Here's a link of my latest uploaded photos
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151259941021303.520754.652111302&type=1
Moved into a house yesterday sharing with two guys, Randy & David. It's a really nice spot in the Hollywood Hills about 7-10 mins walk from the metro train link for Universal City. Went for an explore of the local area yesterday and ended up going to Universal City Walk being a tourist. After the month I have had seeing the nitty gritty LA and many other spots besides, being in this neat controlled 'film set' location, seemed fine but a little limited! Was going to go to gym in West Hollywood but after a walk along Ventura Blvd, a visit to Walgreens, getting my bag full of purchases, then going up to Universal City, I felt ready to return to my new habitat which I did after a schlepp up to the local Ralphs. Got back about 7pm and watched a dvd before a great night's sleep.
More soon...
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Photos of my trip to LA
Rather than publish them all in my blog, here is a link to facebook which wiil allow you to see photos I have uploaded to there.
Latest ones for October are:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151259941021303.520754.652111302&type=1
September photos can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151238955761303.516726.652111302&type=3
Latest ones for October are:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151259941021303.520754.652111302&type=1
September photos can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151238955761303.516726.652111302&type=3
Had to check out of the hotel I had been in for the past 3
weeks: some strange rule about having to be away for 24 hours. My good friend
Warren who has a lovely home up near the Hollywood Hills with his partner, took
pity on me! And let me stay for the night. Today I have checked back in for
another week with a slightly nicer room. It is primarily just a place to sleep,
as the place has been so hot with no air con & the very hot weather of
late, that the best idea is to go out by 11am, find somewhere cool to spend the
day, maybe drop back in briefly before going out again, and then return between
10pm & midnight to sleep. I have been spending a lot of my days at
Starbucks doing things on my computer, updating my website, writing my blog, I
currently have a one week trial with a company that provides addresses, mainly
emails for movie people (actors, producers, directors, writers etc) or their
agents. So this week I will take full advantage of that & cancel before the
$30 a month option kicks in. It really has been too hot most days to do much
exploring. Walking in the heat to get somewhere is ok, but the sun has been
strong and the air hot, so hanging out outdoors is not something to pursue.
With all these changes from being in hot rooms and outside
with the heat, to being in cold air conditioned rooms, I have developed a bit
of a cold and in the last day it has turned into laryngitis. Having breakfast
with Warren this morning was a bit of a challenge as it is normal to chat while
eating with someone else, but now that I am on my own working on my computer in
the library, I am getting to do what I really need to do at the moment and that
is not speak. I feel pretty ok, but talking is hard work, so if I rest my voice
all will be fine in a day or two.
Yesterday after Warren collected me & I deposited my
things at his place, we took his lovely dog, Chester, which is a chocolate lab
for a walk in the local neighbourhood. Then we had a drink in his garden before
going off to have lunch. He had to work & I headed to Starbucks in Los
Feliz where I did a few things. Headed down to Wilshire Blvd to The Academy
Awards building where there was a special screening of ‘Bride of Frankenstein’
and the original ‘Dracula’. http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2012/10/horror.html
There were many big names in the reserved seating area, and the guy I was
sitting next to said he had done the soundtrack to 'Seven". Have just
googled that, and he didn’t look like Howard Stern! lol! There are so many
people who I find tell you things that may stretch the truth a tad in this
town!
And getting back to Warren’s place last night… what a
journey… at least an hour wait for the first bus and then 25 mins for the next
bus. The films finished at 10.30pm and I got back to my his house at 1am and
that also included a rollercoaster ride through the Hollywood Hills from
Hollywood Blvd, as the taxi driver couldn’t find the ave I had asked for. All experiences
for the movie… J
But at least accommodation is sorted for the next week. I am
learning how to function around the troubled people on the streets and where to
give space. There aren't many people in LA who travel on buses, can hang out at
an academy awards event, drink coffee at Starbucks in Beverly Hills & sleep
at a budget hotel in Hollywood. In fact out of 12 million, I am probably the
only one!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Been a few days since my last entry in my blog. There have been a few challenges to deal with, being in LA without a car & staying in a cheap hotel in Hollywood. As Joni Mitchell sang, 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone'. For example getting a bus in Sydney may involve a bit of a wait sometimes, but I have waited an hour here in LA. When buses come sometimes, they are so full, they won't pick you up. A good proportion of the people who ride the buses, are doing life very tough. There will be a good few of them that are homeless, with filthy clothes and mental health issues. Waiting for a bus is equally testing too, as the streets are so filthy. and bus shelters are homes for many.
