Friday and Saturday morning, we started the day with a family hike up to Griffith Observatory. Los Angeles was showing off with gorgeous 80 degree days.
Tonight we went to The Grove for dinner and to see the holiday decor. It was much cooler and raining. As you can imagine, Santi hasn't seen much rain. He was so excited to stomp in some puddles with his cousin Ricky.
Santi leading the way
Naturally, we checked out some local murals. Can you spot Santi?
mural by Cyrcle
Oh, Los Angeles. The city of angels. As a temporary resident (in a beautiful home, see photo), I can tell you that the majority of the people in LA are not angels. Far from it. Most of them are jerks. Impatient jerks who drive badly. I'd like to take this opportunity for a short PSA to the Angelenos: Everyone in LA needs to just calm down and relax. Thank you.
But there is at least one angel in LA, Dr. Starnes. We are forever indebted to him. He is our angel because he gave us our son and he gave our son a great future.
We are officially home HOME, back in Carlsbad. It feels like we can finally start living life again. Everything has been on pause for six months. But now we are home and Santi is just a normal 5 month old (with a special heart).
Six months has never passed so quickly. Six months has never been so life changing. It feels amazing to be back in our home.
Abe and I hiked up to the Hollywood Reservoir this morning with Ricky and Renee. It was my first postpartum "workout." Technically, I won't be cleared from my doctor to workout for another 5 weeks but I can't help it. I feel great and I needed to do something.
The reservoir is a short walk up the hill from our house. On a clear day you can see the hollywood sign and all across LA to downtown. It felt so good to get some fresh air!
The best way we can take care of our baby boy is by first taking care of ourselves and staying healthy.
My BFF Melissa and her husband Kirk came up last night for a quick visit. I can't believe it was our last time to hang out before Santi arrives!! We went up to Universal City Walk and had dinner at Saddle Ranch. They brought us a HUGE complimentary cotton candy for dessert. YUM!
The Price Is Right is iconic. The original show started in 1956, then Bob Barker took over in 1972. I remember watching it when I was young and thinking how cool it would be to be a "Barkers Beauty" showcase model. Drew Carey started hosting in 2007 and from what we saw today, he's doing a great job. He was really funny, especially during the commercial breaks. He would converse with the audience and tell jokes and stories.
Getting tickets is easy, waiting to get into the studio is the hard part. If you ever go, bring a jacket and your patience.
Our tickets said to arrive at 12pm, so we got there at 11am because we knew the lines fill up fast. They only take 300 people per taping. The first hour was spent standing on the street, in a looonnggg line, outside of the CBS lot. Even with a ticket, there is no guarantee that you are going to get in. So around 11:45 I approached the only person who looked like they had any authority and I told her a little white lie. I said I was being induced in 2 days and this was the only day we could see the show. She granted us admission right away. YAY, we're in the gate!
Even though we were on the lot by noon, we didn't actually get into the studio until 4pm. The waiting areas are covered, outdoor wind-tunnels with long benches. Over the four hours we waited, we had access to a snack bar with tasty treats and a nice restroom. They even have a green screen set up where you can take souvenir photos (see below). Every audience member gets their photo taken by a staffer and has a short interview with a producer. This is how they select contestants. When you get to the third and final waiting area they have TV's playing the show to get you pumped up.
Then finally, around 4pm we made our way into the studio. The set is SO MUCH SMALLER then you would imagine. We were seated on the right, third row from the back, towards the middle. I have an interior aisle seat next to the big $ platform in the middle of the audience.
SPOILER ALERT: we did not get selected :(
Our episode airs on 4/17 and if you look closely, you might see us when they pan the audience. Despite all the waiting around, we had a great day.
First of all, let me say that I really like it here. I have spent quite a bit of time in LA in the past, but never for more than a day or two at a time. Being here for just over a week has allowed me to gain some new insight. Here are my observations:
Some of the stereotypes are true.
The drivers are awful, traffic is awful. I love to drive, but driving in this city makes me want to stay home. Everyone is in a rush and no one is paying attention. Bad drivers, no bueno.
EVERYONE is in the "industry." You can't walk down the street or sit in a restaurant without hearing about everyone's audition/script/agent/manager/blah/blah/blah. It is comical and kinda sad. We can't just be a world full of actors. Someone (..hey, I'm not volunteering either) needs to do something productive and meaningful for society...
I use Yelp all the time, especially in a new city. Reading Yelp here is wildly entertaining/annoying. LA folks write their Yelp reviews as if they're auditioning screen-plays.
These are real yelp reviews:
Gorgy views and tasty sushsush make me a happy unagi.
These Burgers are JUICY ANGUS COUTURE!!! These are the juiciest burgers I've ever eaten hands down. I mean your Mom and your friend in culinary school wish their burgers called you back for another like these handmade burgers do.
He showed me where to park and when to stop, guiding me through until I needed to step out. He opened the door for me as if I was some sort of celebrity and told me "I've got it from here...Go on inside, where we have some fresh brewed coffee & magazines!!!" I looked at him a little confused (as I had not ever been greeted this way before at a Jiffy Lube) but he reassured me with that ear to ear smile and showed me the way to the relaxing waiting room (WITH FREE COFFEE!!!)
Stella and I are SO adventurous!
Today we ventured over to Bronson Canyon, home of the "Bat Cave" from the original Batman TV show.
Stella led the way
There's the Bat Cave!
She explored the bushes
Being adventurous is exhausting! She slept the rest of the day :)
I met up with my friend Mary today down in Santa Monica.
It was such a gorgeous day, 81 degrees at the beach. She snapped some pics of my bare belly. It felt so wonderful to get some sun and catch up with an old friend...I hadn't seen Mary in 7+ years!
Stella and I explored this morning and found the Lake Hollywood Dog Park. I've always been a sucker for "Hollywood" especially the iconic sign. What a neat dog park!
When I was little, growing up in Texas, I used to tell people I was from Hollywood! In reality I had never even been to California! I guess on some level I knew I'd get here someday...I just thought it would be under more glamorous circumstances :)
Note to self: Do not go to Universal Studios when your 9+ months pregnant...you can't do ANYTHING! Not even the tram ride :(
Our house is 10 minutes from Universal and we don't even need to get on the freeway to get there (YAY!). We went on a beautifully uncrowded Wednesday. They have a great deal going on right now where you pay for one day and you get an Annual Pass! That's a sweet deal! So even though we could only see shows (the Animal Actors show is pretty cute) we can go back anytime before the end of the year.
We had a great time walking around. It has been 10+ YEARS since either of us has been...maybe longer. I was bummed that they don't have "Back Draft" anymore and I was shocked that they have a "WaterWorld" show. Really?! an entire show based on the worst movie of all time.
