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Bar-Crawling Through Space and Los Angeles

Larry & I got out of the house yesterday and I had big plans for us.  We were going to go see the Endeavour in the early afternoon, then swing by either Cole’s or Philippe’s for a French Dip, then take the Gold Line into Pasadena and go visit the Norton Simon museum.  Yeah…that’s a LOT of things to do.  Turns out, not really achievable either.  My desire to ride the Gold Line will have to wait for another afternoon!  But what we did end up accomplishing was a hell of a lot of fun and you are now going to see the pictures!

What Our Journey Ended Up Looking Like!

Endeavor Visit and LA Bar Crawl - January 2015 (1)
I’ll break it down below, as there’s lots to cover.

Part 1:  Getting to the Endeavour at the California Science Center

We didn’t drive during this adventure, and one of the great ways to get into DTLA from where we live is to take the Metro.  What kinda sucks is that the Red Line station at Sunset/Vermont isn’t exactly handy.  Still, on a nice day like it was on Saturday, it’s a nice 30-minute walk.  At the Sunset/Vermont station, we ended up chatting with two women who were also headed into Downtown to catch a show at the Ahmanson.  One of them reminded us a lot of Larry’s mom, Fran, which I loved.  The ride in is the same route I used to take when riding Metro to get back when we lived in Santa Monica, as we then got on the Expo Line which takes you to the USC area.  It’s interesting how in just over a year and a half that some things along that Expo route have already changed, such as real-estate development.

We got to the Expo Park/USC light-rail station and easily walked over to the California Science Center, which is adjacent to the Natural History Museum we’d visited a few years back.  It also seemed we were pretty efficient getting there as our reserved time wasn’t until 2:15 and it was now 1pm.  Ah well, it’s easy to kill time at this kind of museum.  Gotta say the process of getting that reserved time was pretty cool and cheap, as seeing the Endeavour is technically free, except for the $2 fee for each ticket.  It’s worth it though as it quickly sells out.

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Home, from Hyperion
Home, from Hyperion03-Jan-2015 13:03, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 160
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03-Jan-2015 13:03, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 11.0, 4.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 400
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03-Jan-2015 13:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 18.691mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
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View from Los Feliz
View from Los Feliz03-Jan-2015 13:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 6.9, 75.35mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
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This is a very steep hill down
This is a very steep hill down03-Jan-2015 13:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.968mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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Aerovac!
Aerovac!03-Jan-2015 13:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 19.298mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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03-Jan-2015 13:30, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 31.883mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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Entering the Sunset Vermont Red Line station
Entering the Sunset Vermont Red Line station03-Jan-2015 13:40, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1000
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At the USC/Expo Park Exposition Line station
At the USC/Expo Park Exposition Line station03-Jan-2015 14:09, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 11.0, 4.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 250
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03-Jan-2015 14:09, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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Heading towards the California Science Center
Heading towards the California Science Center03-Jan-2015 14:11, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 12.777mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 125
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03-Jan-2015 14:11, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 11.0, 4.844mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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03-Jan-2015 14:11, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 11.0, 4.5mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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Inside the CSC before we headed to the Endeavor
Inside the CSC before we headed to the Endeavor03-Jan-2015 14:19, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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03-Jan-2015 14:42, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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CaliforniaScienceCenterOnce it was our time to see the Endeavour, we went through the “pre-Shuttle exhibit” area of the museum.  Pro-Tip:  You can skip this section if you just want to see the Endeavour.  This exhibit is pretty sweet though and has a lot of cool things to look at, including a great video about Endeavour’s arrival back in 2012 and its slow progress through the streets of Los Angeles from LAX to its current location.  There are some indelible images of the Endeavour just cruising through South LA neighborhoods right outside apartments and laundromats.  Very cool.  As I hinted at above, you don’t have to go through this section at all though, but it’s not clear at all from the museum signage that it’s optional.

Space Shuttle Endeavour

You really have to see this to believe it.  I think I took pretty great pictures of the Space Shuttle, but it’s absolutely enormous seeing it in person.  Currently, Endeavour is set up as if it were chilling on the runway at Edwards AFB, so you can walk around the underside of it and get pretty good views of all the different parts of it, except for the top cargo bay areas.  What is exciting is what is eventually planned, as what it looks like will happen is an eventual placement of the shuttle as if it were about to launch, so it will be vertically aligned and attached to the giant fuel tank and two rocket thrusters.  I really can’t wait to see it look like that!

Besides the main event of seeing Endeavour itself and its huge scale, there is a great timeline presented on the walls of the hangar listing every space shuttle mission by all the active shuttles, including Columbia, Challenger, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour.  Space Shuttle Enterprise never made it into space, but that’s the one you’ll go see if you go to the Intrepid in NYC.  It’s still sad to see the notes about the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, as I can certainly remember when those happened.  It’s also so inspiring to see what we can accomplish.  The Endeavour was in fucking SPACE.  It went to the International Space Station!  It blows my mind when I actually think about it.  I won’t pontificate any more – here are the pics.  And really, everyone should go see this as it’s quite spectacular.