It hasn't rained in LA for months as it is a desert kind of climate, with very hot days continuing. But the reasons can't be explained that innocently as just the weather. The fact is that LA is a huge city with it's own proportion of poor people and people with psychological problems, plus it probably draws on people from the rest of the country and even around the world. I suspect that desires to be a movie star or any other kind of artist requires people to be a little if not a lot eccentric. Add to this an economy in free fall, and a culture which has always promoted individuality and this town is a mess.
I have been trying to find somewhere to stay other than this cheap hotel, and it is quite a challenge. Any place that offers short term rental, which is what I am looking for, that doesn't charge really high fees, ends up being a location for many people on the edge. There are things I have seen here during my stay, that at this point I won't repeat on my blog, but suffice to say, many people & situations are on the edge.
For me, it has been testing, but I feel pleased that I am taking it in my stride and figuring out solutions to situations that many others would get very stressed by.
Joining a gym in West Hollywood without living there and having a car, has meant some fairly long journeys there by bus, but the gain is getting to spend sometime in a cleaner part of LA, and the gym is clean with nice air conditioning and a decent sized pool outside with sauna & steam room as well. There is lots of equipment to choose from too. I haven't been for a day or two though , as I have had a bit of a cold, probably caused by all the temperature changes from really hot outside, to being in places with really cold air/con.
Another thing that I have done which is making things work well, is hanging out at Starbucks with my computer on the really hot days. My room are kind of unbearable on the really hot days, and my computer gets hot too, so heading to a cooler spot is definitely a good idea. I can get things done on the computer when I am not focused on dealing with the heat!
One of the weirdest things about LA is probably the distances. In Sydney often there are choices between walking or busing, but here in LA, there really is no decision: the distances are so big. You almost need a car to go from one shop to another. The problem with this is that where as in Sydney, it is easy to pop from shop to shop as they are all kind of small, with LA, most shops are so big, that only a couple fit in a block. It is unusual to see more than 5 different businesses in the same location.
Then there is the mess. Outside every shop will be grimy pavements, rubbish bins filled, other rubbish lying on the ground. I have yet to see a rat or mouse in LA which surprises me cos there is so much mess. Do the homeless people eat them or is it too hot for them to survive? So waiting for a bus is the only option, if you don't own a car.
Anyway hope this isn't a big complaint: all this is making me appreciate what AU/NZ has.
Having said all that though, LA has modern history. I love the buildings and so many are pockets of cinema history. Who lived where in the 1920s or 1930s etc? That's the charm. I guess LA was created as cars were already in existence & having large areas was a symbol of success. But to me it is great to shrink things down and have things close to each other cos then there can be a sense of community.
Saturday night I managed to score a $30 ticket to an 80s concert up at The Hollywood Bowl where The Go Gos & Psychedelic Fur were performing. That was pretty cool. A great location & not too far from where I am staying on Whitley Ave.
On Friday & today I saw films at The Cinerama Dome which is celebrating 60 years of Cinerama: it was the forerunner technology to 3D using 3 films recording simultaneously to create a 3D effect.
It hasn't rained in LA for months as it is a desert kind of climate, with very hot days continuing. But the reasons can't be explained that innocently as just the weather. The fact is that LA is a huge city with it's own proportion of poor people and people with psychological problems, plus it probably draws on people from the rest of the country and even around the world. I suspect that desires to be a movie star or any other kind of artist requires people to be a little if not a lot eccentric. Add to this an economy in free fall, and a culture which has always promoted individuality and this town is a mess.
