We were exhausted last evening. After getting up at 4:00 AM, a day of travel and a time change of 3 hours, Kay and I retired around 7:30 local time. I managed to get about 10 hours of sleep which did me wonders.
We met with the Wellborns for breakfast at 7:30 in the hotel restaurant. The meal was very good but it should have been. Eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, toast and coffee was $45 per person (tax and gratuity included). At least the coffee was French pressed and was excellent.
As per our plans, we caught the HOHO bus across the street from the hotel. While waiting for the bus, I saw my first Waymo vehicle, but it would not be the last. These driverless cars were passing the hotel on a regular basis.
The first stop we exited was for the La Brea Tar pits. I have wanted to see the tar pits since learning about them in the 5th grade. Unfortunately I was greatly disappointed. Perhaps I would not have been at age 10.
At least I can now say that I have seen the Tar Pits. Reading the history of the La Brea tar pits is actually more interesting than seeing them.
Next to La Brea is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. We did not visit the museum, but we did stroll though the Public Art exhibit "Urban Light".
Kay & Janet hiding within the exhibit
And we think we have problems in our neighborhood with trees and sidewalks!
We quite literlly missed our HOHO bus by seconds to board for our next stop. Fortunately it was only about a 10 minute walk from La Brea to the Original Farmers Market, our next stop.
The clock tower was erected in 1948
The Farmers Market was truly an experience of sights and smells. The land started out as a dairy farm in 1880 and then became an oil field when oil was discovered while drilling for water in the early 1900's. Eventually the first farmers market opened in 1934 and has since grown to over a 100 merchants and over 40 restaurants and eateries.
I found my sweet spot at See's Candies. See's is my favorite candy and you can't get it in Georgia without having it shipped.
I stocked up!
After reboarding the bus at the Market, we went "up top" on the open deck to enjoy a sightseeing tour of Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
Capital Records Building
The Hollywood walk of Fame was another somewhat disappointment for me. Although it was much longer than I expected, It was somewhat ragged in many areas. A few random photos follow.
It is not a walk of fame for everyone
Rodeo Drive
This photo was taken from our hotel room window. It faces Laurel Canyon, home of "movie stars".
After arriving back at the hotel, we got about an hours rest and had dinner at the Corner Bakery Cafe of Beverly Hills. I had an excellent Chicken Rosa Pasta (and the price was quite reasonable, thank you.)
I am glad to have had the opportunity to visit Beverly Hills and the Hollywood area, but a couple of days is plenty for me. I certainly could not live here, just not my style.
We start early tomorrow. Our luggage must be ready at 7:30, which is when we plan to meet for breakfast. We board our bus at 9:30 to visit the Getty Villa Museum. Following the museum we will have a costal drive to Long Beach where we will be boarding the Viking Sky to officially begin our adventure.
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