Recovering in LA, and no, I am not in rehab.

It has been a very chill week in LA, both temperature-wise and sightseeing-wise. I am enjoying myself immensely, but have to admit, I did NOT bring warm enough clothes for these weather shenanigans. The early part of the week was overcast, which was fine because I spent our second day here in bed with food poisoning. AVOID the italian restaurant near the convention centre.

By mid-week, I managed to wander to the fabulously cheap and delicious downtown LA Grand Central Market for lunch, attend a reception with Jim of GVU grads from Georgia Tech, which was fun, but terribly cold, on the Westin pool deck. I met really interesting and successful, happy grads who now work for Dreamworks, Pixar and Disney doing incredible things. It made me wish I had the fortitude and foresight to study computer science. ah well, water under that bridge now, but maybe i can make a contribution with IP law? who knows what the future will bring?

Since I was feeling better, I hit the gym early in the morning yesterday before visiting Culver City. CC is located in West-Central-Southern LA and is made of studios, hotels and old warehouses that have now been transformed into snazzy furniture outlets, lofts and galleries. I caught a film being made near the Culver Hotel and was actually asked politely to move out of the shot when they started filming. The Culver hotel was originally owned by John Wayne, according to my guide book, and it housed the munchkins and Judy Garland during the filming of Wizard of Oz over at Culver City Studios. After absorbing the atmosphere, I headed to Santa Monica State beach for a couple hours. I packed a picnic lunch from Trader Joe's. I wish we had these in Canada. They are basically like large scale herb n spices where you can buy healthy, preservative-free and fair trade products. Thanks to Rob for introducing me to them! They have transformed the way I eat when I travel., which is an immensely good thing. You can only eat so much McDonald's or subway, and after watching Food, Inc, I don't think I can do either again....

After Culver City, I zipped (and when I say Zipped, I actually mean crawled along the highway: welcome to LA where rush hour traffic is EVERY hour!. I don't actually mind. It gave me time to catch up on my Spanish by listening to the local radio) to the Getty Centre. I saw a fantastic exhibition by an artist of whom I had never heard, but who was ahead of his time by mass manufacturing his works of art in nineteenth century France. J-L Gerome was his name. He used photography to inspire and achieve feats of precision in his paintings, especially of Oriental patterns in Turkish architecture. It felt like you were standing in the room, or in the Forum with his subjects. He also made paintings of his sculptures in progress, or vice versa, would sculpt some of the subjects in his paintings to scale and then miniaturize them in bronze and sell them to the rapidly increasing bourgeoisie in France who were looking to adorn their homes with classical sculpture.

The second exhibit I saw was about documentary photographers. I saw the work of Larry Towell, a Canadian who photographed migrant mennonites who settled in Ontario because of falling water tables in Mexico had pushed them off their land. I also saw Lauren Greenfield's Girl Culture photos, which were jarring and sparked much conversation of onlookers about adolescent girl culture and how fast girls grow up today.

The best part about the Getty is not their exhibitions, although they are often unlike anything I ever see elsewhere, but the view of Los Angeles near sunset. The air feels fresh above that mountaintop away from the hustle and flow of the freeway, away from the corporate centre of Downtown on this beautiful, generous oasis of art and architecture.

My energy restored and feeling slightly hungry, I drove to West Hollywood and avoided outgoing traffic to see a silent film and grab a bite. The film was sold out and my persistence of being put on the waiting list early was lucky (successful?) and I got a ticket. I found a hole in the wall pizza joint near Fairfax and struck up conversation with another girl who had also ordered a slice and root beer. She was tickled I invited her to sit at my table and we talked about dating, work, and spirituality. She works as a frame designer and LOVES her job. She told me the most intersting things she ever framed were a piece of a wall on which a mother had traced her child's growth. The contractors had to remove the wall for her. The other thing was a pair of 1920s original posters that someone had found and purchased on E-bay for 500 but which were worth 20-30,000 dollars. Turns out, they guy was pissed off he couldn't get a frame for no more than 100$! I learned a lot goes into framing and was tickled to have the opportunity to learn from my dinner companion.

I have been reading Neill Strauss' The Game. It is a great conversation opener because it looks like a Bible and people are always curious and ask me about it. WHile chatting at the pizza joint, this guy asked me how it was. I thoguht he was talking about the pizza and I said, it was great! Then he said either don't worry or it worked for me (I couldn't make it out), and held up his wedding ring. I realized he wasn't talking about pizza. I laughed and I would have loved to have chatted about his experience, but he was gone before I could invite him to sit down with me and my dinner companion.

The silent movie that night was Metropolis. Usually at the Silent movie theatre on Fairfax there is live musical accompaniment. Last night, however, the pianist was AWOL, so canned music it was. Apparently, in 2008, unseen uncut original footage was found in Buenos Aires. It was promptly restored and was screened in Germany last February. There was much hype, as you can imagine in Tinseltown, to see the uncut version. It was touched beautifully. The story was sort of compelling and if I hadn't been freezing in the theatre I might have stayed to see the second half. I guess I felt like I was missing something that everyone else had gotten. I felt badly that I couldn't relate or appreciate it on a more whole scale. I was also disappointed that the live music wasn't there, too, so maybe I shouldn't beat myself up too much: I had expected one thing and was disappointed. Fair contractual transaction to pull out before I sink more of my limited time.

