Thursday, September 18, 2008

Back From the West

Hey all y'all. I was out west last week enjoying the spoils of my radio contest victory in which I won a stay at the London Hotel just off Sunset in West Hollywood and dinner at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at the same hotel.

Really, I need to get myself a laptop. When we travel, Ben takes his work computer with us. Innocent googling of tourist traps and directions to freak shows are allowed. Logging in to my blogger account - not. There's lots and lots I want to say about our trip, but I haven't got the time to plop it all down in one post. Maybe I'll just be an ass and sprinkle little tidbits in all my conversations, on my own blog and yours too: 'Well, when I was following that Bentley up the Pacific Coast Highway it dawned on me....." Yeah, no.

Perhaps you recall that before I left for this trip I positively expected to hate Newport Beach and to love L.A. Well, I got that backwards. (Except that "The O.C.TM is so conservative there were McCain signs in the art gallery windows. I ain't saying I'd live there!) More on that later.

Here's a nugget: We had lunch at a sidewalk cafe in Venice Beach. Across the sidewalk was a black man selling Barack Obama t-shirts. A mother and her young son, also black, walked up to the man's table. I saw the man put his hand on the young boy's shoulder, bend down and whisper something to the boy. That child grinned from ear to ear and happily put on his Obama shirt. I've no idea what was said between the man and the child, but what I saw on the boy's face was what Obama is all about - Hope. The future. Change.

11 comments:

Claire said...

I'm glad you had a good trip! My 3 year old is right now all about "Arack Obama". He likes him even better than SpongeBob. He must be an elitist.

Randal Graves said...

The future is McCain! He loves art! You saw evidence first hand! The future, and since he's old, the past, which makes him like a super conundrumistic paradox!

Joe said...

I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip. And I especially want to hear about any freakshows, since you mentioned it.

Matthew Hubbard said...

Nice to have the Wundrun touch back on the old internetz!

Glad you had fun in Southern California. If you ever get to NorCal, drop me a line and we'll get together.

Dr. Zaius said...

Ha! Welcome back, Jess! I hope that you get a laptop before your next trip.

Sorghum Crow said...

"there were McCain signs in the art gallery windows."
Mein Gott. And not part of some Dadaist exhibition? or maybe Idi Amin Dadaist? I hear he had anger management problems, too.

dguzman said...

LOL, Crow.

So glad you're back among the cows and cheese factories of Wisconsin! Boy, McCain and art galleries. Perhaps these are millionaire artists?

Fran said...

I can't wait to hear about your trip. I used to stay at that hotel prior to living in LA, it was a different name then.

Life behind the Orange Curtain is most conservative indeed!!!

Tengrain said...

If it is about freak shows, come on up to NorCal, I can show you the sites! Though, honestly, I think Venice Beach pretty much has a lock on that.

Regards,

Tengrain

Dale said...

Welcome home, looking forward to reading more about your trip!

Dean Wormer said...

Thanks for sharing that story about the boy. Had to fight back getting choked up over it. So much work to do first...