Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Hollywood California, If this was Texas Hold 'Em, I am all in. Fried chicken and waffles is what they do and they do it better then anywhere else, go there , don't worry about the calories and order it. We have been all over LA the past two days, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, you name we have tried it. Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood is a neat place to walk, the Walk of Fame seems to go on forever (make sure to wear comfortable shoes) Grauman's Chinese Theater with hand and foot prints of the stars as far back of the thirty's is neat but realize there is a tremendous amount of freaks, bums (can you still call them bums?) and everything in between when walking around, you will be confronted for money, matches, asked to buy crap and just be accousted by anyone who walks by. As a matter of fact the similar situation occurs when you walk along Venice Beach, Muscle Beach is pretty funny and you will be bombarded with people trying to sell you anything, there is also a million places to see a doctor (forty dollars) to obtain a prescription for medical marijuana (it's pretty funny seeing some twenty year old guy in a white labcoat claim to be a doctor and offer to give you a consultation) it's actually kind of sad that it's such a scam, they should just legalize it at this point, if that is what everybody wants.
Traffic is as bad as the stories you hear, the distance from place to place isn't that far but it does take forever to get anywhere (especially during rush hour, we are planning to leave ridiculously early for the airport tomorrow). All in all it has been everything I expected but even better, The memories and photos will last a lifetime and the funny unexpected situations that arose were priceless. Thanks for coming along for the ride I hope you had as much fun reading as I have writing. Have a great summer, Dean.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Hopscotch
I failed to mention going to Haight Ashbury when we visited San Francisco. The center of the cultural revolution in the 60's is still a vibrant community today with the best tee shirt store on the planet located on the corner of Haight and Ashbury. I know it doesn't compare to the past but it sure leaves an impression on you and has some terrific shops that both Zachary and Emily enjoyed. We also visited a great park that oversees the six sisters (six identical Victorian house's constructed by the same builder at the same time for the same family members, better known as the background for the legendary sitcom Full House, yes, Uncle Jesse, Joey and the Olsen twins.) Talk about worlds colliding, Haight Ashbury and Full House just a mile or two apart.
We are finally in LA for the last leg of the trip and have managed to work out most of the disagreements that are bound to occur during the course of a day when spending literally twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for over two weeks with your brother and two children. Actually, the lack of blow ups and knock down drag out battles over any little thing has really been remarkable. We have all learned to pick our battles and realize in the big picture most of the fight have been minor with someone always being able to jump in and defuse any situation. The maturity that Zach and Emily show each and everyday is impressive (I on the other hand have a difficult time remaining an adult all the time, for example today in Santa Monica I decided to not step on any sidewalk crack or roadway crack from the restaurant, shopping, crossing intersections and walking back to the car for the better part of thirty minutes.) I called this activity hopscotch for morons (actually it has a more politically incorrect name) but Zach and Emily were embarrassed as to the amount of people watching me cross intersections and or doing the standard broad jump over the brick portions of the roadway for minutes at a time. In the end they accepted my bizarre behavior and decided to record it for posterity.
They have enjoyed the peace and quiet of the last two days as a result of me coming down with a cold and a cough that resulted in me losing my voice, which I currently still am trying to regain.
We are at a hotel with a spiral staircase with a second bedroom on the second floor where Zach and Emily are staying, watching MTV's Teen Moms (original teen moms only, thank you, I do have standards) always gives us something to talk about, especially back to back to back episodes. I know Carly will appreciate our viewing habits while on vacation. Good night now.
We are finally in LA for the last leg of the trip and have managed to work out most of the disagreements that are bound to occur during the course of a day when spending literally twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for over two weeks with your brother and two children. Actually, the lack of blow ups and knock down drag out battles over any little thing has really been remarkable. We have all learned to pick our battles and realize in the big picture most of the fight have been minor with someone always being able to jump in and defuse any situation. The maturity that Zach and Emily show each and everyday is impressive (I on the other hand have a difficult time remaining an adult all the time, for example today in Santa Monica I decided to not step on any sidewalk crack or roadway crack from the restaurant, shopping, crossing intersections and walking back to the car for the better part of thirty minutes.) I called this activity hopscotch for morons (actually it has a more politically incorrect name) but Zach and Emily were embarrassed as to the amount of people watching me cross intersections and or doing the standard broad jump over the brick portions of the roadway for minutes at a time. In the end they accepted my bizarre behavior and decided to record it for posterity.
They have enjoyed the peace and quiet of the last two days as a result of me coming down with a cold and a cough that resulted in me losing my voice, which I currently still am trying to regain.
