California day dreaming…

“I will embrace the first opportunity to get to California and it is altogether probable that when once there I shall never again leave it.”

~ George Stoneman

It is only apropos that this particular entry be inspired by a new friend I met from Switzerland on one most unsuspecting day of adventure in L.A. What started out as a visit to LACMA (LA County Museum) to discover it closed on a Wednesday, turned into a day of walking much of greater West Hollywood and ended at the Viper Room. There were also a few characters, local and foreign encountered in between.

With LACMA off the agenda, I wandered down Fairfax Avenue to see a queue formed in front of CBS studios. It wasn’t long before I found myself filing in with the crowd to a free taping of the Craig Ferguson show and catching a glimpse of Brooke Shields on the night’s celebrity roster. Emerging from the studios three hours later, I continued down the street and stumbled across Catwalk, a vintage huntress’ bedazzled dream, replete with rack upon rack of collectable finds. On what was a uncharacteristically brisk April day, trench coats were wrapped around my mind. Without hesitation, the eccentric duel running the shop, whisked out Burberry’s, Yohji Yamamoto’s and YSL for an impromptu dress-up whirl.

While, I couldn’t afford the designer price tags accompanying the collectable labels, I could afford homemade gelato at Golden State across the street, where I settled on oatmeal crunch and an earl grey green tea combo. Gelato cup and spoon in hand, I stopped to peruse at Family an independent neighbourhood book store next door, with carefully displayed art books; my idea of coffee table indulgence.

Stepping out into the early evening, I looked across the street and saw an ivy covered movie theatre, which featured double bill silent movies for the night. I watched as a dapper gentleman who appeared as if he had not aged since the cinema’s heyday in a full pinstripe suit and fedora purchase a ticket. In the end, the night was too young to be had in silence. So I continued trekking on foot to see if the night would find me on Melrose Avenue at dusk…