Grandma's Gone Wild....Los Angeles

This was our 3rd annual Grandma's Gone Wild trip. This time to the land of Hollywood.

We arrived at LAX on Thursday February 18th.

As usual we were greeted by our limo....you know that's how us Grandma's roll.

Below is what has become my signature pose on these limo trips.

And of course after a long flight we had to be treated to a celebrating beverage.

Cheers to The Grandma's!

Our limo took us into Santa Monica where we stayed on the beach. Below is the view of our hotel from the beach.

We had a patio where we could look out and see the Santa Monica Pier, the ocean and all the happenings on the beach which mainly had something to do with exercise.

For a picture of the view you can check out Fonda's blog Day 1.

We arrived a little early so our room wasn't ready. So we decided to walk down the boardwalk a couple miles (or so....) and check out Venice Beach. Apparently Venice Beach has two parts...the part we visited transformed us back into the land of a Bohemian Hippies kind of vibe.

Below is a RV that looks to me like it's ready for it's drive to Woodstock but instead used by one of the local vendors to haul his goods to sale along the boardwalk.

"The Doctor Is In"
which seemed to be the quote of the day all along the boardwalk. We must of past over 20 different so called doctor's offices. Seems odd you could just walk in off the streets ask to see the doctor, complain of a headache and walk out with your marijuana.

Where were these doctor back in 1978????

After what was close to 3 hours walking and visiting Venice Beach we got to our room...enjoyed our view...relaxed while deciding what to do for the evening. We had decided to clean up from walking along the boardwalk....I kind of dozed in and out. Fonda was first for the shower but apparently I had passed out and passed out hard. At 6 I was out like a light.
I felt like I had jet lag. So...when you read Fonda's blog and she talks about us watching a movie and eating room service...it was really her and Stacy who did those things....
I slept!!!

Guess Grandma ain't so wild after all.

But I think they were happy to stay in and relax so really I did them a favor.

We rented a car and our next day...Friday February 19th took us into the land of Hollywood.
This is not the prettiest picture of the Hollywood sign that I could share with you but it is the closest and was taken from Hollywood Blvd. I had actually stopped to take a picture of this huge Micheal Jackson mural that had been painted on the side of the building when Fonda and Stacy had commented on me getting a picture of the sign...As huge as the sign looked from the street, I didn't even see it until they said something....I know...another Grandma moment.
We walked Grauman's Chinese Theatre outside and saw all the hand and foot prints and then walked Hollywood Blvd. which is also known as the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Below is Fonda and I with John Stamos' star. Fonda and I met John while in New York this past October so taking a picture with his star was only fitting.

After we were done with Hollywood we headed to The Griffith Observatory to get a better look at the Hollywood sign and the view of Los Angeles. Below is a picture I like of the valley. It was cool to look out and to be able to see the ocean from where we were.

We drove along Sunset Strip and into Beverly Hills to Rodeo Drive when we realized that we had 3 hours until our dinner reservations at Mr. Chows and it was time for work traffic to begin...so we headed back towards the hotel. I think the crew was okay with doing a Rodeo Drive drive by instead of window shopping. It's beautiful but can be a little intimidating unless your ready to put down some money.

Our dinner at Mr. Chows was good...had a nice atmosphere. I enjoyed my champagne and atmosphere the most!
If you need an explanation on that you can read Fonda's blog post for Day 2....all I'm gonna say is

NEVER AGAIN!!

Tried something different once and now I'm done.

Day 3....February 20th

took us to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and their Farmers Market.

Then we headed into LA to hit The Grove shopping complex and Farmers Market.

I must say I loved this place. You could shop, go to a movie, have lunch or dinner, valet park, walk your dog and do a little fresh grocery shopping. We need a place like this. They even have a trolley that takes you from one end to the other.

We walked and saw what it was all about and then sat for lunch, visited and people watched...so fun.

I spotted Charlie O'Connell...I know him from the bachelor and his brother is Jerry O'Connell. Charlie is an actor but not as well know as his brother...me...I only know him as The Bachelor.

When we left not sure where we were heading but we drove up on

The Beverly Hills sign so we had to park and get our picture taken. We got lucky ...a couple girls showed up to do the same thing we were doing so we were able to get the 3 of us in the shot.

Before heading back to the hotel and before dark we drove into Malibu. Very nice beach town. It was beautiful as the sun started to set.

I just love the way these beach homes look. The back of the home lines along the main road ....Pacific Coast Highway.

After our drive we headed back to the hotel and walked down to the Santa Monica Pier to see what it was all about.
We had a nice stroll and then headed back to the hotel for cocktails and a late dinner.

Day 4 ..... February 21...

and our last day ....we headed to "Shutters On The Beach" a neighboring hotel for brunch.

There when I walked in, back in the corner at a table for 2... I saw Crystal Hunt who plays Stacy on one of my soaps "One Life To Live". Of course I wanted my picture with her...after all I had come to Los Angeles and didn't find any stars...here was my star.

Of course I didn't want to bother her while she was dining and by the way it had looked they hadn't been there that much longer than us. So my thought was that when it was time for them to leave I would ask her for a photo. I didn't know her real name just her character name so Fonda and her fancy phone that has everything on it searched her on the web and found her real name....this way I could call her by name instead of just saying may I have a picture with you.....we ordered and when brunch was done and 4 0r 5 Bellini's later she finally got up to leave and I set out with my plan and here is the result...my picture with a celebrity.

She was very nice and sweet. She looks to be tall but she had on 6 inch heels.

So after our star encounter we headed to the ocean to get our feet wet. It was a nice day but windy and more so by the water. Here is Fonda and myself with The Santa Monica Pier behind us.

And Stacy and I with the ocean behind us...lots of wave action.

We then headed back to the hotel where we decided to stay in, sit on our patio, enjoy our beautiful view of the ocean and pier where we talked for hours, enjoyed cocktails, guacamole and fresh strawberries and tomatoes that we had gotten the day before at the farmers market. We talked ourselves to sleep.

Day 5...February 22

Time to head home...as always...a wonderful time with my girls...next Grandma's trip...I think Boston!
Go Grandma's!