I have been trying to find somewhere to stay other than this cheap hotel, and it is quite a challenge. Any place that offers short term rental, which is what I am looking for, that doesn't charge really high fees, ends up being a location for many people on the edge. There are things I have seen here during my stay, that at this point I won't repeat on my blog, but suffice to say, many people & situations are on the edge.
For me, it has been testing, but I feel pleased that I am taking it in my stride and figuring out solutions to situations that many others would get very stressed by.
Joining a gym in West Hollywood without living there and having a car, has meant some fairly long journeys there by bus, but the gain is getting to spend sometime in a cleaner part of LA, and the gym is clean with nice air conditioning and a decent sized pool outside with sauna & steam room as well. There is lots of equipment to choose from too. I haven't been for a day or two though , as I have had a bit of a cold, probably caused by all the temperature changes from really hot outside, to being in places with really cold air/con.
Another thing that I have done which is making things work well, is hanging out at Starbucks with my computer on the really hot days. My room are kind of unbearable on the really hot days, and my computer gets hot too, so heading to a cooler spot is definitely a good idea. I can get things done on the computer when I am not focused on dealing with the heat!
One of the weirdest things about LA is probably the distances. In Sydney often there are choices between walking or busing, but here in LA, there really is no decision: the distances are so big. You almost need a car to go from one shop to another. The problem with this is that where as in Sydney, it is easy to pop from shop to shop as they are all kind of small, with LA, most shops are so big, that only a couple fit in a block. It is unusual to see more than 5 different businesses in the same location.
Then there is the mess. Outside every shop will be grimy pavements, rubbish bins filled, other rubbish lying on the ground. I have yet to see a rat or mouse in LA which surprises me cos there is so much mess. Do the homeless people eat them or is it too hot for them to survive? So waiting for a bus is the only option, if you don't own a car.
Anyway hope this isn't a big complaint: all this is making me appreciate what AU/NZ has.
Having said all that though, LA has modern history. I love the buildings and so many are pockets of cinema history. Who lived where in the 1920s or 1930s etc? That's the charm. I guess LA was created as cars were already in existence & having large areas was a symbol of success. But to me it is great to shrink things down and have things close to each other cos then there can be a sense of community.
Saturday night I managed to score a $30 ticket to an 80s concert up at The Hollywood Bowl where The Go Gos & Psychedelic Fur were performing. That was pretty cool. A great location & not too far from where I am staying on Whitley Ave.
On Friday & today I saw films at The Cinerama Dome which is celebrating 60 years of Cinerama: it was the forerunner technology to 3D using 3 films recording simultaneously to create a 3D effect.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Went exploring parts of LA today, first on the train up to North Hollywood, then Universal City, and once again instead of coming up to a shopping centre or park or something interesting, instead it was just this big area of concreted area with very little shade (and today has been hot again). I am increasingly appreciating the places familiar to me in NZ & Australia where a cacophony of different shops & other things are within walking distance of each other. Not that here. On the corner of yet another very wide road or street will be 5 shops with no logic: one might be a starbucks but it could be a tyre repair centre or a giant pharmacy store. it's such a mish mash.
So given that I didn't want to walk a mile for the possibility (or not) of some nice shops, I left that area, and then headed downtown. I went to the library briefly then decided to have lunch at the Grand Central Market. Not as grand as Paddy's Market in Sydney and nothing like the amazing markets of Melbourne. The LA one is an institution but is not that big- probably 30 or 40 stands but a nice mix of foods including some Mexican stuff. I went for an Asian sweet & sour chow mein and pretty good value for about $5.50. After this I walked up Broadway, caught a bus, up to the legal area. The prospect of walking in the heat another mile just to get back to Broadway did not appeal, so I chanced a bus and traveled along Pico Blvd. Got off near Vermont Ave and have now come back to my familiar Vermont/Prospect/ Hollywood intersection Starbucks in Los Feliz. It is now later in the day, so the internet seems to be working faster than yesterday.
Strange thing I just spotted online about a murder in Hollywood as I was on my AU Yahoo account with a world news feed attached. And there's me thinking I'm in Hollywood! So I start reading and the murder by an actor & then his own death actually took place here in this area, Los Feliz! Yesterday...
