To commemorate the anniversary of our trip to Europe last year, Sarah and Joe met in Los Angeles for a long weekend in LA.  They chose LA because Joe attended a conference for work the week before.

Interact with this collection.

Number One: LAX (not pictured)

Joe picked Sarah up from LAX in his first rental car, a grey 2009 Pontiac G3.  Before picking up Sarah, Joe wandered around Century City, where he saw something he’d never seen before… an ad for the Jewish Federation in a public place.  Only in LA…

 

Number Two: Hotel in Beverly Hills

We stayed in a posh Beverly Hills hotel, which was just two blocks south of Rodeo drive.  Very quiet area and centrally located for all our touring.  Plus, Joe got a great deal on Hotwire.

When Joe turned on the TV… he got a BSOD! Only in LA…

Number Three: Santa Monica Pier

Joe and Sarah had breakfast the first morning on the Santa Monica Pier.  We arrived before the pier officially opened, which meant we missed the tourists.  It was cool to watch the locals fish off the pier.

Number Four: Third Street Promenade and Farmer’s Market

Third Street Promenade reminded us of Mockinbirdstrauss, a bustling shopping street in Hamburg, Germany--wide street lined with tons of shops and easily walkable.  We meandered along it, taking in the consumerism, and stumbled upon the weekend farmer's market.  As Sarah had a bad cold, we thought some fresh squeezed oj was in order.

Number Five: UCLA

On our way to the Getty Museum, we decided to take a quick detour and see UCLA.  The campus seemed huge in comparison with UNL, and the buildings had a kind of Gothic Spanish temple feel to them with their red brick and looming size.  Even though we were on campus in the summer, there were quite a few students hanging around.   While loitering in the library, we also discovered that part of Angels and Demons was filmed at UCLA (significant because of one f tomorrow's events).  We grabbed a sandwich for lunch at a student eaterie before heading to the museum. 

Number Six: Getty Center

The Getty was so LA.  The architecture itself, as we learned on our architecture tour, was a very important part of the museum's design.  The architect wanted to combat "museum fatigue" (where was this guy with all those museums in Europe we almost collapsed in?).  But the space feels very organic and open.  Linking each collection is a walkway so that you're exposed to natural light and air between all that admiring.  There is also a beautiful outdoor garden and several other outdoor spaces to take a break from the art and enjoy the scenery.  Sarah particularly liked the photography exhibit in the modern collection.

Number Seven: Grauman Chinese Theater and Hollywood Walk of Fame

At the Walk of Fame, Sarah was incredibly disappointed that Jon Stewart does not have a star.  She's planning on writing to him to express her outrage at this circumstance, especially in light of the fact that Ryan Seacrest does have a star.  See picture below if you don't believe us.

Number Eight: In N Out Burger by Universal Studios

We ended the night with grabbing a California must, In N Out Burger.  Joe is crazy; he thought the fries were soggy and the burger mediocre.  Sarah was happy to eat her dinner, as she hadn't enjoyed the delectible offerings (only available on the West Coast) for a few years.

Like, Bye,

J+S