelming choice of eateries. For lunch one afternoon we dined at an adorable place called Sweet Salt Food Shop in Toluca Lake. We shared amazing chicken bacon lettuce cups and a ham and Gouda sandwich. I will definitely be going back to try other items from the menu. And the Chinese chicken salad from Joan’s on Third was to die for!
Since we are in this part of the country to visit family we make the drive to Venice Beach and spend time walking the Venice Boardwalk and Abbot Kinney Blvd with Rogers twins. The Venice Whaler is one of their favorite places to visit. It’s at the pier and there is seating outside with a view of the boardwalk and the Pacific Ocean and ice cream that was definitely worth the wait in line from Salt & Straw.
I can’t forget to mention Alfred Coffee in Studio City with the BEST latte I have ever had in my life! I would travel for miles just to purchase one of these every morning if I lived here! It is a MUST try if you are ever in the area. I get mine made with almond milk. They serve it in a large mug with a heart in the middle of the latte.
One of my favorite memories from Venice Beach was the bike ride down the boardwalk to Santa Monica Pier with the girls.
This magical part of California never ceases to amaze me and I look forward to returning each year to continue my explorations and to visit family. So, Los Angeles……until we meet again…..
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