Bear Goes Hollywood! Part I

Bear's first day started off as all days should...with coffee! We discussed what our day would entail and what I wanted to do for the first part and Bear was amenable. After quick showers (alone, you dirty minded followers!) and a quick gathering of water and hats, we were off.

We started off driving into downtown LA, with a quick stop/tour of the Calvary Catholic Cemetery. I mistakenly identified this cemetery as one where Buffy the Vampire Slayer was filmed; the Bear looked it up and quickly informed me I was wrong. So much for being an LA Tour Guide!

We parked in the structure used by my company since I had validations. This Behr can sometimes be smart. We walked down Bunker Hill and into the Los Angeles Main Library.

It's a vast wonderful place that is built above and below ground. We took turns in the restroom and headed off toward Broadway Avenue.

We stopped by the old Garfield Building (approximately 8th/Hill) where I took some great pics of Bear standing on an old mosaic embedded in the sidewalk

Broadway, back in its heyday, boasted several theaters, including the Orpheum. I wanted Bear to see the various architectural buildings that are in downtown because I know he has an interest in architecture. We also went by the Alexandria Hotel, where I told him the story of the sealed off annex that has been empty for 50 years. We walked over to the Bradbury Building, most famously known for interior shots in Blade Runner. It was also used in an early Twilight Zone episode.

From the Bradbury, we walked a couple blocks to Angel's Flight, a restored and working funicular. I thought this would be a cool thing to do since it dates to 1901. After the shortest rail ride in the world, we walked through the Water Court, which is an outdoor concert/seating area surrounded by restaurants and office buildings.

I had suggested one of my favorite restaurants for lunch: Starry Kitchen. Bear loved it! Yay! He ordered the Spicy "Krack" Crab Cakes in a wrap with curry noodles. I ordered the Taiwanese fried pork chop banh mi with vietnamese salad. The cook messed up and also brought us a crab cake banh mi. So we had quite a bit of yummy food to eat.

It was now between 12:30 and 1 pm and we decided to head over toward Hollywood. So off we went, inching along in traffic but still enjoying each other's company.

We parked off Hollywood Blvd. and came out through the Kodak Theater plaza. The Kodak Theater is where the Academy Awards are presented. We walked around Graumann's Chinese Theater and looked at the handprints in cement. We also wandered around the Kodak plaza area, which surprisingly held many restaurants and shops.

The Bear enjoyed the Kodak plaza because of the Intolerance-themed artwork, including life-size elephants. Oh that Bear and his elephants! I attempted to take many pictures of Bear with the Intolerance background; these are the best.

Our day is not yet over by a long shot so I will cover the rest of the day in the next installment. We still have a lot of ground to cover! Next up: Bear Searches for the Famous