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/

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...

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...

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.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151238955761303.516726.652111302&type=3

Here are my pics so far as I have been travelling around Hollywood & LA

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

Here's the link for my website...
http://members.tripod.com/graham_a_harvey/pgc/

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