The Un-Tourist in Los Angeles - 50 Amazing Things to do in LA

People visit Los Angeles and tend to gravitate to the iconic and typical attractions like Disneyland and Hollywoodland. In my view this is a serious faux pas and dismisses, er overlooks, everything great about LA.

LA has so many wonderful hidden spots to explore if you just get off the beaten path. There is something for everyone and every budget. Debunked is the myth that LA is devoid of culture, which is abundant, but we have so much more to offer, especially for the outdoor enthusiast. Here I'll offer 5o things to do in and around the city promising to give you a uniquely LA perspective you can't find in the movies.

I'll post my nominees; one each day and not in any particular order. Rest assured they have all been tried and tested by yours truly, a discerning tourist even in my own city. 

 

My Personality Type: The Analytical Thinker

My Personality Type: The Analytical Thinker

Obamacare is Obamanable!

This is not to say that I think people should not have access to affordable health care. I do. But we do NOT have an insurance problem we have a WELLNESS problem. And we have skyrocketing, out of control healthcare costs problems - not an insurance problem to reiterate the point. And the only seeming beneficiary of the Affordable Healthcare Act are the insurance companies. Not citizens like me, a member of the middle class who continues to be squeezed and bear the brunt of lousy policies as demonstrated below.

The healthcare offered by my employer has gone up to $450/month for an individual due to rising healthcare costs and an aging population of participants in our plan. This is simply unaffordable. So I decided to check out the Covered California website to see what my options are. Frankly, they are not very good. I was trying to compare apples to apples with the existing plan that I have, where I love my doctors and medical group, and have been for 20 years without incident. Mind you, I'm healthy. But the reason we buy insurance is for the "what if" and "just in case" scenarios. When I first logged onto the site back in the fall it crashed and was unavailable for a least a few days. When I was finally able to get a sustaining few moments on the site and navigate around there was not an option to shop for plans until you created an application which, incidentally, is an arduous process. I did not do this but when I returned some weeks later they have brilliantly added this feature. I perused the available plans and determined that it would cost me about as much to buy from the marketplace since my current plan is purchased with pre-tax dollars. Not to mention having to change all of my records over to a new carrier. I decided to stay out. Well now it is mandatory that I purchase through the California exchange and lo and behold the plan I chose, although it is the highest tier Platinum plan with one of the highest monthly premiums, does not accept my doctor or medical group even though our champion of change Obama himself has promised that I could "keep my doctor".

Once I learned this information I decided to change the plan I had enrolled in noting that I could keep my doctor if I went to a lesser coverage plan with premiums in the ball park of better plans. Since I'm healthy I thought this the best course of action in the near term. I called the phone number listed on all Covered California correspondence and the automated voice says they are not able to take the call due to high volume and refers you to the website. Luckily I have a computer and went to the website where I was directed to a live chat page. I waited 2 hours for an attendant to assist me but since they finish work at 8 pm and it was 7:56 I was disconnected without having all of my questions answered. So I continued the hunting expedition to try and change the plan. This is not possible. It forces you to terminate your participation and gives you a nasty warning message about it being the law to have health coverage. Moving on it now gives me the option to choose a plan but as soon as I click to do so an error message pops up preventing this action.

I am an educated person with advanced computer skills and a general knowledge of how insurance and healthcare works. If this ridiculous and frustrating first step of choosing a plan is an indication of the service provided if you need it than I'm just as happy to sit this one out and take my chances on not having insurance. As touted, the model only works and is only affordable if healthy people are part of the pool. Well, Obamacare, you just lost this healthy chick cause you can't get your act together.

"And Away They Go...."

Breeder's Cup 2013

Once the fever of the famed Triple Crown cools - Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes - passions reignite for the culminating meet in thoroughbred horse racing, the Breeder's Cup. This year it was held at the Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountain Range, the track, one of California's preeminent, is a gorgeous art deco grandstand built in 1934. The Breeder's Cup is considered the west coast's Kentucky Derby therefore commanding a high fashion experience from celebrities and dirt bags alike. It is such an exhilarating  day from the beauty of the horses and the natural surrounding scenery to the excitement of the racing and the energy of the crowd. My dad and brother are rabid horse racing fans so I know something of the sport. It is almost guaranteed that the favorite horse in the race, as evidenced by the odds, changing minute to minute by gamblers betting on their final positions, will not win. Bearing this in mind have a little fun and place your bet on the long shots, which almost always upset. Sure you can pour over the stats and consult with experts and handicappers but they are living creatures after all and anything can happen. Precisely why a day at the races is so much fun!