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/14982446/actor-found-dead-in-hollywood-murder-mystery/
So given that I didn't want to walk a mile for the possibility (or not) of some nice shops, I left that area, and then headed downtown. I went to the library briefly then decided to have lunch at the Grand Central Market. Not as grand as Paddy's Market in Sydney and nothing like the amazing markets of Melbourne. The LA one is an institution but is not that big- probably 30 or 40 stands but a nice mix of foods including some Mexican stuff. I went for an Asian sweet & sour chow mein and pretty good value for about $5.50. After this I walked up Broadway, caught a bus, up to the legal area. The prospect of walking in the heat another mile just to get back to Broadway did not appeal, so I chanced a bus and traveled along Pico Blvd. Got off near Vermont Ave and have now come back to my familiar Vermont/Prospect/ Hollywood intersection Starbucks in Los Feliz. It is now later in the day, so the internet seems to be working faster than yesterday.
Strange thing I just spotted online about a murder in Hollywood as I was on my AU Yahoo account with a world news feed attached. And there's me thinking I'm in Hollywood! So I start reading and the murder by an actor & then his own death actually took place here in this area, Los Feliz! Yesterday...
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/14982446/actor-found-dead-in-hollywood-murder-mystery/
Monday, September 24, 2012
Here is the link for my updated website again...
http://members.tripod.com/graham_a_harvey/pgc/
Please feel free to make comments on how you think the site might be improved. I suspect a section more focused on actions or proposed meet ups to get people discussing issues and how they make their projects meaningful, might be a good addition. anyway, your ideas & thoughts are welcome...
http://members.tripod.com/graham_a_harvey/pgc/
Please feel free to make comments on how you think the site might be improved. I suspect a section more focused on actions or proposed meet ups to get people discussing issues and how they make their projects meaningful, might be a good addition. anyway, your ideas & thoughts are welcome...
Roseanne Barr is running for President... lol!
anyhoo I discovered too late on Saturday night, that she was speaking out at Santa Monica. I would have liked to have heard her. So this morning I am googling her details & find she is speaking tonight in West Hollywood at a cafe, almost right next to the gym I go to!
Salman Rushdie was speaking at the downtown public library, at midday today, but I left it too late to go...
Madonna is performing in LA in a week or two: tickets start at $49: I might go. Tickets for Barbra Streisand start at $150 and go up to about $6000 at The Hollywood Bowl- also in a couple of weeks.
Yesterday while working on my computer at Starbucks in Beverly Hills, I got talking to the person next to me & it turned out she is a documentary producer, and we had a very useful conversation about strategies to educate an audience while blending it as an entertaining process...
anyhoo I discovered too late on Saturday night, that she was speaking out at Santa Monica. I would have liked to have heard her. So this morning I am googling her details & find she is speaking tonight in West Hollywood at a cafe, almost right next to the gym I go to!
Salman Rushdie was speaking at the downtown public library, at midday today, but I left it too late to go...
Madonna is performing in LA in a week or two: tickets start at $49: I might go. Tickets for Barbra Streisand start at $150 and go up to about $6000 at The Hollywood Bowl- also in a couple of weeks.
Yesterday while working on my computer at Starbucks in Beverly Hills, I got talking to the person next to me & it turned out she is a documentary producer, and we had a very useful conversation about strategies to educate an audience while blending it as an entertaining process...
This morning I have been figuring out what link is the right one for people to actually read my blog & not get some link that doesn't work.
I think I got it right now & so have sent a new link to everyone in my email address list.
It is turning into another hot day in LA and I don't know why I didn't think of it before but the morning is a good time to work in my room where I am staying before the day heats it all up. I had read someone's critical review of where I am staying & they said, "it doesn't even have a table" and I was thinking how that was true & then last night I thought, actually there is a medium sized bed side cabinet on wheels, so I rolled it over next to the chair, with the fan blasting on me & I am set! So last night I did some typing & internet stuff on my laptop & again this morning too.
I think I got it right now & so have sent a new link to everyone in my email address list.
