Lee’s World
California October 2008
After spending time in
Illinois and Wisconsin I flew
down to Palm Springs to join Mark.
After
a few days relaxing, we headed into Los Angeles on our way to San Francisco.
We stayed near LAX in the increasingly fashionable area of Manhattan Beach.
On the way into town we stopped at the Huntington Estate in Pasadena to view
not only the newly refurbished Chinese garden, but also the exhibition of
Greene and Greene's work.
We drifted around Los Angeles with no real plan which was just great. We ate at Pizzeria Mozza and a host of other places. On Halloween, we went to the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the annual "Silent Movie". Each year they show a silent movie in the concert hall, and have live accompaniment on the organ. This year was Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera.
We flew to San Francisco, with the presidential election in its last days and hours, and with "No on Proposition 8" signs everywhere. Staying at the Hilton downtown, next to the Transamerica Pyramid was a good base to all the major sites. We ate in the Moss Room at the newly opened California Academy of Sciences - the Academy had too many kids running around! - and we marvelled at the craftsmanship at the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective in the de Young.
And how could we miss out on breakfast each day at the new Bluebottle Coffee cafe on Mint Street!
I left the US with George Bush as President, but midway home, the election of Barak Obama was announced on the plane to loud cheers. A new era.
Sadly though when I landed in the UK, I learnt that the campaign against Proposition 8 had been lost. So many of our friend's marriages were possibly no longer valid.
Thanks, Mark for so many surprises and a trip I could never have done without you.