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03-Jan-2015 15:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.645mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
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03-Jan-2015 15:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.645mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
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Tires
Tires03-Jan-2015 15:19, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1000
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I'm sure this is exactly what Houston sees
I'm sure this is exactly what Houston sees03-Jan-2015 15:23, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 15:34, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 400
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Right before entering the pavilion where the Endeavor is
Right before entering the pavilion where the Endeavor is03-Jan-2015 15:35, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 320
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03-Jan-2015 15:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1000
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03-Jan-2015 15:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1000
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03-Jan-2015 15:36, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600
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The Space Shuttle is huge
The Space Shuttle is huge03-Jan-2015 15:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 640
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03-Jan-2015 15:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
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03-Jan-2015 15:37, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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You can see the it's size from this pic
You can see the it's size from this pic03-Jan-2015 15:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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03-Jan-2015 15:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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03-Jan-2015 15:38, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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Off to Cole’s for Another Go at Their French Dip

After finishing our visit of the Endeavour, it became a bit more clear that heading to Pasadena was probably a bit aggressive of a schedule to keep.  Luckily we’re flexible and had no reservations or times to meet as we were on our own schedule, so it became time to think about what should we do?  It was hitting around 3:30ish at this point, and we hadn’t had lunch yet, so I was ready to get a French Dip.  Now, you have two choices of classic French Dips when you’re in LA:  Cole’s or Philippe’s, both of whom claim to have invented it.  Well, I’ll say right now that I still think Philippe’s has the better French Dip sandwich, but that after our adventure, the decision is much closer and I now have caveats to my thinking.

So, we chose Cole’s for this day, as I wanted to know if it my first impression of it back in 2012 was perhaps a fluke as I was not impressed with the sandwich back then.  We did like the ambiance of Cole’s though, and every time you see it on Mad Men, it makes you want to go there.  Off we went back on the Expo Line then back into DTLA, with a quick transfer to the Red Line for one stop over to Pershing Square.  We then walked a few blocks through what is at times pretty fucking sketchy parts of town which then change into much nicer areas as you get to new housing developments where gentrification has taken hold.  Luckily Cole’s is in a much nicer zone, but it was funny how in the course of walking one block, both Larry & I could tell how the sketchy area dropped away just like that.

Getting to Cole'sAnyway, once at Cole’s, we had to wait for a little bit to get a table (who knew it was rush hour at 4pm on a Saturday?) but it was worth the wait.  The experience was fantastic with a cute waiter and getting a booth to eat at.  Also, the presentation of the sandwich was much better than the previous outing here and it was delicious.  Even better?  Getting an old-fashioned (or two) while having our meal.

So what it comes down to for me, with regards to the French Dip Decision in Los Angeles:

Best French Dip:  Philippe’s.  The sandwich is fucking amazing.   If an amazing sandwich is all you’re after, then Philippe’s is where you need to go.
Best Ambience:  Cole’s, by a wide margin.  It looks like out of something you’d see from the 1930s, in a good way.  Tons of charm and character.  Plus, you feel like you’re “dining” whereas at Philippe’s, it’s like a cafeteria.

Sidenote:  I think it may have been in Vegas somewhere, but I’ve had better French Dips elsewhere anyway.  But I figured I’d take a stand on this particular issue.

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03-Jan-2015 16:14, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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03-Jan-2015 16:15, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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03-Jan-2015 16:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 14.96mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 400
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Larry with an Apollo spacecraft
Larry with an Apollo spacecraft03-Jan-2015 16:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 250
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Replicas of some historical spacecraft
Replicas of some historical spacecraft03-Jan-2015 16:16, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 320
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03-Jan-2015 16:20, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200
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Outside the CSC North Entrance
Outside the CSC North Entrance03-Jan-2015 16:22, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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03-Jan-2015 16:22, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 14.043mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200
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Looking to the Natural History Museum
Looking to the Natural History Museum03-Jan-2015 16:24, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 10.591mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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03-Jan-2015 16:25, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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Back at the Expo station to head back into LA
Back at the Expo station to head back into LA03-Jan-2015 16:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 160
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03-Jan-2015 16:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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Giving Cole's another chance
Giving Cole's another chance03-Jan-2015 17:00, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.0, 11.63mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 500
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Inside the very old-school Cole's
Inside the very old-school Cole's03-Jan-2015 17:01, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 17:02, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 1600
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The Last Book Store Found Us

DTLAWalkaboutWell, needless to say that any kind of hope for Pasadena was long gone by the time we finished our Late Lunch/Early Dinner and Drinks at Cole’s – so now it was time to think of what to do next.  I read the website CurbedLA all the time as well as Los Angeles magazine and there are always recommendations for must-visits, and so I thought let’s go see the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, as it’s a storied hotel of old Los Angeles’ past.  So we started our walk back although this time, we walked a bit of a different route than the one we had to get to Cole’s.  This deviation was fortunate as we found ourselves next to The Last Bookstore, a place that is always recommended as a place to visit.  It’s an independent bookstore but what makes it truly a place to visit is the way the store is laid out.  The cavernous interior has giant columns but on the upper level, it’s much more artistic in nature, as books become sculpture when you enter “the Labyrinth.”  The horror and mystery books are in a Bank Vault.  There’s a tunnel made of books.  There are art installations.  It’s fascinating in there.  I took some pictures and bought a book (“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon) so I could do my part to help keep the lights on.

