WAY OUT WEST (or How I Survived California) -- Part 1
LOS ANGELES -- November 2 through 5, 2000
LOS ANGELES -- November 2 through 5, 2000
My friend, Ray Lane, picked me up at LAX (LA International) and decided not to use LA's parking lot (the freeways) but rather city streets so I could get a feel of LA. This worked well and we ended up on Sunset Blvd which lead to my hotel, the Metro Plaza on Main Street.
After I unpacked, I took a stroll though El Pueblo de Los Angeles, the "birthplace" of LA. It happened to be The Day of the Dead, so Olvera Street, a combination of museums, shops and restaurants, and Plaza Mayor, with it's bandshell, were filled with revealers in bright costumes. There were shrines, filled with colorful pictures and trinkets, encircling the square and mariachi bands played their infectious music. All this whisked me back to what Los Angeles must have been like in the 18th century.
From there I walked to Union Station, a real "cathedral" to transportation. With its tall bell tower and red tile roof set above large arced windows, it looked very much like a Spanish church. The interior had soaring wood beamed ceilings and a waiting room filled with leather and wood mission chairs... a wonderful place to wait for a train, which we would do later in the week.
Irv Fisher and his friend, John Soto, picked me up for dinner. We met Ray and Bob Klein (Dr. Bob) at Los Feliz, a beautifully appointed restaurant near West Hollywood (maybe in it). An ex-NY friend, Amy Ryder, was also waiting at the bar, This was a treat as I'd not seen Amy in many years.
In a "6% of separation" story, Amy got a call during dinner from a good friend. After she hung up, she realized I knew Michael Orland when he'd been her Musical Director in NYC. We called him back and I had a nice chat. However, the next day Amy called me to say Michael was playing piano for David Campbell, who I was going to see in Orange County on Saturday night....small world!!!
On Friday morning I grabbed the Metro Red Line (the brand new subway with spectacular stations, each different and very unusual, example: Hollywood and Vine has giant palm trees and huge movie projectors) and headed to Hollywood Boulevard to meet Perry Moore. At Mann's Chinese Theater, the obnoxious "Little Larry" was our tour guide for the rather plain interior of the theater with the very playful exterior. And of course we looked for our favorite stars... what small feet many of them had!
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| Mann's Chinese Theater |
Irv, John, Ray, Bob, Perry and I all met at the Tiffany Theatre in West Hollywood later that night for CONFIDENTIALLY COLE. This piece, written and preformed by Sean Hayden, has grown much darker, and stronger, since playing in New York. Played on a larger stage, allowing greater movement, the two characters, 40's and 50's Cliff, repressed, and present day Chase, offer a dark side to Cole Porter's music using Mr Porter's gay subtext. We chatted with Sean after the show and then headed for Kate Mantilini's in Beverly Hills, for a bit to eat before retiring.
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| After CONFIDENTIALLY COLE with Sean Hayden |
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| George Michael Memorial Troom |
We then spent the remainder of the afternoon at the hilltop Getty Museum. What a spectacular place. Impressive buildings nestled into 750 acres on the top of a high hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the whole of LA and San Gabriel Mountains. After taking the tram from the parking lot, we wandered the well tended gardens and a few of the many buildings in the complex, stopping to enjoy the amazing views, the fountains and sometimes just the people. we also saw "Raphael and His Circle: Drawings from Windsor Castle" which had just opened, along with a photo essay of the early Mexican Empire. And as with the whole stay in LA, the sky was clear and intensely blue, never allowing me to see any of the famous LA smog... that is not a complaint!!!
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| Getty Museum |
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| Getty Museum |
Early that evening Dr Bob had a large group, including all the forementioned plus Cara Chrisman, Angela and Sue Louiseau (SF Sue) who along with Perry, had come down for the weekend from San Francisco. Also there were Sue's two attractive daughters, Sally and Sonni. Set high above the Reservoir, there were wonderful views of the city lights and far too much great food. After singing Happy Birthday to Cara and sharing the birthday cake, we set of on what I was finding a LA ritual, a long drive to anything!
