Today is a travel day…a necessary evil. No matter how much you’ve enjoyed a trip, it’s always good to be home, in your own bed, with your own pillows! It seems like it should take more than 4 hours to fly across the country, but I’m grateful it doesn’t!

We won’t be rushing today…we’re taking it easy and spending the day with members of Judy’s family.  I was warmly welcomed and enjoyed the day, the scenery of coastal California near Mission Viejo, and the friendship.  It was the perfect end to a great trip.

From pier at Fisherman's Restaurant in San Clemente, CA

Laguna Beach, CA

On the grounds of the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach

It’s already Friday, and there’s still a lot to see!  The Concierge at the hotel made recommendations and helped us arrange our sightseeing to make the most of our time.  She even told us where to access the parking lot for our stop on Hollywood Blvd.  I can’t say enough about how special the staff at the Sunset Marquis made us feel!

Hollywood Forever Memorial Park, a star-filled cemetery established in 1899, was our first stop of the day.  One of the stars, Toto from The Wizard of Oz, has a monument there because her final resting place was destroyed by the construction of the Ventura freeway.

Tyrone Power

Peacocks stroll the grounds

Don Adams ~ Agent 86

Next stop: Grauman’s Chinese Theater – a movie theater on the Hollywood Walk of Fame featuring hand and footprints of iconic celebrities.

Entrance to Grauman's Chinese Theater

The Twilight Saga trio of prints

We also managed to see the wonderful old gates at Paramount Studios, the La Brea Tar Pits (in the middle of Los Angeles!), the Hollywood Bowl, Rodeo Drive, and still find time to stop at a consignment store for clothing worn on TV and movie sets.

At the entrance to the Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood sign

The Beverly Hills Hotel

We made it back to the hotel with enough time to put our feet up briefly before Jimmy, my high school friend that I also share a birthday with,  arrived to take us to dinner.  (Jimmy is the owner of Arena Polarity.)  The restaurant was A Votre Sante, a vegetarian restaurant in Santa Monica.  Three tables away from us, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and another couple were also having dinner.

Ted Danson at A Votre Sante

After dinner, Jimmy took us on a tour of Santa Monica and we ended the evening at his home.  Specialty cupcakes with candles were the highlight of the early birthday celebration.

Red Velvet, Chocolate Raspberry, and Domino cupcakes

Happy Birthday to us!!!

It was another beautiful day in Hollywood, but we decided to head farther afield.  Last night we “cruised” Sunset Strip and Hollywood Blvd…what fun…what sights!  This morning Judy went to the lobby to get her morning shot of caffeine…just in time to see Cyndi Lauper, and her luggage, being picked up by a black SUV.  Hey… “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”!!!  She was back the next day…we found out she was a guest at the hotel.

We drove northeast (I think) to Montrose to tour the Montrose Travel offices, my host agency.  I was able to visit with Andi and Debbie, and meet the people that I email on a regular basis.

Next stop – Simi Valley and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library…what a beautiful place!

Reagan statue

Retired Air Force 1

Piece of the Berlin Wall

Ronald Reagan's final resting place

At the end of our tour we went West to the Coast Hwy.  Santa Barbara was our final destination of the day.  We were surprised to see RV’s and travel trailers lining the highway, with bicycles and BBQ grills stationed nearby.  Perfect spot to watch the sunset!

A delightful cafe and bakery

Perfect place to rest after a hard afternoon of shopping, especially if you missed the cafe!

I love consignment stores!

We headed back to Hollywood and the hotel, but took the time to cruise Sunset Strip and Hollywood Blvd.  Our timing was perfect…Judy saw Dustin Hoffman walking the red carpet for his new TV series “Luck”.  We passed a large lighted sign that read “Mount Olympus”.  Curiosity led us up the road to see if we could figure out why the sign was there.  Come to find out, it’s a street of exclusive homes in Hollywood Hills.  A movie was being filmed at one of the homes, and even though we drove past the house twice, we were never able to tell what movie was being filmed, or who was starring.

Tomorrow…more sightseeing!

Only half a block from the Sunset Strip...

Pathway to the villa

We were ready to bust, we were so excited to be in Hollywood. And we were star struck! Within minutes of checking into the Sunset Marquis, 1200 ALto Loma in W. Hollywood, California, Ryan Reynolds (star of Green Lantern) walked into the lobby to meet some friends. The Sunset Marquis’ motto is “If we were any more Hollywood, our pool would be shallow at both ends.” What a gracious, comfortable, contemporary hotel.

I won this stay in a 1-bedroom villa at the Sunset Marquis from PureWow.com and LuxuryLink.com.

I could get used to this...

My high school friend, Jimmy, showed up with a bottle of wine from his friend’s winery, to welcome us and catch up…it’s been 20 years since we’ve seen each other!  Our friendship has definitely stood the test of time!

I was wandering the internet and stumbled onto this song. It makes my feet move and my heart race…I can almost hear the parade coming!

New Orleans’ 2012 Mardi Gras season began on Twelfth Night, January 6th, 2012, and will run through Mardi Gras Day, February 21st, 2012…the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. For parade schedules and routes visit http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/schedule.html.

“If no tourists came, we’d still have Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a state of mind.” ~ Ed Muniz

Princess Cruises announced a Spring Clearance Sale today, where you can save up to $2,000 per stateroom on warm weather destinations this spring. Over 15 itineraries available! 5 Days Only! Jan 19, 12:01am – Jan 23, 11:59pm PST! Destinations include the Caribbean, Coastal California, Hawaii and the Panama Canal.

As an extra bonus, if you book by Monday night, you can earn up to $100 onboard credit. Contact La Petite Travel at 828-862-3423 or www.lapetitetravel.com.

Louis Van Amstel’s participation on the cruise will include:

· Exercise classes based on his popular LaBlast exercise dance fitness program (and upcoming DVD release). The classes are exercises to salsa, cha cha cha, jive and disco!

· Teaching onboard group dance classes

· Up close and personal Question and Answer session

Consider this your personal invitation to sail with Kenny G, the #1 instrumentalist of all time, on the beautiful Celebrity Millenium on May 17-24, 2013 to Alaska. Be sure to get in for the Early Booking Package benefits which include guaranteed orchestra seating to his opening main stage performance, an invitation to an up close and personal chat session, an opportunity to pre-book a shore excursion with Kenny, and a one of a kind, limited edition CD created by Kenny himself for each cabin. Contact (828)862-3423 or go to our website www.LaPetiteTravel.com for more information.

Book by January 31st, 2012 to take advantage of this Early Booking Package.

The art of nature...

Tonight my son and I attended a Covered Dish supper and Game Night held by my local chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. Our dinner discussion turned to visiting Alaska, and the best way to see all that this vast land of frontiers has to offer. I think you do Alaska a disservice if you only visit by sea, or by land. The ideal way to appreciate Alaska calls for a combination of the two, what’s referred to by cruise lines, as a cruise-tour. If you only have time to do one or the other, go anyway…you won’t be sorry!

To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.”
John Muir

Nome, Alaska however might not be a high priority to visit right now. They’re running out of fuel and a Russian tanker and a U. S. Coast Guard icebreaker are trying to deliver more than a million gallons of diesel and gasoline to this iced-in town. It’s an amazing story that promises to have a happy ending. (See http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-14/fuel-tanker-nome/52551596/1 for more detail). I hope they have some extra blankets!!!