We are at a hotel with a spiral staircase with a second bedroom on the second floor where Zach and Emily are staying, watching MTV's Teen Moms (original teen moms only, thank you, I do have standards) always gives us something to talk about, especially back to back to back episodes. I know Carly will appreciate our viewing habits while on vacation. Good night now.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Move Over Great One
There is one thing that remains constant throughout our entire journey as we go from the bright lights and glitz of LA and Las Vegas to the peaceful, laid back quality of northern California, that one constant is great music. My taste in music is about as varied as one can get, ranging from the Grateful Dead to Glee (thanks Sarah) and everything in between. Out here there must be some secret society that programs the radio stations, as well as, being responsible for all the music that is played in every hotel store, restaurant or shop that you enter. My brother and I have both come to the conclusion that they probably do it on purpose so you think there is something magical when traveling out west that doesn't exist back east. I have said to myself on numerous occasions that I need to add that to my itouch or find myself singing along to a song that I haven't heard in longer than I care to admit. My favorite radio station is KFOG 104.5 in San Francisco.
Zachary has been our IT consultant the entire trip with an assist from Emily ( speaking of assists Emily could possibly challenge Wayne Gretzky ( The Great One) in that department, if you aren't aware I have had a man crush on that guy for as long as I can remember and I can argue that he is the greatest player in the history of team sports. Statistically speaking he is the all time scoring leader in hockey and would be the leader even if you took away the over 800 goals he scored and only counted his assists. )
By this time you may all be wondering what does this have to do with the trip and Emily? The simple answer is she is the most helpful, caring, considerate person of others I have ever met in my life and doesn't hesitate to help, not only the ones she knows, but assists anybody she comes in contact with during the course of the day. I bet she has taken more photos of people she doesn't know, as she always is the person that asks as one person is taking a family photo would you like me take a photo of your entire family?
I haven't entered a store asking have you seen a blond girl and have heard in response " You must be Emily's dad, she is in the dressing room and told us to keep an eye out for you and Zachary." Not to mention every twenty something year old guy, from the hotel staff, to a waiter in a restaurant, to the lift operator or the photographers (you get the idea by now) being as courteous and more helpful than they probably ever have been when they meet her. Everywhere we go and the people she comes into contact are left with only a positive impression, this is an ability that you rarely see and one we can all aspire to.
The last day in Lake Tahoe was a lot of fun, we took the gondola to the top of Heavenly Mountain (over 9,000 feet high) and Zach and Emily went tubing. Snow everywhere and 65 degrees are perfect conditions to enjoy the day at that elevation, with the two of them laughing and smiling with every run down the hill made for a great time. ( FYI polarized sun glasses highly recommended and sun tan lotion)
We finally left Tahoe and stopped back at Terry and Paul's house to say goodbye and it turns out that Emily really is The Sheriff. This time we went target shooting with a 22 caliber rifle set up in the back yard (you can do that when your backyard is 5 acres) and added another unexpected activity to the list. They all laughed at me when I told them I wanted to shoot lefty but I wasn't able to because I can't close my right eye by itself and look through my left eye only. They didn't believe when I told them I couldn't do it, so I shot righty , closing my left eye only (which I have no trouble doing by the way) and aiming at the targets and cans. I was impressed with the gun safety Jack, Luke and Grace possess (they are 16, 14 and 12) when target shooting, it was something out of our comfort zone but a lot of fun to do. Emily turned into a great shot in no time and was able to shoot and hit targets that we called out between shots with relative ease. She said it is a good stress reliever, just remember all you guys out there, on top of everything else, she can handle a rifle.
The weekend was spent in my favorite city, San Francisco, there is so much to do and see and I will try to give you a brief run down but I must add how the Zachary and the IT department makes the trip run smooth and safe. I have come to the conclusion that the iphone is the modern day swiss army knife times one million. Remember how much stuff you had to pack when you went on vacation? maps, music, hotel information, games, books, directions, family and friend telephone numbers, the list is endless but all contained in the iphone at the touch of your fingers (if you know what you are doing) I can't tell you how much my brother and I relied on him throughout the trip to get us from one place to the next (as long as he was not plugged in to his Beats (headphones), he is pretty easy to communicate with) . The google maps app (technically not a app I know) is invaluable and has saved us time and stress by allowing us to know how long it takes and the best route to go. We finally went to In -N- Out Burger , California's favorite burger joint, and the IT dept. was happy. Speaking of food we went to House of Nan King in Chinatown while in San Francisco also for another excellent meal, I also helped out making breakfast at Max and Terry's in the heart of the city in an old Victorian home. The fresh fruit and nuts were excellent as we made chocolate chip, banana and pecan pancakes, scrambled eggs and great coffee were the perfect way to start the day. Max is one of the world's best tour guides and I would highly recommend utilizing his services , he took us all over the city to places you probably couldn't get to on your own. We went to the Presidio and the base of the Golden Gate Bridge in Golden Gate Park and were able to take amazing photos of the skyline and bridge (look on Facebook). Did I tell you that California has medical marijuana and apparently everybody in the entire state has a bad back and a doctor willing to give them a prescription and the "patients" are taking their medicine everywhere you look.
