Happy 2001!

It has been a while, eh?  Forgive me if this is a little stilted, I don't remember everything that has gone on in the past weeks!  Eric and I went to L.A. last week for three days and stayed at the Beverly Hills Renaissance, which was very nice, but they neglected to tell us that there was construction going on outside.  Isn't that always the way?  We saw the Beverly Hills hotel and Griffith Park our first day.  Our friend Mike met us and showed us around.  Griffith Park is in the middle of the city (sort of), and has all kinds of hiking trails plus an observatory.  From the top of the hill where the observatory is you can see the Hollywood sign and most of the city.  The day we went it had rained and the sun was just peeking through the clouds.  So here we are looking at the whole city from a bird's eye view and it is even prettier because the sun's rays are coming through the clouds.  I wish I had taken a picture!

That night we ate at Spago's and the food was good, but pricey.  The wine was really expensive and the servers were a little snotty.  We all enjoyed the foie gras (duck liver) appetizer though.  Eric is still talking about it!  We got to shake Wolfgang Puck's hand and tell him how good the food was.  The boys wimped out and didn't tell him they were chefs, but he didn't really take the time to talk to us either (L.A. attitude!).  Mike drove us through the canyons afterward in his sister's Volvo coupe, which is one of the coolest cars I've ever been in!  We drove out to the Santa Monica Pier just to see the ocean.  (We did a lot of driving, as you can tell.)

The next day we walked down Hollywood Boulevard where all the stars are on the sidewalk.  It reminded me of the Quarter because it wasn't even close to what I would call clean.  It was a little disappointing.  We did see Man's Chinese Theater where people have their hands and feet prints in the cement.  What struck me was that there were stars' names from the 1930's that I have never heard of.  A lot of the names we didn't know.  Just makes you wonder who will be remembered seventy years from now!  We went to a costume shop after that where they had the coolest wigs and masks... a good place to go for Monkey Gras! Melrose reminded me a lot of Magazine Street with its funky shops and artsy people.  We ate lunch at a 50's diner (Johnny Rockets) and watched people go by.

We went to see my cousin Michael and his fam that night in Orange County.  Their house is so nice!  Which leads me to the next topic... Eric and I are buying a house!  We found a nice little (1400 sq foot) condo in the middle of Palm Desert.  It is in a gated community, which I don't like, but I guess it increases the resale value.  It has two bedrooms, two baths, and the cutest dining room.  The portico leading to it from the foyer has three arches, and the girl living there now is an artist, so she has painted some nice colors there.  She's from San Antonio, believe it or not.  I think what sold us on it is the pond, though.  Eric's parents have a huge pond in their backyard with a waterfall and fish.  This pond is much smaller, but I think it reminds him of home.  Anyway, the place has a lot of potential, so we could probably sell it for a profit in a few years (we hope).

In news of the weird... there is a strip club on the way to L.A. called the Spearmint Rhino.  Just thought that was funny.  And there's a service in L.A. called Pink Dot which basically runs errands for you.  They'll go get toothpaste for you and bring it to your house if you need it.  L.A. is a concrete jungle, I have to say.  It is a little unnerving to drive 70 mph in VERY congested traffic, but everyone keeps up.  I can understand why people don't like to drive in L.A.!  The only reason why the freeways are confusing is because they all have names, like the I-10 isn't the I-10, it's the Santa Monica Freeway or something like that.  Otherwise they're no more confusing than Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston freeways.  They just have too many drivers!

I don't have much to add... Eric and I have been homebodies lately so we can save up for the house.  I CANNOT WAIT to come home.  I miss N.O. so much!  If we have any more adventures (which I'm sure we will), I'll keep you posted!  Take care!