This "anything" was David Campbell's Concert in Orange County, maybe a hour or two away. Everyone met at Orange County Performing Arts Center, where we proceeded to The Founders Hall for the 9:30pm Show. Had a great time and David and I talked briefly before the show and I was able to say "Hi" to Michael Orland. David outdid himself with Les Miz's "Bring Him Home", one of the most breathtaking songs he's sung to date, although the rest of the show was only good, not great ! After the show most of our merry group assembled at an Irish/Italian pub, Birra Poretti's
My last morning in LA, John, Irv and I toured Downtown, seeing the once grand Broadway with many of its old theatres closed or converted to shops, the Bradbury Building with its wrought-iron, marble and wood 5 story atrium (used in BLADE RUNNER), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), California Plaza with its fountains, the historical Angel's Flight, a funicular railway from the Plaza down to the Farmers Market, chaotic array of fruit, vegetables and meats. We then hit the road for Palms Springs and the next leg of the trip. (see Part Two).
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Los Feliz Restaurant
2138 Hillhurst Avenue
Los Angeles
(323) 666-8666
Kate Mantilini
9101 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills
(310) 278-3699
Birra Poretti's
3333 S Bristol
Costa Mesa
(714) 850-9090
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WAY OUT WEST (or How I Survived California) -- Part 2
PALMS SPRINGS, JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK and LAS VEGAS --
November 5 through 13, 2000
PALMS SPRINGS, JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK and LAS VEGAS --
November 5 through 13, 2000
The less said about the drive out of LA, the better... but as we (Irv, John and I) left the urban sprawl and pulled into Riverside for lunch, things started to look better. Riverside is home to The Mission Inn, a beautifully restored landmark complex dating from 1902. They had an elaborate brunch with loads of scrumptious food and rather poor service. We sat in the exterior courtyard, lush with greenery and a rock grotto with its soft sounds of gently flowing water, enjoying our bloody Maries (or is it Marys?) and the California sun. As in most of California I saw, Christmas decorations were abundantly evident, not complete but certainly noticeable.
As we entered the Palms Spring's area, the desert and mountains took over and replaced the "lovely" urban sprawl. Palms Springs appeared as a green jewel, pretty and well kept, in the middle of the browns and beiges of the desert.
We checked into the Shilo Inn and set off to meet Perry, who had also come to Palms Springs for the day. His friends, Dave and Chuck, had a lovely home there, with a wet bar, their "cathedral to alcohol", which was larger than my kitchen. The dinning room, with its lit fireplace, had glass doors looking onto their pool and lovely gardened backyard. We enjoyed some more wonderful California hospitality, good food, good drink and good people.
After dinner we trolled a few bars... everything being very lively as it was Gay Pride Day in Palms Springs. I even stumbled across Irene, who was the inspiration for stopping at Palms Springs in the first place. I'd seen her perform in NYC and after talking with her, decided PS was a good stopping point on my California trip!
At the Shilo Inn, our room had a beautiful view of San Jacinto Mountains and its two pools (unfortunately no one was using either one) but our balcony was a lovely place for morning coffee. After a hardy breakfast at Billy Reed's and a drive through some beautifully kept residential areas, we shopped our way up and down the main street, North Palm Canyon, with its many interesting galleries, shops and restaurants. I found a beautiful matte white pitcher (shipped, of course) and the two gentlemen who ran the shop told us to stop at their home as we drove to Las Vegas. What a beauty!! One of those Palm Springs classics nestled into the foothills at the edge of town and right next door was the Kaufman House. Both of theses beauties can be seen in architectural books and give a good idea of the leisurely life style of the area. And the owner let take a tour!
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| Kaufman House |
This was so foreign to this East Coaster and all that ran through my mind, was how much courage it took for the early settlers to pack their life's belongs into a wagon and roll through this awesome, but desolate, place. What did they think when they first saw these strange plants, the Cholla Cactus, looking like strange prickle dwarfs, or the Joshua Trees, standing tall and lanky against the setting sun, as if guarding the way ahead. And the jagged rock formations, jutting out from the desert's floor, seemed to be saying "stop"! Its a place were nature is certainly seemed larger then man.
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| Me at Joshua Tree National Park |
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| Joshua Tree National Park |
Yes, it's an adult Disneyland, gaudy and bright... everything new and shiny and its just a little weird to see the Statue of Liberty and almost across the street from the Eifflel Tower and a few blocks further down, Venice with its canals and gondolas. All of this takes on a surreal atmosphere and I can't imagine this anywhere else but Vegas.
