From Claremont back to Los Angeles.
Well, my is more-or-less the last day of this trip. I’m staying in Los Angeles tonight, and flying back to Newark tomorrow morning.
Before I headed into LA, Marg and I headed off the UPS store to mail this 1973 or 1974 painting of mine back to me (so I can store it in the basement, along with my other hidden paintings that no-one ever sees). I’m glad to have it though. The painting is called “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Horse.” I’m trying to emulate the intense look on my face in the painting.
And then, time to say goodbye, as I headed to Los Angeles.
Amazingly, the traffic was good. Smooth sailing right into the city. First stop, visiting Fred again, as well as his wife Isabel. But first – LA gas prices today. Holy cow. Actually, there is a range throughout the city, with some stations selling gas in the $5.50-$5.99 range, but this one was all in the $6 range, and almost $7.50 for diesel.
I spent maybe a couple hours with Fred and Isabel, and really enjoy Fred. He’s a refreshing kind of guy. I like their house and the neighborhood, which seems very LA to me, although within a just a few blocks the streets become more run down (also very LA, but in a different way).
I got a better shot of Fred this time, as we both headed out.
Then, it was pretty much me, with nothing much to do for the rest of the day. So I took a drive around LA, and decided to head to Venice Beach, where I haven’t been since probably 1976 or 1977. Back then, I visited Joan St. Clair when she was living in Venice Beach. I wasn’t sure I still had Joan’s address, but I emailed her to let her know I was here (and sent this photo), and I was very happy to hear back from her. Maybe I’ll see Joan next time I’m out this way. It’s been a while (quite a while).
I enjoyed Venice Beach, and remember very clearly the narrow side streets lined with homes and fences, leading to the beach front. Joan lived on one of these side streets, but who th’ hell knows which one. it’s a nice area, and very classic laid-back beach front LA. The vibe is post-hippy, funky, and laid back.
Venice Beach is quite different than its neighbor, Santa Monica, just a little further north along the coast highway, which is cleaner, more polished, and family-friendly, with its iconic pier and ferris wheel. But both have welcoming beaches, which were pretty empty today, with biking and skateboarding paths, and volleyball courts all over the place. Ah, southern California.
And, in turn, both Venice Beach and Santa Monica are different still from the more upscale and swanky Marina Del Rey along the coast a little to the south, which is more monied, centered around the marina, filled with expensive yachts, and less laid back and fun-loving on the face of it.
I was tempted to head a little further north, toward Malibu and from there into the canyons, winding up in Laurel Canyon, but decided against it, and instead headed back to my hotel, the same one I stayed at when I arrived in LA last week, just 10 minutes from the car rental center. But, I couldn’t help take this photo first – another iconic LA image. World Famous since 1952!
After it got dark, and remarkably kind of cool out, I went looking for some final Mexican good on my last night in California, and enjoyed eating at this street truck, although there were many other street food places in the area that looked good. Here, though, I got my meal of Tacos and something to drink for $8.25. Not too bad!
And that was it. To my hotel, to bed, and ready for my flight home tomorrow morning. Goodnight.