A Day At The Beach

I guess I better write about the triathlon that I did since it is likely the last organized event I participate in... I think. To be clear, the organized events are AWESOME; the staff, the volunteers, the way it rallies a community.

Don't get me wrong, I love it. I'm just lazy. Unless I just can't think of anything yet that I haven't done and have a burning desire to do. Well, in truth I've always wanted to learn to Scuba dive but that is not a sport for the poor. It's always on my mind and with the advent of Groupon may be more within reach.

Anyhow, on October 6th, 2013 I competed in a cute little triathlon in Hermosa, CA called the Day At The Beach. It was a quarter mile swim in the ocean, a ten mile bike ride and a three mile run. Easy, right? Yes, easy for someone who can swim. It's not that I can't swim. But I would consider it more not drowning than swimming. You see my parents were not swimmers - not outdoorsy types in the least - and I found out only recently when I complained about this fact that they both had traumatic experiences in large bodies of water. Hence, they did not teach me to swim. My grandparents did and only because they had a pool and needed me to be water safe. So when I got the hair-brained idea to participate in a triathlon, which, hello, involves swimming, I signed up for swimming lessons at the YMCA in order to learn how to properly swim and use my breath and body effectively.

So after months of training, mostly swimming, both in the pool and the ocean, I was ready to go. I allowed myself 30 minutes to complete the swim and ended up doing it in 16.

I was thrilled to just finish and I wasn't last. The two women doing it with me, a long time girlfriend and her sister, are very athletic, especially the sister who routinely does iron man contests, 100 milers and has even swam the Catalina Channel (26 miles one way from mainland Los Angeles). Intimidating? You betcha. She says she does it because she can in the name of all of those who can't through no choice of their own. I wish I were so energetic.

It was a great day. I finished in 1:44:04 a little more than I had hoped but a little better than I had planned. Here are a few snaps to commemorate the day. The best one is of the 92 year old man at the finish line. What an inspiration to us all.

Reason, Season or Lifetime

 

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you figure out which one it is,

you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,

it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty;

to provide you with guidance and support;

to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend, and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without  any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient  time,

this person will  say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,

because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.

Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;

things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.

Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,

and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

Death Wishes

NB: I am NOT suicidal!
This post is likely to be perceived as very weird given I'm in middle age but I just attended a funeral prompting me to have some thoughts about my own death and I wish to communicate them publicly lest there be any question about my posthumous fate.

Firstly, I want my remains donated to science for purposes of plastination. Think Body Worlds, that cool worldwide traveling exhibit with cross-sected organs, hanging tattooed skin and plasticized muscles and tendons holding yoga poses. If they can use an eyeball or something, great! If not, they can feed me to the lab rats. I do not want to take up precious space in the ground and cremation strikes me as more morbid than death itself.

I reject the idea of a sad and tearful funeral service. Such a somber and uninspiring mood - utterly counter to how I've lived my life. I hope people will joyfully congregate and tell stories and share smiles and laughter. Black attire and fussy suits are strictly verboten. Grieve quietly.

And if I'm really lucky somebody will dedicate a park bench in my honor on one of my favorite hiking trails inscribed with Rumi's "Reach Higher...Reach for your Spirit".

Fucking C

Sorry Gramma.

I wish we could eliminate the letter c from our alphabet. No living thing is impervious to mutant cell migration and the dreaded CANCER. Family, friends, pets, and family's and friend's family and friends and pets - everyone has personal experience with this wretched disease. Francis (Frankie) P., my beautiful, sweet 10 year old cat, has a tumor in his nose. It is a form of skin cancer. He is an indoor/outdoor cat exposed to the sun and other elements. Our vet said that his cat was diagnosed 4 years ago with a similar carcinoma so you can never tell how long they will live. I guess it depends on how aggressive the growth is. Eventually it will impede his breathing so hopefully I will be well attuned to his comfort since cats are brilliant illusionists and can hide anything.

