This will be short.

I’ve been really sick since Thursday. Probably the sickest I’ve ever been since I was a kid.  I actually went over 48 hours without eating anything simply because I had no appetite and literally could not stomach the thought of food.

I think it was just a really bad cold. I had body aches, a very slight fever, a nose that didn’t know whether to be runny or stuffy, and a persistent cough. Now, on Monday night (well, very early Tuesday morning), I’m about 85% better.  I still have a bit of a stuffy nose and I can’t seem to shake this cough, but I have much more energy now and am able to eat again. I really need to; I’ve lost 6 lbs and feel very weak.

I went out this afternoon after staying inside and in bed the past few days. It had been raining and the sky was still crowded with clouds, angry and dark.  But as soon as I stepped outside, I saw a beautiful rainbow right in front of me. It was very fitting, as if some higher force was saying “You made it, welcome back.”

Here are some pics (of course I had to take some) of the rainbow and the storm clouds overpowering the blue sky:

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Roar! I will burn your villages and ravish your women!

The above picture is from my 2007 New Year’s celebration. It was low-key, but I still had a lot of fun.

I’m not one to pay $50+ just to get inside somewhere and then pay $8+ for drinks.  Most bars and restaurants in Los Angeles, even the ones that never do, will have at least a $20 cover on New Year’s Eve. Many require that tickets be bought in advance and/or that you somehow get yourself on their exclusive guestlists.  This is the norm, especially in Hollywood.

I don’t always go out for NYE.  One year, I remember staying in and watching it on TV. Either Jay Leno or Jimmy Kimmel or someone did it live pacific coast time.  With how cold it’s been here (though it’s warming up), I would have been content just staying in this year or hitting a small, no-frills local bar.

However, we have people coming in from out of town to celebrate with us so I figured we should at least try to find something special to do.

I did some research. I wanted a New Year’s celebration that had no cover, or at least, a cover of $20 or less and no velvet rope/guestlist B.S. Not much out there. I wondered if L.A. Live, the new area in downtown Los Angeles that includes the Nokia Theatre and Staples Center, if they would have something going on.  Since its grand holiday launch last month, the media has promoted that area, as the “Times Square of the West.” But methinks that was premature; they don’t seem to be doing anything official for New Year’s Eve. The Stone Temples Pilots have a show at the Nokia and area restaurants and bars are doing their own thing, including the new Lucky Strike bowling alley, but nothing organized like the real Times Square.

So what next?  Well, I looked at a few other sites, rolled my eyes at the outrageous cover charges some clubs were asking ($2500?? c’mon!), and found something pretty cool at the old Vogue Theater:

New Year's Eve 2008 at the old Vogue theater in Hollywood

Live bands? DJ’s? Burlesque show, art displays, and drink specials? Plus the cover is only $15? Score! I can walk to the Vogue from my apartment in about 20 minutes.

But there was a problem.  It seems a bit fancy, as in black tux, and a bit artsy, and in our group of four, I probably would be the only one excited about having to dress up.

So now what? I did a bit more research and found something else, fun and free! New Year’s Eve at Universal Citywalk! There will be two bands, fireworks, and some sort of visual display.  Plus, Citywalk has lots of bars and restaurants we can try our luck with; we’ll have plenty of time after to come back to Hollywood (one subway stop away) and drink away the New Year.

If you’re still looking for something to do in Los Angeles for New Year’s Eve 2008, the following links might help:

L.A. Weekly’s List of NYE 2008 Events

Or you can search Going.com’s database of things going on December 31st in Los Angeles

And remember, if you’re gonna drink, don’t drive, and if you’re still gonna drink and drive, please please make sure that you don’t kill, disfigure, or paralyze anyone else but yourself.

Happy New Year!

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It’s a clear, crisp night. While walking the dogs, I couldn’t help but get distracted by the massive amount of stars overhead. It’s hard to see anything in smog-riddled Los Angeles, but tonight, the night sky was speckled with stars and in the West was a particular bright evening star—Venus!

I went up on the roof deck with my new digital camera (oh, have I mentioned that I got an awesome new digicam for Christmas?) and took a few snapshots. I live in Hollywood, which feels like the suburbs to me compared to Lynn and Boston. Most of Los Angeles doesn’t feel very “urban” so to speak. The city is just so large and spread out; there’s no need for the tall structures and compactness of East Coast cities.

Here’s a few shots of downtown Los Angeles from my vantage point here in Hollywood. It’s about a 15 minute drive away or maybe 8 minutes on the subway stop near me.