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| Las Vegas at Night |
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| Las Vegas at Night |
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| Rick and Me |
We stayed at the MGM Grand and had the nicest room of my trip. The hotel was almost overwhelming in size with its long corridor of shops lead to the huge lobby from the parking structure and even longer corridors of rooms. Of course, every hotel had gambling at every turn, slots, tables, whatever, at each turn. Bright lights beckoning, the noise and confusion at times could be overwhelming.
It's certainly a place I'm glad I saw but would not rush back, although I would have liked 48 hours instead of our 24 hours, to see Hoover Dam and more of the surrounding area . But we were able to see the one thing I had to be able to say "I saw!" ... the Liberace Museum!!! His costumes made Elton John's look dowdy and the piano!! We were lucky to have one of the guards play the mirrored piano while we wandered the room, in awe, looking at sequined and beaded costumes weighing up to 200 pounds. This was what I had to see !!
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| Liberace Museum |
Long after the sun set, we headed back to LA, stopping at Primm, NV. for so serious discount mall shopping. Needed to get a few "warmer" things for SF... thank you, Polo for the Flannel shirt and T-neck. Then onto LA and the Metro Plaza for a quick get-away to SF in the morning (see Part Three).
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Mission Inn
3696 Main Street
Riverside
(909) 781-8241
Billy Reed's
1800 N Palm Canyon Drive
Palms Springs
(760) 325-1946
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WAY OUT WEST (or How I Survived California) -- Part 3
SAN FRANCISCO -- November 8 to 13, 2000
SAN FRANCISCO -- November 8 to 13, 2000
After a wonderful breakfast at Philippe's, with it's sawdust covered floors and large wood benches, located a block from the hotel, Irv and I left LA on the 9:30am Coast Starlight Train bound for SF...little did we know it would be the "White Trash Express". We had planned this for the wonderful coastline between LA and San Luis Obispo, where the train than turned inland and into the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, reaching heights of up to 1,340 feet with spectacular views.
What we had not counted on, was the entertainment promised would be a "white trash" grandmother and all the other WT she attracted!! Drinking heavily and running up and down the aisle of the lounge car, she managed to "bump" into everyone at least once while "looking for her shoes" and explaining she'd like to "shag" (my polite phrasing) anyone (I think "anything" would apply). She was soon surrounded by all types of other white trash and till we left the car for a civilized dinner in the Dinning Car (and I'm sure after), carried on with great energy!
Sue picked us up at Oakland Station and dropped at our hotel, The Embassy, just on the edge of the Tenderloin, nice room and close to everything, including Martuni's (which became our official hangout). But, as we learned the next morning, one does not walk down Turk Street. I've never seen anything quite as horrible as this stretch of street. Appalling, the conditions of the homeless... made NYC look luxurious! The sad thing is many of the homeless seemed total unable to care for themselves.
After a bit of sightseeing in the SOMA (South Of Market) area, including Yerba Buena Gardens, Sony Metreon and the new Museum of Modern Art, we hopped one of the many Antique Trolleys (imported from around the world to be restored and used on Market Street route) to meet Perry for lunch in the Castro, at The Bagdad Cafe. After some serious CD shopping around the Castro, we hopped another Trolley, this one took us all the way down Market, through the Financial District, passed the Ferry Building, along The Embarcadero, passing Telegraph Hill and the Coit Tower to finally reach the end of the line at Fisherman's Wharf.
Of course, all this sightseeing had worked up a thirst, so we had to stop at Buena Vista, home to it's world famous "Irish Coffee" and it's wonderful view of the Bay and the Trolly Car turn-around. After our Irish coffees, Irv and I headed to Martuni's (a theme developing) where we met a new friend, Joe, and then on to Theatre On the Square to see Sam Shepard's THE LAST HENRY MOSS, a well-acted, if overly long three hour play about "brotherly-angst" which Mr Shepard has been exploring for years. Cheech Marin and Woody Harrelson were extremely good while Sean Penn and Nick Nolte were somewhat disappointing. Cara had been able to get great seats for this "sold-out" show!! Afterward, with great difficulty, we found an open restaurant, Mel's Diner. The hardest thing to get used to in SF, was the early closing time of so many places.
