Los Angeles in May Part 2

My brother lives like a prince on top of a mountain. Overlooking a valley, and in the distance, downtown L.A.

Five minutes away, The Coffee Table in Pasadena serves excellent brunch as well as very good coffee. There's a famous pizzeria nearby, called Casa Bianca Pizza Pie, where I would definitely recommend the sausage and garlic and Hawaiian pizzas. From what I saw, the pizzas are not pricey, especially for an extra large shared among four. The chianti is perhaps not worth it, but they do have a corkage fee so you'd be better off bringing your own bottle anyway. Has anyone tried this recently? How did it work out? Was the restaurant friendly and open about allowing brought wine?

Back to the pizzas: They even come on whole wheat crust, for which I must admit I harbor ambivalent feelings. Or is it that I just can't decide? At any rate, the pizza was very enjoyable. Buona, you might say.

One morning we spent walking around the Fashion district in downtown L.A., the Menswear district and Santee Alley in particular, where (surprisingly) I was not the one to make any purchases. I especially wanted to hear vendors hawking their wares in different languages, but when it came down to it, I was too distracted by all the merchandise (my brother calls me "magpie") to remember I was listening for them. I was a little disappointed to find that, in the section of the alley we saw at least, much of the style was punk, but I wasn't in a purchasing mood anyway. Mostly I enjoyed people watching, and for once in my life, didn't mind the crowds.

For any of those outdoorsy-types, the hike to Switzer Falls in Angeles National Forest is both beautiful and challenging (though I haven't hiked in months and quite possibly am out of shape - read: I am out of shape). And for anyone who might start later than planned (i.e. my whole family), this is a great hike to do on a hot summer midafternoon, as much of the walk follows a forested stream. If you ever liked to hop on rocks across streams as a chiled, this could be your hike; there are plenty of stream-crossings on the trail. It also offers great views of the surrounding mountains. When we got to the waterfall, I was less impressed than I'd supposed, because it was much smaller than I'd imagined. Not to worry, though, we had fun climbing up the rocks to one side of it, where we saw another, higher, pool.

Overall, I left L.A. with a much broader, more realistic idea about Los Angeles, California. The impression we get over here on the East Coast doesn't do it justice, I've found. More than just a landing-place for celebrity, it includes beautiful natural scenery, a wide variety of outdoor activities, and a very diverse, large population.

Though I did also see the traffic, Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards... which easily fit the Eastern idea of L.A.

Los Angeles and Laughter in May

I giggled, guffawed and just plain cracked up more times in the past four days than I have in the past four months combined.

That's probably the most memorable thing about my short vacation in Los Angeles, California.

There was the beach (Hermosa) volleyball hilarity of team members getting hit in the face, hitting opposing team members on various upper body parts, people getting knocked over, falling down, tripping over each other and most especially calls of "I've got it! - nevermind" and "Not mine!".

Then there's Star Trek. I love love love this film, by the way. In part the love is due to the fact that I just about died of laughter near the beginning. I haven't laughed that hard in a movie theater, oh perhaps since I was a kid.

As for the rest of the laughter, I have to give the credit to my brother, who could be a comedian without very much effort at all.

Entertainment: Post-Philadelphia Notes

I thought about detailing some of the seminars I went to and some of the things I learned in each, but suffice it tosay that the topics covered in the seminars were myriad and many contained very useful information for an emerging professional.

Instead, I'll write about the more interesting entertainment aspect of the conference.

Firstly, I'd say the best experience I had at the conference that is related to entertainment (receptions count, yes?) was the International Attendees Reception. Many of those who attended were/are affiliated with ICOM (International Council of Museums) which I plan on checking out as soon as I remember to do so.

This is where I met a man who'd followed a speech by Jane Goodall, who convinced him to make wolf howls after she'd made chimpanzee calls, and a founder of the National Museum of the American Indian, a very dapper and intelligent gentleman. Also a Russian immigrant who directs a museum of food in Philadelphia and a former professor-turned-auction house employee.

