My mother putting a $5 bill in what she thought was a change machine, but turned out to be a computer where you buy an hour of internet time for $5.
Lucy taking a drink, in our San Francisco Hotel room, from what she thought was a drinking fountain, but was in fact a boudit, which for those of you who are unfamiliar, is a "low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the genitalia, inner buttocks, and anus" after using the toilet. If I hadn't been so horrified, I'd have shot a picture of the event.
My mother going out to get a smoke and then rushing back into the room, demanding that I get out of bed, put my clothes on and go outside to see what she thought was some kind of UFO. Dressing in a hurry to her frustrated comments that "the light will be gone by the time you go to look at it", I finally snatched up the kids and hurried out in the dark country night to see the UFO. It turned out to be the side view of a hotel sign which was super high up in the air. The sign's post was hidden in the darkness of the night, so the lights appeared to hover in the sky.
The traffic coming into Los Angeles. Traffic on the interstate here is frightening. Talk about your butt hole tightening up! You couldn't have slipped a needle into mine!! Everyone drives super fast and changes lanes with inches to spare between them and the cars they slip in front of or behind - at 80 plus miles an hour! And, motorcycles will speed in excess of 100 mph traveling BETWEEN lines of traffic where there is no lane!!! We saw several close accidents where two cars would try to get into the same lane, and one where a motorcyclist was going over 100mph between the middle and fast lane and zipped behind a car that suddenly hit its brakes. The motorcycle rocked dangerously back and forth and I thought it was going to hit the concrete divider. Coming in the other direction, we saw two pile-ups and heard later that there was one death on the highway that night. We've got that show to look forward to...
The absolute, breath-taking beauty of the drive from San Franciso to Los Angeles down the west coast highway of US 101. Driving on the edges of sheer drop-off cliffs allowed us a wonderous view of giant rock formations, and the gorgeous blue/green Pacific Ocean coast. There's no way to describe the beauty. I was stopping so much to take videos and pictures that the first three hours we were on the highway, we travelled an average of 25mph! The barren beauty of Arizona ran a close second for breath-taking beauty with its cacti and rock formations.
My mother, so intent on catching up on the nicotine she was missing, walking nest to the van smoking anytime we'd be sitting in line at a fast-food drive through. Although, I didn't let her do that when we were in Santa Barbara and all of the cars in the drive-through were fancy, expensive jobs with 'taa taa' people in them.
Driving on gas fumes when we came into Santa Barbara. Beware if you drive through Arizona or down US 101 or US 1. Make sure you keep a full tank of gas because you will hit stretches of 100 miles at a time that are devoid of gas stations. I didn't fill up on the way to Santa Barbara because I had over a quarter of a tank and figured there'd be gas stations. Wrong! We were climbing steep cliffs with a van that was loaded with heavy stuff and my gas gauge was dropping fast. There were no gas stations and no pull-off areas. We made it to the top of the last cliff and were coasting down and the gas gauge was an eighth below empty. I don't know how we did it, but we made it to a gas station - probably on fumes.
The traffic on San Francisco's streets is horrendous. One way streets. You can't drive in a lot of the right hand lanes in most places during the day because those lanes are reserved for busses and taxis. You have to make right turns from the next lane over. People cross streets against lights and don't even look for cars coming. You have to maneuver around the people. You will get ticketed if you park on a hill and don't have your tires turned into the curb. Finding parking spots is hell, and we had to pay $2.00 every 20 minutes to park in an underground garage at Fisherman's Wharf.
The glamor and glitz of Hollywood Avenue, around the walk of fame, when we arrived on our first evening in Hollywood proper. Everything was bright and flashy, and people were dressed in all sorts of out-fits from fancy to bohemian. On every corner there were paper stand boxes selling maps of the 'Movie Stars Homes' for $5.00. Yes. I bought one.
The old fashioned elegance, glamor, and charm of our 'haunted' hotel room at the 'Queen Ann Hotel' in San Francisco.
The European comfort and charm of our room on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood at the 'Orbit Hotel'.
The absolute satisfaction and excitement of finally arriving at our destination - West Hollywood!
ScriptGirrl
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