City of Angels

Sorry that I have not posted in a little while, dear readers, I was in Los Angeles this past week, and I have to say that I totally understand why some people gravitate west! Truly beautiful!

My work colleague and I spent the day we arrived in Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The Pacific coastline is as beautiful as it is contradictory with the convergence of crashing waves and the still but echoing mountains. We walked along the beach where we saw the hippest lifeguard stands eVeR and we stopped and got a latte at the local Starbucks …some things are just plain reliable!
We had a reservation to visit the Getty Villa where we were captivated by the most beautiful gardens, murals, and architecture…simply amazing. I felt like I was back in Italy and with good reason because The Getty Villa is a museum dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. We headed back to downtown Los Angeles where we passed the intersection of Sunset Blvd. and Swarthmore Avenue and I was reminded that the Swarthmore Avenue with which I am more familiar is not nearly as sexy as this intersection with its clay roofs, palm trees, and mountain backdrop.

We had dinner at Ciudad, the Downtown LA restaurant of chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Food Network’s "Too Hot Tamales". We feasted, tapas style, on "seductive and authentic" dishes from South America, Central America, Cuba, Spain, and Portugal. I had a potato and beet soup, a spinach empanada, and a fried peach and field green salad…oh, and a Mo-Tini, (Mojito-Martini) that knocked me on my ass!

On Monday night, it was off to Dodger Stadium where the Dodgers were playing the Phillies! The Phillies lost, but we had a blast eating our Dodger Dogs, drinking local beer and participating in the beach ball antics that are popular, but somewhat disruptive, at Dodger Stadium. The Dodger pitcher, Hiroki Kuroda, had a no-hitter going into the 6th inning, until a wayward beach ball floated onto the field…this not only stopped play, but some think the pitcher lost his groove because Shane got a hit immediately following the beach ball incident. Sorry Hiroki

Although I returned with a nasty cold, I also returned with some wonderful photos, great memories, and one more baseball stadium checked off my list! A delightful way to mix business with pleasure!