Los Angeles

The benefit of taking a cruise out of Los Angeles was that we were able to tie in a visit with our daughter. It is hard to believe that she has lived there four years already. While Jim had seen the apartment that she now lives in, I had not as she had moved since the last time I was in LA. Her unit is three stories and has an unusual floor plan. But it works well for her. As a mom, I appreciate the fact that the underground parking is gated, and even then you need a key to access the staircase to the apartments. I like knowing that she is safe. The real beauty of the apartment, though, is that she can walk to work. That is almost unheard of in Los Angeles. It certainly saves on insurance as well as gas and wear and tear on her car.

After we arrived at her apartment we visited awhile before going to the Road to Seoul Korean barbecue restaurant for lunch. After all, Jim and I had hardly made a dent in our 10,000 calories per day that we had grown used to on the ship. The restaurant brings the food to your table, and you grill it yourself. That really turns your meal into an event. Although the irony of paying so much money for lunch and then having to cook it yourself was not lost on me.

Korean barbecue

After lunch we went to the Petersen Automotive Museum. Jim was interested in the architecture and re-purposing of the building, but we decided to go inside as well. Opened in 1994, the museum is an exploration of the history of the automobile and its impact on American life and culture. From early automobiles to extreme luxury cars to vehicles used in movies and TV shows, this museum has a little bit of everything. We all very much enjoyed it. Just down the street outside the art museum is an exhibit called "Urban Light." Consisting of 202 antique lamp posts, it makes quite a display. It was fun to see the ways that people were interacting with the lights.

Urban Light

Malibu Creek State Park

On Sunday after a late breakfast we drove about an hour north and west of Los Angeles to visit Malibu Creek State Park. Consisting of over 8,000 acres, the park opened in 1976 on land that was once owned by 20th Century Fox Studios. There are 15 miles of hiking trails through prairies, canyons and up steep hills. We chose the trail that would take us to the site where some of the television series M*A*S*H had been filmed. While everyone says that this is an easy hike, I noticed that most people coming and going were 20-30 years younger than me. It was two and a half miles to the site, with challenging hills that near the end shrunk to single file, rocky paths. Thankfully we had hats and our water, and managed to get to the show location. And more importantly, back out again to the car. It was a good 5 mile hike round trip, and made me feel better about all I had been eating.

MASH location

On the way back to Katie's apartment we stopped for dinner at a restaurant in Malibu that sits right on the ocean. The service and food were mediocre, but you could not beat the scenery.

Malibu

The next morning we flew home, thus ending our vacation. But not the celebration of Jim's birthday. There was more to come!