Claire's LA Holiday - Day Three

Woke after another good night's sleep to a grumbly stomach. Aah, IBS, I knew you would catch up with me sooner or later. Needless to say, my morning was a bit of a write-off! The girls went to do a bit more shopping, while I recovered, painted my fingernails, and watched a bit of the Stargate SG1 marathon on Sci-Fi. I'd never seen any of the Season 8 Eps in full size, so it was a real treat to see Prometheus Unbound on a nice big TV screen.

By the time the girls got back I was showered and dressed and well enough to go on a little shopping expedition, so we set off in the tank for Century City Mall. On the way I indulged in a little "out the car window" photography...

This is Cha'aka with the WB studios in the background.



On our way we swung by Griffith Observatory, only to discover that it was disappointingly closed for renovations. Never mind, I was still able to get a shot or two through the "marine layer" (don't call it smog!) of the Hollywood sign.




Having battled our way through horrendous traffic, we finally made it to the mall, by which time we were starting to run seriously over schedule. We went to the Apple store to buy Kel a case for her iPod, and to get an iShuffle for my husband, Gareth, who had given me strict instructions not to come home without presents *g* Bloomingdale's was just across the way, so I had to go in, what with it being an American shopping icon and all. I made the girl at the Mac counter's day with my high-speed purchase of 5 different eyeshadows in varying shades of plum and purple (including one very nice one which was shot with gold).

Then it was back into the tank to dash "home" to get changed for dinner. On the way back I did a bit more piccy-taking...

Nothing says LA like Rodeo Drive and Tiffany's!



The park where George Michael met his downfall *g*



And the club where River Phoenix met his maker :o(



And of course no trip through LA would be complete without a photo of one of these streets...



Once back at the Hilton there was just enough time to put on our glad-rags and rush back to the car again, because we had reservations at Asia de Cuba in the Mondrian hotel. As it was we almost missed our slot, but we called ahead and they held it for us. We sat outside, at the end of the long row of potted trees, and looked at the spectacular view of LA (somewhat obscured by the ever-present "marine layer") while we were waited on by a gorgeous bald gay chocolate-skinned man who sat on the arm of one of our chairs and introduced himself as Michael. I had an extremely nice Australian chardonnay and we ordered our meals.

The dining system at Asia de Cuba is that you order plates of food, and share them between the people dining at the table. This suited me fine, as one of the things that really freaks out my anxiety disorder is being presented with a huge meal that I feel obliged to finish. Being able to just pick at stuff is right up my alley. The fact I made it to the restaurant at all was a big achievement, so this method of serving made it a lot easier for me to keep calm. For appetizers we had chicken lemongrass skewers, and some weird chickpea thing which the girls ordered and really enjoyed, but I was too scared to touch! For entrees (and I found this bizarre, because in New Zealand the appetizer is the "entree" and the meal is the "main") we had grilled salmon and the most heavenly rosted pork. Kelley drank mohitos. I can't remember if we had dessert, I was too busy watching the lights of LA wink on below us. Once the meal was over we wandered into the Skybar and goggled at the beds by the pool. Possibly the most LA thing I'd seen since arriving in LA. I felt like a total hick, and said so to the girls.

On the way home we stopped at Virgin Mega and I picked up a DVD copy of LA Story on sale for Gareth. This is the movie that seemed to be playing in every hotel where he and I went for a "dirty weekend" when we first started dating, and has long been referred to as "our movie". So it seemed totally appropriate that I should buy the DVD for him in LA.

Full, tired and happy, we headed back to the Hilton to tumble into bed.