Hollywood and Back

LAST WEEKEND I was doing my best to fulfill any clichéd adventures I could think of in Los Angeles.  I began by seeing a movie at the Disney El Capitan Theatre.  The film was Chimpanzee, and it featured a live animal show prior to starting.  The drive to the theatre featured a twenty-minute commute down Santa Monica Boulevard, which featured a very different L.A. than the one I am used to.  The scenic Beverly Hills neighborhoods immediately brought me back to the idea that West L.A. is a state of mind.  When we finally got to the El Capitan half of the boulevard was under construction and it instantly reminded me that we were still in L.A. 

The next day I made my way toward Beverly Hills via my intuition.  The progression of scenery from Washington Boulevard and Centinela Avenue to Beverly Glen was captivating.  When I finally made it to Frida’s Mexican Restaurant it was clear that I was in Beverly Hills.  Luckily, the menu’s prices were not as Beverly Hills as I thought they might be.  During my meal a stray dog walked up to me, and was a lot cleaner than my family’s dogs.  After lunch, I ventured toward Rodeo Drive to check out the tourist attractions and shops.  Unlike lunch, the prices at these stores were very Beverly Hills.  I only went in one store, and the prices of men’s ties were the reason--$230 plus. 

Lastly, I followed my intuition toward the Hollywood Hills.  The roads were windy and treacherous.  I would drive miles without any stop signs or streetlights, and the speed of cars behind me were dangerously fast.  I ventured through East Mulholland Drive and stopped along all of the scenic viewpoints.  Tour vans, with convertible tops, would frequent the street, and I wonder what details the drivers knew that I did not.  My stop before heading home was above the Hollywood Bowl.  I have never attended a concert there, but the view of the Bowl and of the city, despite the smog, was still amazing.  While my roundabout tour of West L.A. was long-winded and carried many identities, it was well worth it.      

Photo: Art Flores

--Art Flores