Before meeting Perry for lunch, I grabbed my camera and headed to Alamo Square for a photo op. The weather, while cool, was incredibly clear and sunny, as was the whole stay in SF. We lunched was at The California Culinary Academy, located right across the street from our hotel at Polk and Turk. We choose the more casual Academy Grill in the lower level. What a marvelous lunch!!! The room will shortly be refurbished but was bright and pleasant with a gracious staff AND the deserts were heavenly. The Friday night Grand Buffet in the Careme Room came highly recommended. Needed MORE TIME!!!
The afternoon was spent on Trolly cars. Took the J up into Dolores Heights, stopping at Mission Dolores Park with incredible views of San Francisco, through Noe Valley, up into Mission Terrace. At the end of the line, we transferred to the M which ran through Ocean View, Ingleside Heights, passing SFSU and beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean before heading underground. We got off at the Castro, were we were immediately honked at by Joe, who we'd meet at Martuni's, and than ran into Robert, Perry's friend from Palms Springs (those who received Part II - version II, will recognize the name) who was in SF for the weekend... small town:-)
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| Me at Dolores Park |
We than went shopping, ending up at Gump's, after being attacked by a homeless woman in the street. (I really thought, she and Perry would come to blows) There we bumped into Robert again and I found some wonderful SF Christmas ornaments, which were shipped home, of course. It was now time for cocktails at Martuni's where we met Ray & Bob, who had come up from LA for the weekend. A few Razzle-Dazzle (raspberry cosmos with fresh raspberries) later, we were ready to head to The New Conservatory Theatre Center for CORPUS CHRISTI. It played better in SF then NYC, probably because my expectations were not as high and had a bright young cast who did a nice job on a minor McNally play. Afterwards, Bob took us to Il Fornaio for a delightful late dinner.
Saturday found us (Bob, Ray Irv and me) on a road trip to Sausalito where we met Perry for lunch at The Continental in Alta Mira Hotel. Nestled high in the Hills of Sausalito, we sat on the terrace with panoramic views of SF and the Bay Bridge stretching over the sun-lit Bay. It was relaxing and so pleasant to spend time with friends in such a delightful setting.
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| Perry, Me, Ray, Bob and Irv |
I met Bob, Ray and Irv at Martuni's for cocktails before we headed to the Plush Room for Karen Mason's Show. More "small world" here, as I found Joe (whom we'd met earlier in the week at Martuni's and had told about Karen's Show) sitting next to a friend from NYC, Mark Blanks, who was in SF on business. Also there, was my good friend Renee, with her husband Skip. They had driven up from Sunny Vale for the Show.
After the show, many of us remained to talk to Karen and her husband, Paul, who was frightened by a very enthusiastic Sue, rushing across the lobby to met him. Must also say, not only did Karen put on an incredible show (see my review of her show dated 9/7/00), she looked drop-dead gorgeous in a beaded white gown, but don't ask about sitting down in it:-) A group of us then retired to Max's on Greay St.
Sunday found Bob, Ray, Perry, Irv and myself joining Sue at her favorite restaurant, Eliza's, a stylish Hunan and Mandarin eatery. Delightful food and good company. An air of sadness hung over the group as we knew the weekend was coming to an end and this would be the last time we'd all be together for awhile. It had been almost two weeks that we'd all interacted between LA, Palms Springs and SF. After lunch, Sue, Perry, Irv and I drove along the Pacific Coast taking Highway 1 south, with it's steep cliffs and majestic views of the Ocean. It was perfect, clear, sunny, beautiful.
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| Sue, Ray, Irv, Perry, Me and Bob |
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| Fort Point under Golden Gate |
Such a work-out meant the need of a farewell Razzle-Dazzle, so after tearful goodbye to Perry, Irv and I hit Martuni's one last time. With its attractive and friendly staff, its piano player (piped in from the back room) and most importantly, its Razzle-Dazzles, it was the perfect hang-out for our stay in SF.
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| Martuni's |
MJN
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Philippe's
1001 North Alameda St.
Los Angeles
(213) 628-3781
Martuni's (4 Stars)
4 Valencia St.
San Francisco
(415) 241-0205
Bagdad Cafe
2295 Market St @ Noe
San Francisco
(415) 621-4434
California Culinary Academy
Polk St. and Turk St.
San Francisco
(415) 292-8229
Il Fornaio
Levi's Plaza
1265 Battery St.
San Francisco
(415) 986-0100
The Continental
Alta Mira Hotel
Sausalito
(415) 332-1350
Eliza's
2677 California St
San Francisco
(415) 621-4819
