Well, we made it back from our LA trip, and I must say that aside from the smog and traffic, I loved LA. There’s some great architecture and the weather can’t be beat. We really explored the area and got a flavor for the city as well as the beaches and burbs. Here’s what we saw:

Downtown, the library, Disney Concert Hall, the very cool Westin Bonaventure, Sunset Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly and Wilshire, the walk of fame (smelled like urine), the Oriental Theater, Capitol Records, The Hollywood Sign (drove almost too it, afraid we’d get arrested if we hiked further), Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier, the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (twice), Malibu, West Malibu, Topanga Canyon, other misc canyons and mountains, drove Mullholland Drive (until it became a fire trail… it’s a DRIVE on the map!), Pasadena, Disneyland (fun), Knott’s Berry Farm (disappointing), Riverside (Rich lived there as a kid… found his old house), the Mission Inn in Riverside (interesting old hotel, looks like a mission), The Grove and LA Farmer’s Market, Long Beach and the Aquarium (eh… Shedd in Chicago is better), Pacific Coast Highway, and last but not least, The Abbey (where we hung out with some fascinating and fun people).

So blah blah blah… vacation… slides… you know the rest…