It is turning into another hot day in LA and I don't know why I didn't think of it before but the morning is a good time to work in my room where I am staying before the day heats it all up. I had read someone's critical review of where I am staying & they said, "it doesn't even have a table" and I was thinking how that was true & then last night I thought, actually there is a medium sized bed side cabinet on wheels, so I rolled it over next to the chair, with the fan blasting on me & I am set! So last night I did some typing & internet stuff on my laptop & again this morning too.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151238955761303.516726.652111302&type=3
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Here are my pics so far as I have been travelling around Hollywood & LA
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A Catch up... so far...
Here are some posts that I was going to add previously, but had been busy working on my webpages, so bear in mind that they were written 10-12 days ago, but still are a good record of my 'visit' to LA...
September 11th 2012
9am
Safely arrived in LA. A long flight but all ok. Great to be back in Hollywood... very hot & humid but also wonderful too. Found a reasonable room on Whitley Ave, close to lots of stuff... It's 4.30m where I have just come from in Sydney and 11.30 am the day before where I am now!!!
9pm
Now up to my 35th hour of this day Tuesday September 11th. After arriving in LA about midnight Sydney time, it was back to 6am of the day all over again. Found a cheapish room in Hollywood that I had spotted last visit to LA 2009. $180 for a week. Thought it had aircon but only a heater! and today has been very warm. Came back to find my room was a mild oven. cold wet towels for now. This morning went out to Starbucks, had a coffee, got a monthly bus pass, went & had lunch at Subway, picked up some food, have been hunting for US sim card for my phone - haven't spotted any good options for 3 months low use option. Joined 24 hour fitness gym West Hollywood and a had a short workout and a nice swim. Nice to be seeing all the familiar sights and there is also a lot of poverty here, but also the place inspires my desire to create & write...
September 12th 2012
It is 5am and I have woken; I have slept for 5 hours so that is a good start for catching up on sleep and at the local time too :-) Still dark outside but things are a bit cooler... time for a lovely blueberry bagel and then maybe tromp down to Starbucks soon for a coffee...
11pm
Had a great day. Spent about 2-3 hours at Starbucks on Vermont Ave where Hollywood Blvd begins writing up my journal, keeping nice & cool and chatting about entertainment ideas with two other coffee drinkers. Still searching for a fan! Then onto the gym in West Hollywood with a bit of exercise and a lovely swim. On my way back to accommodation I spotted a giant organic supermarket called Wholefoods with a great deli- dinner sorted :-)
About 15th September
What a hot day in LA but I managed to stay cool for most of it hanging out at Macdonalds & then Starbucks working on my computer. In between my hunt continued for a fan for my budget non a/c hotel room in Hollywood. I have been everywhere Target, KMart, Bed Bath & Beyond all kinds of places. This afternoon on my way to Sears in downtown I was approached by two lost Iranian guys. I gave them a few tips, bumped into them again ten mins later, and ten mins later found a shop that sold fans and the owner was.... Iranian! synchronicity :-)
Since arriving in LA 12 days ago, I have been to a few spots around the city but it has actually been too hot to do much travelling on foot. I have been using buses to get around which is not ideal as it is a sporadic service and many streets that you wait for buses on are messy and filled with homeless people. I have also been staying in a cheap hotel just off Hollywood Blvd which is ok in the sense that it is affordable but it is pretty untidy and a very uninspiring area to stay in. The funny thing about Hollywood is that it has all these amazing buildings & locations of rich modern history, but the area is really trashy and negative. Consequently I have been avoiding the heat & mess by spending hours literally at Starbucks in Los Feliz. On the streets are homeless people, but inside Starbucks, nice and cool and clean and good WiFi too. Getting to the entertainment capital has inspired me to sit down and go through my website and think more about why I started Progressive Global Communication and how I might earn an income from my interest in promoting ideas of inspiration and raising awareness in different entertainment projects. There are many people here in LA who are interested in entertainment in one form or another, and many working in the field. I think my interest is fairly unique as it is not primarily about creating a project or aiming to make $, but rather getting conversations going about how we can create projects that will be entertaining but also uplifting for individuals & the world as a whole. If nothing much comes of it, no problemo. At least I have given it a shot and got into something that inspires me...