It all started when he urinated outside his normal litter area - in his case in our house since he litters outside. I knew immediately something was wrong so we had a blood panel done. His white blood cells were 3 times the upper end of normal so we went through a course of antibiotic and retested. He obviously had a UTI and the levels had come down significantly but were still well above normal. I knew in my gut it was cancer but the vet suggested another round of antibiotic. Like a monkey I inspect every square inch of Frankie routinely and nothing was particularly amiss. He usually gets a little wheezy around this time of year, probably allergies, but last week I noticed he was excessively noisy as he was grooming. Then on Friday I saw a little bloody scab near his nostril so I looked closer and it looked like his nostril was inside out, i.e. tissue protruding. I knew it wasn't just inflammation from a scratch or fight.

So here we are. Again waiting for death. And heartbreak. Praying like hell that he'll slip away when it's time and I don't have to play God.

Angelenos

Not that long ago it was an act of bravery to venture downtown LA. It bustled during the day with worker ants who made a swift and mass exodus at sundown. "Skid row" spanned every street not just relegated to a few blocks. Thanks to some rethinking and a hefty infusion of cash, downtown has been transformed into a safe and exciting destination.

LA is the epicenter of car culture and it continues to be a uphill battle to wean ourselves away from the automobile. As we are equally environmentally conscious, balancing the two is challenging. Public transportation has been a source of political strife for decades as the city sprawls and commuting becomes more ubiquitous. Faltering leadership and misappropriation has left us without efficient and viable options until recently. In typical, wasteful LA fashion streetcar and train rails were demolished to build roads and now we are faced with the expense of reconstructing the rails. In a city like this it just makes sense to have light rail transport. The Expo metro line running through the west side has been open nearly a year now and we've threatened to ride it ever since.

The day we rode the train there was construction on the line so we had to exit the train around USC and transfer to a shuttle bus to transport us the rest of the way downtown. Engine Co. 28, a restaurant that I've read has great food, was literally in front of us when we got off the shuttle bus. We were hungry so we popped in for brunch. To start they were out of champagne for Mimosas. Ok. We'll get something else. We each ordered our meals and lo and behold they were out of that too and each subsequent thing that sounded appetizing. We left. Probably never to return since the service was sub-par anyhow.

Meandering under the skyscrapers of varying architectural styles we stumbled upon a farmer's market and enjoyed freshly juiced beet and orange along with delicious tamales. Take that Engine Co 28! We sat on the street with a young woman and her cockatiel, Abbey, getting the downtown happs while Abbey munched on her corn cob and strutted back and forth between my arm and her mom's. Pershing square is sort of the center point in downtown LA and divides the upity west side from the dodgy east side. These contrasts are as glaring as a looking glass as you pass over the singular city block from one to the other.

 The Last Bookstore opens a world of imagination. Sculptures and tunnels made of books in a large old shoppe dotted with lofty leather chairs and chill ambient music create the perfect place to become enlightened. Galleries sublet the upper perimeter spaces where artists inspire a deeper meaning. From there it's just a short jaunt to the beautiful deco Pershing square building and rooftop Perch. A casual french bistro is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail on a gorgeous sunny afternoon. Sit on the patio on Sundays for jazz brunch with the sultry sounds of Palter Ego. Damon loved his jam-packed bloody Maria so much he had to floss with the celery!

We had never been to the Grand Central Market before so we dashed in to see what the hubbub is about. Meh. Snooze. But it's coordinates are just outside another LA landmark. Angel's Flight, the shortest railway in the world in operation since 1901, transports passengers up the steep incline to Bunker Hill for 50 cents a ride. The railcar lets you out at California Plaza which is just adjacent MOCA (Museum of contemporary Art). The permanent collection here is rather paltry and can be viewed handily in 30 minutes so we were happy that free admission was offered on this day.

With much of a full day behind us we started to head back to the train stop knowing that there was a hotel we wanted to investigate as a "staycation" prospect in the future. On route we saw the Standard Hotel. Catering to a younger, hipper, more affluent client the hotel is equipped with ping pong tables and a rooftop German Beer Garten. We enjoyed a pint and a sausage and carried on to the O Hotel. O is a affordable modern metro hotel noted for it's restaurant as well as accommodations.This one is on my radar for a low-key, wanker-free option. Besides it's close to The Pantry, a famous lunch counter owned by former mayor Richard Riordan that boasts it has never closed and never been without a customer since 1924. And it straddles entertainment hub LA Live to the south and all that I just described to the north.

