Crusin’ in LA
We spent most of our time in LA at the Cuba exhibition at the Getty Center, where Virginia participated in a panel discussion on Thursday night and led a gallery talk for Dartmouth alumni on Saturday morning. Both events drew large crowds and went really well. And such a thrill to have another chance to see the exhibition (http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/walker_evans_cuba/), which is up until Oct. 2. Enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Angeleno just below the museum, swimming in the pool and exercising in the gym. Nice restaurant and lounge on the 17th floor where we caught the live jazz on Thursday night after the panel and gaped at the “river of lights” along the 405 and luminescence of downtown LA. Cruised Santa Monica and Venice in the Crown Vic, getting a full dose of freeway traffic since we always seemed to be traveling during peak hours. (Hey, I discovered that the Crown Vic, which is no longer sold to individuals, was a big time upgrade from the mid-sized Hyundai Sonata that I had hoped to test drive. Not sure if they calculated gas mileage and ease of parking into that equation though.) Santa Monica and Venice have become favorites for meals and “not” shopping when we’re LA. Check out Abbott Kinney Blvd. in Venice (http://www.abbotkinneyonline.com/ if you’re in that area. We spent a lot of time watching the Weather Channel coverage of Hurricane Irene and calling friends and family back east to see how they were faring. Hard to be humorous with all that going on, and, fortunately, it seems that except for flooding in Vermont, the storm was a lot less severe than anticipated. Next stop Morro Bay!