I loved their neon sign
I loved their neon sign03-Jan-2015 19:09, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 320
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Stopped at the Last BookStore and entered the Twilight Zone
Stopped at the Last BookStore and entered the Twilight Zone03-Jan-2015 18:44, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 1600
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It's a very cool interior
It's a very cool interior03-Jan-2015 18:49, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 18:50, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 5.213mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 18:51, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 18:51, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 18:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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Inside the tunnel of books
Inside the tunnel of books03-Jan-2015 18:55, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
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Larry in the vortex
Larry in the vortex03-Jan-2015 18:55, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400
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03-Jan-2015 18:56, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 18:56, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1600
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The Millennium Biltmore Hotel

DTLAWalkabout (1)The Biltmore Hotel has a very long history in Los Angeles and even hosted some of the first Academy Awards presentations back in the 30s.  It even claims to be the birthplace of the Motion Picture Academy!  What’s great is that the interior of the hotel has been preserved so it feels like you’re wandering a great old hotel while also feeling quite comfortable as it’s a very luxurious place to be.   We only were there for the Gallery Bar though, of course, and that was a whole lot of fun.  The bartender there was very nice and she was chatty and we of course had an old fashioned each.  The Biltmore is known for its fantastic ballrooms but unfortunately there was an event going on (either a wedding or a bat mitzvah) that was occupying TWO of them that night.  That is one ridiculously expensive event, if I may say so.

After a drink there, we then headed back by Pershing Square to marvel at ice skating in Los Angeles for a bit, then it was time to get back into the Metro Red Line and head back to our hood at Sunset/Vermont.

The US Bank building
The US Bank building03-Jan-2015 19:18, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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Inside the Millennium Biltmore's Gallery Bar
Inside the Millennium Biltmore's Gallery Bar03-Jan-2015 19:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 19:28, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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It's a pretty fantastic hotel
It's a pretty fantastic hotel03-Jan-2015 20:11, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1000
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03-Jan-2015 20:11, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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03-Jan-2015 20:12, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1600
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Ice skating at Pershing Square
Ice skating at Pershing Square03-Jan-2015 20:23, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 20:23, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 20:23, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 20:23, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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03-Jan-2015 20:25, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 20:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 20:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 5.6, 16.985mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 20:27, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 4.0, 4.736mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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In the Pershing Square Red Line station
In the Pershing Square Red Line station03-Jan-2015 20:33, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1250
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Finishing up in Los Feliz at The Dresden and Barella

It was probably around 8pm when we were back up at our neck of the woods after taking the Red Line back to Sunset/Vermont.  We typically walk back the same way we arrived, but tonight we instead went north and into the happening area of Vermont Blvd in Los Feliz.  Good choice!  We ended up stopping at the Dresden, where we had visited a few months back, and loved.  Didn’t have any food this time so instead we sat at the bar, which is a sight in itself.  The bartender assumed we were there because of the television shows that have been filmed there – it’s not an inaccurate assumption, at least for us!  Very much a hipster-y place and one day we’ll have to go for the nightly performances by Marty & Elaine – but that wasn’t in the cards for us this time.  Another old-fashioned was though, and a chance to people-watch and rest our feet.

At the Dresden for a drink
At the Dresden for a drink03-Jan-2015 21:02, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:33, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 1600
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After our drink there, we walked back via Franklin Avenue, which took us over the Shakespeare Bridge.  I’ve been driving over this for quite a while now and wanted to take some pictures so of course, here we are with pictures.  It was also necessary to get some more food now as it felt like we hadn’t eaten in a while.  So off to our local favorite spot, Barella (formerly Barbarella) for a pizza and one last drink, something called a Ward 8.  It was a nice way to end the night and we were both exhausted.  Our feet were done.

I also think we may have drank just a bit too much, but hey, that’s how you learn.  🙂

The Shakespeare Bridge in Los Feliz
The Shakespeare Bridge in Los Feliz03-Jan-2015 21:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:52, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:54, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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Home - at Barella Bar and Pizzeria
Home - at Barella Bar and Pizzeria03-Jan-2015 22:49, Canon Canon PowerShot SX600 HS, 3.8, 4.5mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 1600
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03-Jan-2015 21:12, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 500
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03-Jan-2015 21:13, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 1000
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So that’s our pretty epic day around Los Angeles.  The itinerary constantly had to change but even some things had to drop (Bradbury Building, Gold Line to Pasadena, Norton Simon, Dinner at Bottega Louie) those things can easily be taken care of in another day’s adventure.

 

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