LA is a bit of a conundrum. We are broke, corrupt, mismanaged - broken. The aforementioned not withstanding, we are diverse, welcoming, vibrant - alive. Broken but ALIVE. Los Angeles is a contradiction, a dichotomous place of everything and nothing. These truths are self-evident as one navigates the streets, particularly on foot. It's said that nobody walks in LA but we do. And we should. Because when you walk you get a new perspective. You actually have to exercise your senses rather than hiding behind your tinted windows and drowning the din by blaring top 40 on the radio. Angelenos are movie stars and the skid row downtrodden. We live in lush hilltop neighborhoods with breezy carefree ocean views and also in makeshift shelters in the roadside sand; near the glitz of the Hollywood sign and in the shadows of it and all it symbolizes. Walking and observing these differences forces us to examine, even reconcile, these two realities. It's one of the things that makes LA unique and beautiful.

Halfer

Halfer not heifer! An easy mistake though.
I wish I had the aspirations that my friends have but I'm happy to be a tag-along. Just 3 months after tackling Mt. Whitney I ran/walked my 1st half marathon. My friend had completed one earlier this year and felt like she could improve her time so she wanted to do another and heard of the thirteen.one miler on the most beautiful coastline in California on the Monterey Bay Peninsula. I have spent lots of time on the central coast, specifically Big Sur, but we'd only ever driven through Monterey. The race was the Sunday before Thanksgiving so I decided to turn it into a vacation.

The Big Sur International Marathon has been in operation for 10 years and is a top-notch event attracting participants from all over the world. As it was my first event I don't have anything to compare it to but I was thoroughly impressed with the professionalism and organization supporting over 9000 runners. The course route starts at the famous Old Fisherman's Wharf following the harbor and landmarks like Cannery Row and the Presidio, turning around at the mouth of the 17 mile drive and ending at the finish line in quaint downtown Monterey.  Runners are placed in corrals based on their projected finish time. The race began at 7am so we had to be in our corral by 6:30 which meant for an early (and chilly) wake-up call. Northwest storms had been dousing the area all week and rain was expected on race day. Although we've never trained in the the rain we were prepared for the worst. As we pigged out on donuts (I never eat donuts but we were carbing) we noticed that the street outside was wet but not raining. Once the sun came up it was evident that the storm had passed over and we may get a break. As it turns out the entire day was gorgeous. I even got a little sunburn.

There is a ubiquitous military presence in Monterey and BSIM did a great job of recruiting them as volunteers throughout the race route. It was a proud moment for me to hear these fearless defenders of our freedom cheering on our efforts. The streets were lined with supporters and cheerleaders with lots of cheeky signs like this one :)







With all the storm activity the ocean was completely unbridled churning up 10 foot waves. What a sight to behold. And there were crazy people surfing in it! Cypress trees lining the coast and whitecaps charging toward the shore like racehorses beneath a clear blue sky made the whole experience unforgettable. Fragrances of eucalyptus and salty sea air definitely kept us going. We are run-walkers. It is not on my radar to run anywhere unless a zombie is chasing me. At home we manage 3.8 miles in about 50 minutes. You typically peter out a little as your hips began to stiffen so we ran farther than usual right out of the gate and made up quite a lot of ground. Although our timing was stellar at each marker we had set for ourselves, the frontrunner was approaching the finish line as we were passing the 4 mile turn! The winner ultimately completed the half in 1:11. The athleticism and determination is enviable (incentivized by the prize money I'm sure). We finished in 3 hours and fifteen minutes -
# 6467 out of 9047 runners.

Padding over many of the famous places he wrote about, it felt a little like we were rehearsing for characters in a Steinbeck novel.
The route is breathtaking and not at all challenging. In fact the scenery, the weather, the participants, and especially the GU (a gooey energy boost) were all invigorating. I had spent the year hiking mountains so this was a lovely way to end the year. Knowing that my epsom's salt bath and a massage awaited made the finish even sweeter. One more box ticked.

During one of our training days in LA I learned that there is a triathlon event in Hermosa Beach. Next up on the agenda, since I'm clearly goal oriented, is the "Day at the Beach Tri" including a 1/4 mile ocean swim, 10 mile bike and 3 mile run. Totally doable with a little guts and gumption. I have never been athletic a day in my life. I'm just a woman who loves life and a challenge. Above all I love the beauty all around us and I can't get enough of it.