It's Good to be with Family - Part 2

Missed Part 1?  Catch up here.

When last I blogged, Jim and Leigh made it safe and sound to the west coast, and we'd spent most of Saturday taking them on a tour of the LBC, having a big night out in our immediate neighborhood of Bixby Knolls.

Although we all planned to sleep in, Chris and I were wide awake around 5:30, so after attempting to stay quiet for a bit, we wandered down the road to our local, independent coffee shop (on the way, giving the side eye to our closer Starbucks - it's quite possibly the worst Starbucks in the entire world) where we enjoyed some morning beverages and breakfast sammies on croissants.  Fortified, and at a much more reasonable time, we returned home to find Jim and Leigh awake and starting to get up and moving.

We all hung around for a bit longer, handling some meal prep for later in the week, and eventually, we got cleaned up and hopped into the car to head north.  One of the requested itinerary items for this visit was a trip to Hollywood to see the stars and whatnot, and we planned things out so Chris and I could use a Travelzoo voucher we'd recently purchased for a brunch in the area; we don't get to Hollywood that often, so it was a perfect fit!

On the way there, Leigh ensured the camera settings were ready to go:

I know this is not the most exciting picture

with which to start the blog,

but it is accurate in showing that,

if you come visit us, you will

likely spend a decent amount of time in a car

on an LA freeway.

Car selfie!

The day was going to be warm, and since our lunch reservation at Yamashiro wasn't until 12:30, we planned to park the car and stroll around Hollywood Boulevard first, checking out the Walk of Fame and Chinese Theater on our way to eat.

Welcome to Hollywood!

Earlier in the week,

someone took a pick axe to Donald Trump's

star on the Walk,

and we were able to see it as it currently stood.

Be sure to check out the girlies

on the left of the shot,

giving a thumbs-up in their selfie.

Stars for Nat King Cole

and Walt Disney

The Chinese Theater has been named so

many things over the years,

but I'm always glad they left up

the original signage.

Most of the Chinese Theater's famous courtyard was roped off, as an event was either about to happen or just concluded, but we still got some shots:

Some of the famous foot and handprints

No railing will stop me!

That's Steven Spielberg on the right there.

It was getting pretty toasty and we were hungry, so it was about time to head up the hill to Yamashiro.  First, though, we took a quick bathroom break inside the historic Roosevelt Hotel (Jim, to me: "do you think that store will let me use the bathroom?"  Me: "I have something WAY better...").

The ceiling coffers in the main lobby

An exterior shot

Inside the ladies' bathroom

Chilling out in the AC,

listening to a random guy talk on the phone.

After our AC/restroom break, it was back on the road and up the hill.  The walk started out flat enough, and we enjoyed wandering the quieter streets of Hollywood, just a block away from all the hustle and bustle.

The Magic Castle - 

that's Yamashiro above it -

the roof is barely peeking out on the left side of the shot.

Jim found a new friend - a crow way up on a lamppost who was talking to him:

Shooting video of said crow

Be sure to turn your sound on for this one -

otherwise, it's just a video of a crow

sitting on a light pole.

Once we got past the Magic Castle and up onto Yamashiro's driveway, the gradient of the hill cranked up, and we were happy to take frequent breaks to shoot the landscape:

Houses in the hills

The Hollywood sign!

Griffith Observatory

Time for a break!

We finally made it to the top and had to grab a shot with the sign to celebrate our achievement:

Quite the mountain

We only found out about Yamashiro a few months ago, but the house has been around for much longer.  It was built in 1914 by two brothers who wanted to house their collection of Asian art and artifacts.  The brothers brought in craftsmen from Japan in an effort to make the house look like those in the mountains outside Kyoto.  Whether they succeeded, I don't have enough knowledge to say for sure, but it is a gorgeous place.  Now, the house is used for dining, including a Sunday brunch, and a happy hour each evening by the pool.

Inside the courtyard

The front entrance - not too shabby!

Jim and I took advantage of the endless mimosa voucher I'd previously purchased, and all of us enjoyed the good food and spectacular scenery and views.

After we'd finally eaten (and drunk) our fill, we headed down to the gardens, to wander a bit and look at more of the grounds.

Dude, the buddha does not appreciate that.

Leigh and Chris, likely talking about Jim and I.

Unlimited mimosas.  Yup.

I'd chosen my footwear poorly, so the rest of the gang humored me and we took an Uber the one mile back to the car.  We tried to head up into Griffith Park and hit up the Observatory, but it was crazy crowded, so we mainly toured the Park via car instead.  After that, we turned south to head back to our house and the LBC, and on the way home, Leigh caught a great shot of this amazingness we saw on the freeway:

Oh, LA, never change.

We capped off our family day by having dinner at Dad and Risa's house - lots of delicious treats from the grill and even better company - and before too long, it was back to our casa to get ready and head to bed - we were going to Disney the next day!

Later!

Amy