A Visit To L.A. and Hollywood, 2009

     It all began at 30,000-feet with the description of a Knob Noster, Mo., tomato.
     My seating arrangement for our flight to Los Angels, three years ago, was next to 75-year-old David Smith, a frail, bearded man in faded jeans, sneakers and a long sleeved, plaid, flannel shirt. Smith a retired physical science and mathematics teacher traveling back to Lompoc, Calf., informed me that he couldn’t hear very well or see very well so he carried a pair of small binoculars on his belt.
    He talked to my husband Roy and I about the universe, global warming, the law of gravity, how we are all forces of energy, God, the sad state of California’s highway system and the passing of his wife of 46 years.
     Smith also informed us that he grew up in Warrensburg and that his grandmother used to live on a farm in Knob Noster. As a child he would visit and help is uncle pick tomatoes.
     “Years later I can still taste the sweetness of that tomato,” he said. “It’s something you don’t forget.”
     When we arrived at LAX, he apologized for talking so much, and was whisked away in a wheel chair for a connecting flight to Santa Maria. Actually, we enjoyed letting him talk to us, and wished him well.
     Our trip Los Angeles was won by surprise when our daughter, Melissa Bedwell, signed us up through the Radio Lia show last summer. Finally able to make the trip, we decided to stay near Malibu. Our initial plans were to visit the famous Pink’s Hot Dog stand in Hollywood--but things never go as planned.

Roy and I along the shops on Rodeo Drive, in 2009.
C. 2009 Bemiss Photography

     Although a friend who lives in Sherman Oaks, Calf., gave us several ideas about places to eat near Malibu. Gladstone’s 4 Fish, Moonshadows and Saddle Peak Lodge, we choose Gladstone’s, a California causal kind of place with a weathered wood ceiling, vintage black and white photos of Pacific Coast Highway 1 and a beach side patio.
    I chose fresh stuffed prawns served with creamed spinach, fresh vegetables and bread. My husband chose the seafood sampler featuring grilled shrimp, salmon and scallops served on a bed of rice with a baked potato and corn. Both plates cost around $25. With drinks or salad and a tip, the total bill could hover around $90.
     Gladstone’s produces excellent meals; vegetables are fresh, the fish fresh and the flavor perfect. They offer breakfast and lunch and a variety of sandwiches.
     Moonshadows, also located along the beach, offers upscale gourmet food with excellent and artful presentation. Dinner prices range from $17 for wild boar and cranberry sausage with stone ground grits, to $27 for tiger shrimp with stone ground grits. Meals are prepared by executive chef, Joachim Weritz.
     Saddle Peak advises guests to wear business casual attire. Their dinner prices range from $36 for striped sea bass to $60 wood grilled cote de boeuf, or rib of beef.
     If you want to see Hollywood or places of interest in Los Angels, due to traffic congestion, I’d advise you to book a tour.

C. 2009 Bemiss Photography

     There are several to choose from. Our tour group Starline, explored the walk of fame and Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater home of the Academy Awards and designer shops along Rodeo Drive. We also stopped for lunch at the Farmer’s Market located at Third and Fairfax.

Grauman's Chinese Theater. C. 2009 Bemiss Photography

     The Farmer’s Market not only has stands of fresh fruit and vegetables, but also stands where fresh cuts of meat are sold and a multitude of outdoor places to eat. You can watch bakers and butchers work and find donut and ice cream stands, as well and eat at stands featuring foods from Brazil, Asia and France. There are pizza stands and Mexican cuisine, barbecue and gumbo, sushi and Starbucks. An eaters paradise.
     After leaving the market we traveled to downtown Los Angeles and took in the sights like the artfully constructed Walt Disney Concert Hall.  The Hall was built by Frank Gehry to resemble the sails of a ship; it is home to the L.A Philharmonic.

Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Calif. C. 2009 Bemiss Photography 

     We also drove by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits. One last stop was to historic Olvera Street, the birthplace of L.A. Visitors to Olvera Street can stroll along listening to musicians, visit outdoor shops and sample Mexican cuisine. One can also take a self-guided tour the Avila Adobe, the oldest building in L.A. The adobe was the home of Don Francisco Avila, mayor of Los Angeles in 1810.
     On our last day in Los Angeles we decided to drive ourselves around the city--big mistake. We did make it to the Beverly Hills 2009 Affaire in the Gardens art show. The show under tents on the lawn displayed a wide variety of two and three dimensional art. We were privileged to talk with glass blowers Marcus Thesing of Long Beach and Mariusz Rynkiewicz of Everett, Washington, metal artist, Andy Byrne of Pine Grove, Calif., and photographer Robert Kawika Sheer originally from Hawaii.
     After leaving the art show we were finally on our way to Hollywood and Pink’s Hot Dog stand. But it never happened. Due to police and emergency vehicles circling several blocks in yellow crime tape, and the ensuing traffic snarl, along with the premier opening of the movie “Up,” at the El Capitan Theater, traveling became almost impossible.
      Although the majority of the trip was enjoyable, after all the hustle and bustle of big city life, we were happy to be home, where it was quiet, where the roads are drivable and where we decided to plant a tomato vine in honor of former Missourian, David Smith. Life couldn’t be “sweeter.”