The Rachels do LA

Locals, I want to apologize for this unseasonably warm weather we've been having. You see, Rachel came into town and I was wanting to show off this fine city but we've been having a bit of the old marine layer which makes everything hazy. So I prayed really hard for it to clear up and for us to have gorgeous sunshiny views. And in order for that to happen we needed warm winds to blow. So that's on me. But we're cooling down today and I have started to pray really hard for rain. Like, a month of it.

I decided to take Rachel to downtown, because I feel that when people come to LA they rarely make it there. I totally get the lure of the beach but downtown has so many gems. At the very least it's where you get the best taquitos. So we started with that at Olvera Street. Rachel eschewed the guacamolito sauce due to her aversion to avocados, but then tried some of mine and saw the light. Fortunately, they always leave your taquitos swimming in it so there was plenty to share. But let this be a lesson to you all, always get the sauce. (Also, I think it's more tomatillo than avocado. Don't be afraid is all I'm saying.) From there we made our way on foot to various points across the city, most of which I had never seen. Don't you just love discovering new things in familiar places? Like the observation deck of City Hall. Did you know that during business hours you can go up to the 27th floor for some spectacular views of the city? We went to the LA Times Building, another place I've never been, and saw a really cool Linotype machine. In trying to figure out exactly how a Linotype machine works I discovered that there is a documentary called, "Linotype, the Film" which I somehow need to get my hands on. It looks totally fascinating. That machine is a work of art.

Next we sampled cheese at Grand Central Market, discovered that Angels Flight is closed AGAIN which stymied our plans to go up to the Music Center because I'm telling you, those stairs up Bunker Hill would have killed us. So we instead walked over to the Biltmore and lounged in their elegant lobby, and then over to the Central Library, home of my new Favorite Room in Los Angeles.

This picture is doing a sad job of conveying the magic but you should have a visual.

You guys, this room, THIS ROOM, is the children's room and it is glorious. Oh, it is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. At one point I sat down in a very comfy chair that was short enough for my feet to fully reach the floor, and I turned to my right and there was a rack filled with beloved children's fiction, like Anne of Green Gables and The Phantom Tollbooth and A Wrinkle in Time and I decided right then and there that I want to be buried there. Why am I just discovering this now? Nearly 40 years of living here and just now I see it. I have a lot of time to make up. I'm going to be back in downtown on Saturday and I'm seriously considering a pop-in.

We did a bunch of other things, most notably we ate both Burt and Rocky's ice cream and Neveux's ice cream. For science, guys. For science!

And the whole time we talked and talked and talked. Rachel and I have always had an incredibly easy friendship. Plus, she's up for anything. It was an absolute joy having you, Rac. Come back soon! That goes for all of you. I know a nice room we can sit quietly in.