Looking Southeast at Downtown Los Angeles

A wider shot of Downtown Los Angeles and South L.A.

Palms trees from my building's courtyard are in the foreground

Click here to see a very large version of the above picture of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline.

The planet Venus shone brightly in the western sky above Hollywood and West Hollywood. I couldn’t help but take a picture of that also:

Venus shining bright despite the city lights in the West

Click here to see a very large version of the above picture of Venus shining in the night sky over Hollywood.

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I didn’t realize it was raining until I heard the distinctive wet swoosh of a car racing by. I walked over and looked out my balcony’s glass door.

Sure enough, it was raining. Street lights and store signs gleamed off the wet payment. It was a light rain, but it was thorough.

I let the vertical blinds fall back together again and lit some candles. I turned on a small table lamp and plugged in the lights on our Christmas tree.  The heat is on and the room is getting warmer with every hum. My feet feel good in my snug slippers.

President Bush declared a state of emergency in New Hampshire and Massachusetts because of severe ice storms. I can barely imagine that, ice storms. The local news here in L.A. make a big deal whenever we get rain. Ha. Right now there are about 800,000 homes in Massachusetts without electricity. Without lights, without heat. It gets very cold there during the winter. Miserable, one might say.

I’m glad to be here, in Hollywood, sitting in my warm apartment, listening to the sound of light rain bounce off my windows. These are our winter “storms” and we’ll soon return to 9 months of summer.

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The Los Angeles subway system, called the Metro, has introduced late night service on its most popular line for the holiday season. [official press release]

Between Friday, November 21st, and Saturday, December 27th, the Metro Red Line, which usually runs until about midnight or so, will run until 3 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.  Sponsored by popular businesses in Los Angeles, this initiative is meant to be good for the environment, good for the travelers, and good for the street.  With holiday parties and events, this time of year usually has a spike in drunk driving.  This is also good for the businesses as a way to get people out late without them having to worry about parking and getting home.

Well, it’s about damn time! I’ve always thought that it was ridiculous that the Metro stopped so early.  If you don’t want people drinking and driving, why would you limit their means of getting home?  Most bars around here close at 2 AM.  At that time of night, the subway is no longer running and most buses either don’t run or run about once an hour.  Lucky for me, I can walk home from my favorite late-night hangouts.

I don’t know if this will make much of a difference in people’s habits.  Many people in L.A. are firmly attached to their cars.  Despite traffic and lack of parking, people seem to prefer driving everywhere.  It’s a status symbol to arrive in a cool vehicle, and I think Los Angeles still has a stigma that public transportation is for those who can’t afford anything else.  Growing up back east, where everyone takes the subway or bus and aren’t embarrassed about it, all I can say to L.A. is “Get over yourselves!”

The Los Angeles Metro system is very good, and is getting better.  Why would you want to put up with traffic, gas, and the hell that is finding a parking spot when you can take the subway?  Plus, you don’t have to worry about watching your alcohol consumption because you’ll have to drive home later.

I take the Metro almost every single day.  I’m 2 blocks from a stop, and my work is about a 10 minute walk from another stop.  It takes me about 25 minutes to get to work, and during that time I can listen to music or read a book. I have happily relied on the Metro system (back when it was called the MTA) since I moved to Los Angeles from Boston 8 years ago.  While I do wish it ran later and extended further West, it is still a pretty good system.  One-way fare is only $1.25 and the convenient all-day pass is $5, which is good on both Metro buses and subway rides.  Fortunately for me, my employer provides me with a monthly pass.

The Los Angeles Metro Red Line, from my own personal experience, has been pretty reliable and clean.  It runs from Union Station in downtown L.A. to North Hollywood in the Valley.  In between, it has various stops at Universal City, Hollywood, Los Feliz, Miracle Mile, and more.  There’s other lines, such as the Pasadena-serving Gold Line, the Valley’s Orange Line, and the Blue Line which goes down to Long Beach, but I’ve had the most experience with the Red Line.

I hope that because of this special holiday extension, more people in Los Angeles will give the Metro system a try.  It really would be better for our environment and keep our streets safer this holiday season!

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Smoke Layer

There’s at least 3 wildfires burning near L.A. right now. The news seems to be covering it 24/7. A lot of homes have burned to the ground. It’s not near Hollywood, but the vast size of the fires and the heavy winds have filled the city air with smoke and the scent of burning wood.

The picture above was taken on my roof, looking east.

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