Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, November 2010
This was my first trip to Los Angeles. What struck me immediately as I was driven from LAX
was the city's sheer size and number of different neighborhoods.
Major office complexes mixed in with three story buildings as far as the eye could see--old mixed with new with palm trees lining the streets.
The reason for my visit was a business conference so I spent most of my time here---
Evidently quite the happening place, built by Conrad Hilton and later sold to Merv Griffin, the
Beverly Hilton is located on almost 9 acres at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards and is the home of the Golden Globes. Lots of red carpet events are held here. I spent three days and while I was hoping that Antonio Banderas might show up as I was ordering my Starbucks non-fat latte at the lobby bar or a glass of merlot at the Trader Vic's bar poolside, the closest I got to Hollywood was seeing Florence Henderson aka Mrs. Brady at a charity event the night before I left. Walking about in Beverly Hills is unheard of--we drove each night to a restaurant that seemed just blocks away. From what I gather star sightings are most prevalent along Rodeo Drive.
I preferred to gaze at my surroundings and take in the vistas that are foreign to northeastern folk...
There is a light here not unlike the morning light one sees at sunrise in the east except it occurs in the evening and goes on forever, filling the sky with a gold color like nothing I have ever seen.
I know how long it lasts because on my last night, the lights went out in the hotel for about 2 hours and I was stranded on my balcony hoping the battery in my cellphone would hold up in the event I needed to call for assistance. The day before there had been a slight earthquake in Long Beach and just a couple weeks after I left, Ronni Chasen was shot as she was driving home from a premiere just blocks from my hotel.
So much for paradise. Los Angeles is complicated. Seductive yet treacherous, where the famous and the faceless co-exist in a vast area that is in places extremely beautiful and in others, devoid of humanity. It is the 2nd most populated city in the US, New York being number 1.
As I watched the sun set and the traffic weave its way past me below my balcony, I tried to feel and hear the pulse of the city, much different from Manhattan, and find a connection to this city, Los Angeles.
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
Evidently quite the happening place, built by Conrad Hilton and later sold to Merv Griffin, the Beverly Hilton is located on almost 9 acres at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards and is the home of the Golden Globes. Lots of red carpet events are held here. I spent three days and while I was hoping that Antonio Banderas might show up as I was ordering my Starbucks non-fat latte at the lobby bar or a glass of merlot at the Trader Vic's bar poolside, the closest I got to Hollywood was seeing Florence Henderson aka Mrs. Brady at a charity event the night before I left. Walking about in Beverly Hills is unheard of--we drove each night to a restaurant that seemed just blocks away. From what I gather star sightings are most prevalent along Rodeo Drive.
of the John Hancock Tower from the Sofitel Water Tower. This was my fifth or was it seventh visit to Chicago? Hard to remember because Chicago is an annual business trip which means that I don't get to do much other than work....
has added a new Modern Art wing since my last visit. So not only did I get to see Georgia's Sky above Clouds IV again, gaze at Van Goghs and some Hoppers but I also walked through the new wing and viewed a great selection of photography, paintings and sculpture. This museum is one of the great ones that should be on everyone's 'must see' list. 
"Even if it's not your ideal life, you can always choose it. No matter what your life is, choosing it changes everything." 