23rd September
Sitting at Beverly Hills Library for a meet up for writers... for me it has been about getting active with editing & updating my website with ideas about how entertainment can more be inspiring and helping improve awareness and improvements in our own lives and that of others
September 11th 2012
9am
Safely arrived in LA. A long flight but all ok. Great to be back in Hollywood... very hot & humid but also wonderful too. Found a reasonable room on Whitley Ave, close to lots of stuff... It's 4.30m where I have just come from in Sydney and 11.30 am the day before where I am now!!!
9pm
Now up to my 35th hour of this day Tuesday September 11th. After arriving in LA about midnight Sydney time, it was back to 6am of the day all over again. Found a cheapish room in Hollywood that I had spotted last visit to LA 2009. $180 for a week. Thought it had aircon but only a heater! and today has been very warm. Came back to find my room was a mild oven. cold wet towels for now. This morning went out to Starbucks, had a coffee, got a monthly bus pass, went & had lunch at Subway, picked up some food, have been hunting for US sim card for my phone - haven't spotted any good options for 3 months low use option. Joined 24 hour fitness gym West Hollywood and a had a short workout and a nice swim. Nice to be seeing all the familiar sights and there is also a lot of poverty here, but also the place inspires my desire to create & write...
September 12th 2012
It is 5am and I have woken; I have slept for 5 hours so that is a good start for catching up on sleep and at the local time too :-) Still dark outside but things are a bit cooler... time for a lovely blueberry bagel and then maybe tromp down to Starbucks soon for a coffee...
11pm
Had a great day. Spent about 2-3 hours at Starbucks on Vermont Ave where Hollywood Blvd begins writing up my journal, keeping nice & cool and chatting about entertainment ideas with two other coffee drinkers. Still searching for a fan! Then onto the gym in West Hollywood with a bit of exercise and a lovely swim. On my way back to accommodation I spotted a giant organic supermarket called Wholefoods with a great deli- dinner sorted :-)
About 15th September
What a hot day in LA but I managed to stay cool for most of it hanging out at Macdonalds & then Starbucks working on my computer. In between my hunt continued for a fan for my budget non a/c hotel room in Hollywood. I have been everywhere Target, KMart, Bed Bath & Beyond all kinds of places. This afternoon on my way to Sears in downtown I was approached by two lost Iranian guys. I gave them a few tips, bumped into them again ten mins later, and ten mins later found a shop that sold fans and the owner was.... Iranian! synchronicity :-)
Since arriving in LA 12 days ago, I have been to a few spots around the city but it has actually been too hot to do much travelling on foot. I have been using buses to get around which is not ideal as it is a sporadic service and many streets that you wait for buses on are messy and filled with homeless people. I have also been staying in a cheap hotel just off Hollywood Blvd which is ok in the sense that it is affordable but it is pretty untidy and a very uninspiring area to stay in. The funny thing about Hollywood is that it has all these amazing buildings & locations of rich modern history, but the area is really trashy and negative. Consequently I have been avoiding the heat & mess by spending hours literally at Starbucks in Los Feliz. On the streets are homeless people, but inside Starbucks, nice and cool and clean and good WiFi too. Getting to the entertainment capital has inspired me to sit down and go through my website and think more about why I started Progressive Global Communication and how I might earn an income from my interest in promoting ideas of inspiration and raising awareness in different entertainment projects. There are many people here in LA who are interested in entertainment in one form or another, and many working in the field. I think my interest is fairly unique as it is not primarily about creating a project or aiming to make $, but rather getting conversations going about how we can create projects that will be entertaining but also uplifting for individuals & the world as a whole. If nothing much comes of it, no problemo. At least I have given it a shot and got into something that inspires me...
23rd September
Sitting at Beverly Hills Library for a meet up for writers... for me it has been about getting active with editing & updating my website with ideas about how entertainment can more be inspiring and helping improve awareness and improvements in our own lives and that of others
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