Today I will check out MOCA and meet up with Gabe, Montica and Jim to see Inception. I am mostly looking forward to the talkback with Montica. As a film major and experienced director, she has so much knowledge to share. I love talking about art and movies post-movie, anyways, and doing it in Movietown is even more enriching when surrounded by people who know what they are talking about. Tomorrow Gabe, Jim and I are going to Venice Beach before Gabe catches his plane back to lovely London.

A relaxing, reflective week in bustling Los Angeles.

Charleston, Charleston, Everybody loves Charleston!

The air is warm and balmy, Palm trees line boulevards populated with whimsically coloured houses, Palmetto bugs (a nicer name for cockroaches) appear frequently (I confess I only saw one, thankfully), and everyone is warm and friendly. The entire town is a historical site, having been built and rebuilt after earthquakes, hurricanes, all nearly to scale to their original 18th and 19th century grandeur. There is a sizable French population in Charleston, too, so I unexpectedly happily chatted with Francophone store and gallery owners.

We spent 2 days in Charleston, SC visiting our friend, Abner Calhoun Witham Jr. (Cali for short), whose family has lived in Charleston for several generations. Charleston was founded in the 17th century as a main trading port to the Caribbean. It is famed for encounters with Blackbeard, Bonnet, sailors, jazz musicians, the slave trade, and its strategic role in the Revolutionary, Civil and Second World Wars.

We were graciously invited to a dinner party the night we arrived after our nine hour drive from D.C. Breakfasts were at Gaulard et Maliclet, aka Fast and French to the locals, where we dined on fresh chocolate or ham/cheese croissants and strong coffee. We wandered the old streets popping into shops, galleries and restored historic sites. We had lunch at the Blind Tiger, a famous former speakeasy. It was transporting to walk through the jazz age, full of flappers, pearls, illegal liquor and dancing. Last night I had my first mint julep with dinner and it was refreshing and divine!

Our day of historic sightseeing was topped off with a drive in a red 1970 convertible volkswagen out to an island for fresh seafood and grits. Delicious and so much fun! Wind in our hair, friends all around - it was like being transported to another era!

Yesterday, we treated ourselves to a day at Folly Beach. We picked up fresh fruits and vegetables on our way and spent the day in the warm salty Atlantic waters. Heaven! After a long nap we dressed up for dinner and wandered around to East Bay st. area for dinner at Magnolia's and followed it up with live Brazilian jazz at the Charleston Grill. Jim and I are having a great time visiting such romantic spots and reconnecting with wonderful friends.

More from the South to come! Stay tuned!

E pluribus unum: Welcome to D.C.

We continue our Constitutional adventure in the capital - Capitol Hill, actually! - in time for Independence Day! Happy early Independence Day to all the Americans I know and love.

D.C. has two initials and one word: Grandeur. I learned that the District of Columbia was formed by George Washington to prevent any single colony or state from feeling favoritism or animosity in response to perceived favoritism. This metropolis is at the forefront of the continuing legacy of independence and is a symbol of freedom to so many, as reflected in its architecture and declarations.

Yesterday, thanks to my friend, Lucas Ballet, we had a guided tour of Capitol Hill given generously by Rosalie Abbott, an intern to Senator Begich of Alaska. We saw the House of Representatives, the old Supreme Court which sat inside the Capitol building for the first fifty years, the Statuary where states donate statues of influential people in their histories. Afterwards, we walked to the White House, napped in front of the Washington Monument, and made the pilgrimage to the Vietnam memorial, the Korea Memorial, the Reflecting Pool and finally, the Lincoln Memorial, which was the most moving. Lincoln's passion to abolish slavery and keep the Union together was a difficult political path to say the least, but one that legally changed this country forever and narrowed the double standard in the interpretation of the Constitution. It was breathtaking to look over at sunset across the reflecting Pool to Capitol Hill. The beauty of the Mall is not the White House - it is dwarfed in comparison to the buildings that represent equal separate powers: Judicial, Executive and Legislative, and by the persistence of memory of the values on which this country is founded as enshrined by the surrounding edifices: Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and Bill of Rights, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. these buildings represent memories about the virtues of representation, the right to representation, the dignity of representation of living and deceased citizens. The Capitol building itself, burned two years after it was completed, represents an unparalleled determination to build a nation.

When in Rome... Our friend and former housemate, Anastasia, recently moved to D.C. and invited us to dance at a free jazz concert in the Mall near the Smithsonian (the Mall is the land that stretches across Capitol hill and the monuments, not a shopping centre!). It was packed and a beautiful evening. Jim and i salsa danced near the band and had a great time. It was a great way to unwind after a very moving day.

After breakfast with our friend and host, Rob Orr, we met up with Anastasia and all of us went to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. There was a Muybridge exhibit of photographs taken in the 19th century and a Chuck Close exhibit of his printmaking and utensils. What a genius! It was a great change of pace and allowed me to soak in the art from a museum that I have heard so much about! We had a late lunch and then our guidebook had a walking tour of Georgetown, which is not close by, so we hopped in the car and toured around the quaintest neighbourhood in the nation's capital! the high street has many shops, but we savoured the architecture, the idiosyncratic mansions and had so much fun spending time with each other. Fondest memories include opera impersonations near a cemetary of a youtube video, Jim,s endless puns and jokes.

We will probably avoid the crowds tomorrow and bid farewell to D.C., a beautiful city of grandeur and grander memories spent in the company of friends.