One of the other evening events was somewhat of a disappointment: a scavenger hunt at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, with wine and nibbles. Though interesting, I perhaps did not make the most of the opportunity to run around the museum solving riddles. I suppose I got too interested in the artifacts, for one...

Outside the conference itself, my favorite place is the Market right across the street, where one can find dozens of vendors selling Turkish, Greek, Mexican and Amish fare, among others. Seafood vendors and butchers, candy and chocolate vendors... all present. Yumm.

I confess I didn't spend my evenings out on the town, learning more about Philadelphia's nightlife, etc. But I enjoy bottles of wine and conversation shared in hotel rooms just as much, if not more. ;)

Networking: Post-Philadelphia Notes

The itinerary for the annual AAM conferenc reads like a lecture series, with seminars here, there, and everywhere.

One thing I learned about conferences is: the main purpose of going is not to attend seminars or lectures, but to meet people. How unusual. But no, I'm being facetious. In fact, more than one panelist mentioned the importance of networking and one even said the best experience she'd ever had at an AAM conference occurred when she did the most networking and meeting people. This is something I don't find comes naturally to me - meeting new people, that is. I've always thought that's been one of the more difficult social skills. Or maybe I'm just lazy. At any rate, I'm happy to report that I found it quite easy after all to start up conversations.

I met some very, very interesting people. A professor who changed careers to work at an auction house, a Russian immigrant who directs a museum on food, a founder of the National Museum of the American Indian, the director of an historic house outside Philadelphia... They all had many interesting things to say, and experiences and stories to relate. Some I will be contacting in the near future for advice or their expertise in one area or another.

One of the best tips I learned about networking while at the conference: Don't just exchange business cards. Write on the back - where you met that person, what conversation you had, etc. Any pertinent details that might help remind them who you are, and you who they are. Makes contacting them that much easier.

Transportation: Post-Philadelphia Notes

I really imagined that I would have (free) internet access during my stay in Philadelphia for the American Association of Museums annual conference. Because I despise the corporate Man, I decided to snub the $12-something fee at the hotel to use the internet. Just think, if everyone at the hotel paid for internet use, what percentage of profit would the hotel make?? The answer: a disgusting percentage.

So, the belated transportation highlights:

I'm so used to long travelling days (think Boston, New Hampshire, Scotland, Nashville...) that a trip to Philadelphia even via train felt like no trip at all. Typically, the one day I need to be at my destination On Time in the morning, the Metro fails. Perhaps I started a bit late, but even so, two trains were offloaded in front of me. One as I prepared to board. Pretty frantic, because I was running late and had less time than I'd thought to get to Union Station and board the train, I trekked back up to the surface to call for a Rescue. Managed to obtain a ride to the station, but with traffic and the already late time, nearly missed the train! From getting on at the last minute, it was a very relaxing and short ride to 30th Street in downtown Philadelphia.

Downtown Philly is not as attractive as I'd remembered it from the last time I was there, but that may be because we drove down the Franklin Parkway the first time, which is one of the prettier sections of the city. The historic district has some pretty parks and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier (did you know burials started in 1706? Not just a war memorial...) One of the most startling things about Philadelphia is the walkability of it.

One evening we went to Pat's King of Steaks, the origin of the Philly Cheesesteak. On Passyunk Ave, we took a taxi from downtown, thinking it would be a very long walk. Instead of trying to call a cab from there when we finished (the cheesesteaks were great, by the way - but I don't think I'd be going frequently even if I did live in Philly), we decided to walk North for a little while in hopes of coming to a more taxi-trafficked area. Much to our surprise, we walked all the way to the historic district in twenty minutes or so!

The rest of our stay definitely did not involve much walking at all, as our hotel was situated across the street from the Convention Center. Even avoided most of the rain by using the covered walkway! Hurray for covered walkways.

That about covers transportation in Philadelphia. Remember, trains are easy, spacious, and relatively cheaper than travelling by air! No checked luggage fees, for one thing...