Grease is the Word

It’s almost too embarrassing to admit, but I had never seen the movie Grease until last night’s 4^th annual sing-along event at the Hollywood Bowl. Judging by the crowd, I was one of the last people in L.A. to see the film. At least a third of the nearly 18,000 attendees dressed as characters from the movie. My favorites were the pink-haired ladies at the end of our row and a trio of fans, who arrived just before the show started, dressed as John Travolta and two beauty salon gals with hair-curlers piled high. They were fun, but made no sense to me until the musical number “Beauty School Dropout,” during which the hair-curler gals—actually a man and a woman—stood-up and danced, much to the delight of everyone in our section.

 Pink-haired ladies a la "Frenchie"

The backside of the faux Travolta and hair-curler gals

I must say I was dubious when Tim picked Grease as one of our Hollywood Bowl concerts this year. But like everyone else there, I ended up having a blast. Retro rockers Sha Na Na, who also appear in the film, got the audience in the mood by playing tunes from the ‘50s, while we waited for the sun to set. Didi Conn (“Frenchie”) was the M.C. As soon as it was dark enough, the movie began to roll and everyone around me started to sing, including my husband, who sang even the “girl” parts! I was surprised to find that I, too, knew a lot of the songs. 

Plus the event was highly interactive, even if you didn’t know the story. We were each given a bag of goodies to wave during certain parts of the film: pom-poms for the football pep rally scene, a yellow hankie during the car race, a comb to slick back our greasy hair, etc. Two guys behind us had memorized the dialogue and so yelled out key lines. It was a hoot.

I certainly don’t need to see Grease again, but last night was lots of fun. Highly recommended for anyone who loves John Travolta, Olivia Newton John or 1950s-style teen musicals.

From One Extreme to the Other

The San Francisco Bridge from AT&T Park

After driving home from Las Vegas (see below), we spent one day recuperating at home before hopping a plane to San Francisco for a couple of days. We stayed at my new favorite SF hotel, the Serrano—old world charm, located just five blocks from the Powell St. BART and Muni station. We took mass transit everywhere—always a nice change for us car-addicted Angelenos.

The Serrano lobby

Our first stop was AT&T Park to see a Giants game. Growing up in L.A., I never liked the Giants, the Dodgers' national league rivals. Still, even I have to admit that their stadium, built in 2000, is spectacular and may indeed have the most beautiful ballpark setting in the country, as the Giants claim. But it was cold, especially after the oppressive heat of Las Vegas. Quite a difference in temperatures as well as cultures, if one can say that Vegas has any culture.

Bundled up to watch baseball—note my red wool scarf

peeking out from under my sweatshirt!

The view of AT&T centerfield from our seats

The next morning, we decided to see the recently renovated Coit Tower, which sits atop Telegraph Hill in North Beach. Completed in 1933, the landmark tower houses an array of Depression-era murals commissioned as part of the Public Works of Art Project in the 1930s. To get there, we caught an old Italian trolley car on Market St. and took it to Greenwich St., off of Embarcadero, before then climbing some 400 steps (!) to Coit Tower. The views were worth it, as we panted up more than 400 feet to the summit. But, damn, what a hike for our poor old legs! Next time we'll take a bus.

Our ride to Embarcadero

Beware, all who enter here!

Our destination—so close, yet so far

The first of many flights—that's me 
grimacing in the lower righthand corner

Up and up we go—at least it was mostly shady 

The magnificent view along the way

Coit Tower, at last

A statue of Columbus overlooking the Bay

The back of the tower

The murals depicting life in Depression-era California

Mural detail

My favorite panels: The Library—shelving books

Marxist headlines in the library: "Hoover Aid Fights Airmail 
Fraud," "Destruction of [Diego] Rivera's Fresco at 
Rockfeller Center," "Thousands Slaughtered in Austria"

We did take the free bus, a few hours later, to the Presidio, where we visited the Disney Family Museum, which I saw and loved the last time I was in SF. Coincidentally, the Presidio was also the site of Off the Grid, a weekly family picnic event that features food trucks (one of our favorite things!), 5-9PM every Thursday night. I knew Bacon Bacon from a previous trip to SF and so made a beeline straight for their scrumptious BLT sandwich. We then jumped on the bus and the Muni subway back to the hotel and quickly fell asleep. We were back home the next day—July 4th—well before fireworks and BBQ.

Early Off the Grid crowd

Massive BLT—YUM!!

July 4th: Waiting for the 7AM shuttle to SFO

ALA in Las Vegas

Old Las Vegas: Beef, Booze and Broads

The big annual American Library Association conference was held in Las Vegas last weekend. Neither of us is all that fond of Vegas, especially in the summer. But we couldn’t resist the lure of seeing 20,000 librarians descend upon Sin City. “Stereotypes will be shattered!” I insisted.

Well, we really didn’t see too many librarians going wild playing blackjack or letting their hair down at casino shows. For one thing, the conference was far too spread-out. Most events took place at the convention center, which was miles from The Strip. Plus it was too damn hot to go anywhere without a car. Librarians are all about walking, if it means saving a few bucks on cab fare. But when evening temperatures hover around 100 degrees, not even the most diehard gamblers feel much like leaving their hotels.

We drove to Vegas (5 hours from L.A.) and so were able to escape the conference a bit to explore the old downtown area, now known as the Fremont Street Experience. Still promising “BEEF•BOOZE•BROADS” and “LOOSE $ SLOTS,” the once glamorous casinos of Fremont Street are now covered by a protective roof that seems to attract more homeless people than tourists. Though apparently spectacular at night, the famous neon signs of yore are truly sad by day. 

Fremont Street Experience in daylight

Howdy, Pardner: Vegas Vic

Easy money!

Fallout shelter sign: reminder of past nuclear 
activity in the nearby Nevada desert

While there, we had a tasty if overly filling breakfast at Du-pars, an L.A. staple that now occupies the old Bay City Café space in the Golden Gate casino. I could easily picture my parents eating here after a long night of feeding the slot machines at the nearby 4 Queens and Golden Nugget casinos.

Always open, like Vegas

Old-school Vegas diner

Old-school breakfast: lots of carbs and bacon—YUM!

We also visited the Mob Museum, housed in the former post office and courts building located just two blocks from Fremont. Not only does it chronicle the history of the Mafia and other gangster organizations, the Museum also touches on the early days of Las Vegas, when it was nothing more than a desert waystation between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Everything from the Rat Pack to the infamous wall (complete with bulletholes!) from the 1920s St. Valentine’s Day massacre to one of Tony Soprano’s outfits is displayed. Plan on spending at least half a day, if you go. Lots of fun and highly recommended!

Mob Museum

One-armed bandit and assorted early Vegas memorabilia

No trip to Vegas is complete without seeing at least one show, so we did Cirque du Soleil’s Love (again—my third time). We also ate dinner at Pamplemousse, a French bistro rumored to have been inspired by one of our favorite singers, Bobby Darin. The food was delicious, but we recommend not eating all day if you’re going to order the five-course meal.

I was going to attend one last conference session, Monday morning, but when we heard the temperature was expected to reach 110 degrees, we packed our gear and left town by 9AM. Good to be home!

One of the best things about Las Vegas: the monorail—

it ain't cheap, but at least it's air-conditioned—we got a 3-day pass