The trip is coming down the home stretch as we are leaving northern California ( another FYI, I don't recommend taking the pacific coast highway south from Pebble Beach (take the 17 mile drive) to Hearst Castle in San Simeon at night, The Big Cat is worth his weight in gold (and that's a lot of gold) for driving that leg of the trip. Happy Fourth of July.
Zachary has been our IT consultant the entire trip with an assist from Emily ( speaking of assists Emily could possibly challenge Wayne Gretzky ( The Great One) in that department, if you aren't aware I have had a man crush on that guy for as long as I can remember and I can argue that he is the greatest player in the history of team sports. Statistically speaking he is the all time scoring leader in hockey and would be the leader even if you took away the over 800 goals he scored and only counted his assists. )
By this time you may all be wondering what does this have to do with the trip and Emily? The simple answer is she is the most helpful, caring, considerate person of others I have ever met in my life and doesn't hesitate to help, not only the ones she knows, but assists anybody she comes in contact with during the course of the day. I bet she has taken more photos of people she doesn't know, as she always is the person that asks as one person is taking a family photo would you like me take a photo of your entire family?
I haven't entered a store asking have you seen a blond girl and have heard in response " You must be Emily's dad, she is in the dressing room and told us to keep an eye out for you and Zachary." Not to mention every twenty something year old guy, from the hotel staff, to a waiter in a restaurant, to the lift operator or the photographers (you get the idea by now) being as courteous and more helpful than they probably ever have been when they meet her. Everywhere we go and the people she comes into contact are left with only a positive impression, this is an ability that you rarely see and one we can all aspire to.
The last day in Lake Tahoe was a lot of fun, we took the gondola to the top of Heavenly Mountain (over 9,000 feet high) and Zach and Emily went tubing. Snow everywhere and 65 degrees are perfect conditions to enjoy the day at that elevation, with the two of them laughing and smiling with every run down the hill made for a great time. ( FYI polarized sun glasses highly recommended and sun tan lotion)
We finally left Tahoe and stopped back at Terry and Paul's house to say goodbye and it turns out that Emily really is The Sheriff. This time we went target shooting with a 22 caliber rifle set up in the back yard (you can do that when your backyard is 5 acres) and added another unexpected activity to the list. They all laughed at me when I told them I wanted to shoot lefty but I wasn't able to because I can't close my right eye by itself and look through my left eye only. They didn't believe when I told them I couldn't do it, so I shot righty , closing my left eye only (which I have no trouble doing by the way) and aiming at the targets and cans. I was impressed with the gun safety Jack, Luke and Grace possess (they are 16, 14 and 12) when target shooting, it was something out of our comfort zone but a lot of fun to do. Emily turned into a great shot in no time and was able to shoot and hit targets that we called out between shots with relative ease. She said it is a good stress reliever, just remember all you guys out there, on top of everything else, she can handle a rifle.
The weekend was spent in my favorite city, San Francisco, there is so much to do and see and I will try to give you a brief run down but I must add how the Zachary and the IT department makes the trip run smooth and safe. I have come to the conclusion that the iphone is the modern day swiss army knife times one million. Remember how much stuff you had to pack when you went on vacation? maps, music, hotel information, games, books, directions, family and friend telephone numbers, the list is endless but all contained in the iphone at the touch of your fingers (if you know what you are doing) I can't tell you how much my brother and I relied on him throughout the trip to get us from one place to the next (as long as he was not plugged in to his Beats (headphones), he is pretty easy to communicate with) . The google maps app (technically not a app I know) is invaluable and has saved us time and stress by allowing us to know how long it takes and the best route to go. We finally went to In -N- Out Burger , California's favorite burger joint, and the IT dept. was happy. Speaking of food we went to House of Nan King in Chinatown while in San Francisco also for another excellent meal, I also helped out making breakfast at Max and Terry's in the heart of the city in an old Victorian home. The fresh fruit and nuts were excellent as we made chocolate chip, banana and pecan pancakes, scrambled eggs and great coffee were the perfect way to start the day. Max is one of the world's best tour guides and I would highly recommend utilizing his services , he took us all over the city to places you probably couldn't get to on your own. We went to the Presidio and the base of the Golden Gate Bridge in Golden Gate Park and were able to take amazing photos of the skyline and bridge (look on Facebook). Did I tell you that California has medical marijuana and apparently everybody in the entire state has a bad back and a doctor willing to give them a prescription and the "patients" are taking their medicine everywhere you look.
The trip is coming down the home stretch as we are leaving northern California ( another FYI, I don't recommend taking the pacific coast highway south from Pebble Beach (take the 17 mile drive) to Hearst Castle in San Simeon at night, The Big Cat is worth his weight in gold (and that's a lot of gold) for driving that leg of the trip. Happy Fourth of July.
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