Searching for France in L.A, Part II

Like I said before, I've been looking for France in L.A. So, when I read an article about Beachwood Canyon, and its resemblance to Toulouse, France, I had to pay it a visit. 

On a hot Sunday afternoon, a few weeks ago, I left my house to find out what's so special about the area. To get there, just put Beachwood Canyon Market in your GPS. Beachwood Canyon Drive is the main street that gets you to all the charming narrow side streets, and the instagrammable spots.

As I drove through the narrow curvy streets, and having had to pull over often to let the oncoming cars to pass, I was reminded of my time in France. When my mom visited, she loved my apartment which overlooked an alleyway. Every morning cars would honk their horns at a guy who was delivering bread out of his truck parked in front of a market below my building. He took his time, oblivious of the people who were lined up behind him, trying to get to work.

The homes are different with a lot of character. There are also faux castles in this area.

I wanted to take a photo of the Hollywood sign when I drove up Beachwood Canyon, but there were too many people doing the same thing, and the sun was too strong. So I moved on, and took a photo on my way back.

There is a small market, café, and a vintage shop.

I stopped by the Beachwood Café. All I wanted was two eggs and toast, but I was told that breakfast was over, and the only way I could get eggs was to have it with pancake and bacon which didn't make sense to me. I ordered burrata, instead. I was expecting it to be warm, but it was cold as ice, and served with too many garlic bread. Burrata is best served over a thinly-sliced high quality Italian bread. If you plan to go, don't go for lunch. Get there early when they're serving breakfast.

A lot of history is behind the entire area, but since that was not the reason I was there, I will not get into it. If you're interested, you can find out more on Rebecca's blog. There is also the secret staircases of Beachwood Canyon, and here is how to get there. 

Note: A meter maid waits under a tree to give you a ticket. Make sure to read the street signs carefully before you park. I almost got a ticket, but then I realized that although I was in a 2 hour spot, I wasn't allowed to park there on Sat & Sun.  

A Tribute to Gene Hackman

It was disheartening to find out that one of my favorite actors died along with his wife and dog. I'm not into being a "fan." Well, maybe when I was a teenager, but as an adult, I don't chase people down, grab them, or try to photograph them. If I like someone, it would be because I like them for who they are, and their talent as an actor, musician, or artist, and not their status. Gene Hackman was one of my all-time favorite people. I have had run ins with some nasty people and their offspring in Hollywood, and he was not like that.

Once long ago, he stood behind me in line with his friend when I was picking up my car from the service department. I turned discreetly to glance over because my brother had asked me if it was him. Hackman realized that he had been spotted, and gave me a big old smile. The vibes that I got from him, and my intuition told me that this guy was humble, kind, and friendly. I'll always remember that day, and it makes me so sad to hear about what happened to him, and his family.

The two awful things here are that according to the papers, his and his wife's death may not have been natural deaths, and two, no one knew about it for two whole weeks! If my family doesn't hear from me for a day, They'll call the police, the fire department, the county sheriff, and who knows who else. Not a single person tried to get in touch with them for two weeks?

When I lived abroad, a student didn't show up to class for a few days, and our teacher was asking the entire class if anybody knew what happened to him, and where he lived, because she was worried. She asked us to go check-in on him, and see if he needs help.

I had a French neighbor at the time who spoke incessantly, and I dreaded running into her everyday. Then one day, I realized that I hadn't heard from her for two days. I knocked on her door, to see if she was alright.  She was so happy, because apparently, no one else cared about her, not even her parents. She said that she had been sick. I offered to get her soup and medicine. She wasn't even my friend, and I got worried all the same.

I call or text my friends and family regularly. I want to make sure that they're doing okay. I think that it's important to look out for people we care about.

Rest in peace Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa, and dog. You will be missed. 

Mamma Mia! at the Pantages

Mamma Mia! at the Hollywood Pantages is excellent. But before I get to that, I just want to say that I’m so behind updating this blog. First, I don’t like this time of year because the days are shorter. I do a few things, and the day is over. Second, I was planning to blog two weeks ago, but my laptop stopped working on Saturday, and I was up until 1:30 a.m. at my brother’s house as he tried to get the keyboard and mouse to work. I have to say, he is a lifesaver because he finally solved the issue; otherwise, I would have lost a lot of data. And this past weekend, I hanged out with my family and my niece who was on a college holiday, and a friend I hadn’t seen in a longtime. So, this post will be short, but I’m working on a few things coming soon…

My friend and I got to the theater right before the lights were dimmed. This year, she and I have been to a bunch of plays. If I don’t like a play, I don’t blog about it. And although Frozen is still my favorite musical in Los Angeles to date, I must say, this jukebox musical was pretty good and put us in a happy mood. Of course, no one is allowed to record any of the scenes until the end.

There were a lot of funny scenes. The outfits in the above video when the trio first came on the stage were so outrages that we couldn’t stop laughing. One of my favorite scenes is when Rosie chases Stavros in the Take a chance on me scene. In the movie, it is funny, but in this play, it is absolutely hilarious.

Another fantastic thing about this play was that the actors loved performing and were enjoying themselves. So, when the story ended, they continued to sing and dance, and it felt like we were watching yet another performance.

The acting, singing, dancing, and Choreography, were flawless. If you get a chance, go see it. You will not be disappointed. And you don’t need front row seats to enjoy this play. The balcony or upper balcony works just fine.

Happy Holidays from Los Angeles to Japan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is magic around us 365 days of the year, if we pay attention.

 

My friends and family don’t exchange gifts anymore, but we do buy gifts for the kids.

 

It’s always fun to bake a few cookies. 

This is a photo of my friend standing by a Christmas tree at The Dolby theater in Hollywood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took this picture a few days into November in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas decorations go up early over there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This man in Osaka was so nice to let me take a picture of his shop that hadn’t opened up to public yet. He was just starting to set up his merchandise for sale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another picture I took while in Osaka. It was near the Umeda Sky Building. 

 

The Piano Bar

Saturday night…time to have fun. Movies…theater, Clubs, dinner at a hip restaurant…oh the choices in L.A are limitless. My Cousin and I opted for drinks at the famous Hollywood Piano Bar. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not a drinker nor am I a bar hoping gal. I choose the people I hang out with carefully and it takes me a longtime to build a deep friendship with someone. Yet, I’m always up for trying out new places. So, we parked our cars and headed to the bar. At the front door, the line was short and moved quickly. The nice bouncer with a big smile checked our IDs. I asked him why in the world was he checking our IDs when clearly we passed 21 years ago? He said he just had to make sure we had IDs. My cousin said that it was probably just in case we got drunk and he had to send us home in a cab. Well, no chance of that. That was all behind me a year after I graduated college.

 
So, there we were walking into the smoky ambience of the Piano Bar. Ironically, the band did not play the Piano. The music was more like Jazz and the place looked more like a bar one would find in Ireland than in the U.S. People were casual and easy going, no egos. The night we were there, the men outnumbered women by 8 to 1 and my cousin said, “Maybe we’re at a gay bar. There are so many men here.” 
  

Soon we learned that the majority were straight men looking to relax and listen to good music. Everybody chatted with everybody. The atmosphere was comfortable and friendly; none of that gawking one would find at a bar where the customers are on a prowl. Below is a photo of two of the guys we spoke with among the many.

  

The Piano Bar is a cool place to visit. So if you’re ever in the area, go check it out. You will not be disappointed.