I did not have a break until Monday night to write the blog on Sunday and Monday. Let me try to cover two days before their memory fades.

Sunday

I rose early, as the sunrise always wakes us. By 7ish, I was making coffee for the morning. We enjoyed the coffee, and getting started took us a while. We decided to have breakfast in Hollywood and soon headed to Air VW the Gray in the parking structures. The EV was charged 69% even after sitting for a day.

The driving was fast but chaotic, with some cars at 70+ changing two lanes and a back-up at an intersection that was more an emotional duel than driving. The VW managed to reach the parking lot for Paramount Studios. The parking lot attendant took $20 in cash, pointed us to the other side of the lot, and told us the lot locks at 5. We had dinner plans in Hollywood, so we would need to move the EV. We got out and were delighted to learn the area was Lucille Ball Square. We started to walk towards the tourist end and soon caught a DASH bus. Another couple, tourists like us and also a bit confused, joined the bus too. It was a free day. The bus got us to the very end of the stars on the sidewalks near the Capital Records Building. We jumped off and soon found dinner at the Breakfast Club, which specialized in high-sugar donuts and baked goods. We got seats at the bar, and soon, a young woman with many tattoos, friendly, was waiting on us. We soon had plenty of coffee and breakfast sandwiches and excellent fingerling potatoes. Most Excellent! Another guy was helping, but when I described our adventures, it became clear that his English was limited to food and process. He smiled, and I smiled.

Breakfast worked, and soon, we were on a new quest. David Bowie’s star was about a mile away. It was also just beyond the Chinese Theater, with all the stars’ prints in cement, a must-see. We walked and walked. We delighted at reading the stars, and I took pictures of Mae West and WC Fields while Deborah was more expansive in her photos. It was Sunday morning, and the sidewalks were mostly empty at first. As we approached the Chinese Theater, the crowd thickened. Soon, we were packed in, but our goals were located and photos taken. We spent more time looking at the prints at the theater. Our time was starting to run out, but we needed fortification.

Disney is now selling chocolate, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop, and we stopped for a frozen mocha for Deborah and a small hot fudge sundae for myself. Refreshed with chocolatey goodness, we returned to the street and returned to Paramount Studios.

We walked and walked. We found a closing Sunday market (it was 1:30 on Sunday) and enjoyed looking. Soon, we understood that we had thirty minutes to reach the tour office and thirty minutes of walking. Oops. Uber had us in a car and comfortable in an EV Kia. It was the same model I would have considered! The Uber driver, Alexander, gets his car from the company and has found the EVs quite excellent for intercity driving, and he does not need to charge them for his driving times. We also passed one of the unmanned taxis, and I was surprised to see one. I had seen a few strange round-topped vehicles as we walked; I was unaware there were unmanned taxis in Hollywood!

We arrived with plenty of time, and soon, we met our guide. Badges with our names on them were handed out, and IDs were processed. First, we were offered the original War of the Worlds (1952) Oscar for Best Visual Effects to handle and take pictures with. Yes, a real one. It was slightly chipped but real and surprisingly heavy. Deborah commented that that alone was worth the price. It was special.

We saw the original gates and buildings, and Deborah and I were surprised to hear that Apple TV+ show Severance writers and actors were on campus and used some of the original offices. We next saw a vast stage and, shocking, the actual set of Madlock, the new version. We walked through the stage and saw all the props and artificial offices of the fictional law firm. Wow!

The old Desilu Studio is incorporated into the complex (Lucille Ball’s company that created Star Trek and other well-known shows). We saw where Lucy’s dressing room was and, effectively, where Star Trek and Mission Impossible were born. The area is considered lucky, where we were told, and many movies and TV shows shoot scenes there.

We drove by the filming locations for most of Star Trek and many TV shows. It was incredible. We also saw the low parking lot that was flooded to create a water scene, such as in The Ten Commandments and Star Trek: The Voyage Home. The props warehouse was fun; Deborah and I got a few items from the official store. We were then escorted out. It was an excellent tour, and it is highly recommended!

We drove the EV to the restaurant above Hollywood, Yamashiro Hollywood. I decided to try parking there. The drive was steep and twisty, with often only space for one vehicle. It was not difficult, but not for the nervous driver.

We were an hour early, but soon, the valet had the car (another $20 for parking) safe, and Deborah had only time to get a drink before our table was ready. Deborah was shocked when I just told a busy bartender what we wanted. It was a bit too West Coast direct for her style.

We soon were at our table with a fantastic view of the LA area. Later, we would walk through the grounds and enjoy the view. Dinner was excellent, and the prices were high, but the quality and delivery were outstanding. I had a steak, and Deborah had the sea bass—both near perfect. The table beside us sent us some sushi rolls to try. We got photos taken and soon bought some framed shots to take home. It was a near-perfect day.

LA Sunday night traffic reminded us why we should not just move here. It took an extra thirty minutes to get back to our hotel in Long Beach in slow-moving and crazy-moving traffic. Yikes!

Tired, I wrote the blog and was to bed around 11.

Monday

We slept in until sunrise. We spent the morning enjoying coffee, and Deborah grabbed some yogurt at the hotel; we have a $10 credit every day to use. At 11:30, we opened Famous Dave’s BBQ after walking to Rainbow Harbor and looking at Restoration Hardware’s furniture. We agreed that RH style seems to be the same at Matlock; maybe they got some of it at RH. We had meat plates and soon were ready for our next adventure: Aquarium of the Pacific.

Deborah had a lower-priced ticket for a convention guest, but I had to pay full price. We found the place overrun with school field trips and many out-of-control kids. This faded in the afternoon, and then the place became quite pleasant, and the staff looked more relaxed.

The jellyfish tanks and even the chance to touch them were a surprise. Usually, there is only one tank, I lost count of the tanks, and we got to see the growth cycle of the jellyfish in different tanks. The facility is raising jellyfish and corals. I was also surprised by the amount, size, and variability of the living coral in the various tanks. More than I have seen in other public-run aquariums.

We visited the moon jellyfish tank, which was open. We enjoyed touching the jellyfish.

The birds, sea otters, seals, and fish tanks were more than I expected. The place is quiet in the afternoons. We enjoyed the late afternoon. In the gift store, Deborah bought a tie for me to remember the whales we saw a few days ago. She was given two stuffed animals for buying $20+. I will bring one back to Oregon.

We left the aquarium happy with our day. We then walked around Rainbow Harbor to Parker’s Lighthouse Restaurant. There, we had drinks and happy hour food. We split a burger made on garlic cheese bread and a crunchy roll—both excellent. After that, we returned to the hotel; my knees and feet hurt. I have 10,000+ step days of walking, with 15,000+ on a few).

In the hotel room we rested a bit and watched Matlock again to see the sets and the show was quite good. Recommended! We tried to use the big screen in our room, but we don’t have the right cable and the recommended software seems outdated. We watched it close together on Deborah’s Apple laptop.

I then wrote this blog while Deborah slept.

Thanks for waiting and reading!