Loving LA

This is the first week back from what turned out to be a top-five vacation on the west coast. Yes, things started badly. But, once we were actually in California, everything was great.

A couple of days in LA, followed by a week in Cambria, followed by a few more days of sightseeing in LA just so happened to be what the doctor ordered. Other than the fact that it was hot enough to melt trees while we were in So Cal, everything was Rosie.

The entire trip was highlights, but a few things stand out:

If you ever find yourself on the central coast of California you have to go to Hearst Castle. It’s over-the-top luxury and extravagance is almost too tough to put into words. We toured the place for nearly three hours and because it’s so large, we didn’t even see half of what is there to be seen. William Randolph Hearst was a lot of things, but thrifty he was not. The place is adorned with antiques and artifacts dating back hundreds of years. So what if he was allegedly a little crazy and so what if he spent money like a drunken sailor. The house is pretty amazing and it is most definitely haunted, so it was a highlight in my book.

The gal and I had a chance to take in a night game at Dodger Stadium. In a word, Chavez Ravine is totally freaking beautiful. Sure, the crowd arrives in the 3rd inning and leaves in the 7th, but the stadium is more than worth the price of admission. My favorite part of the evening was the people watching. Folks go to the old ballpark to see and be seen. Just ask the woman next to us who was drinking her $10 beer out of straw so she wouldn’t mess up her lipstick. And, if you are interested, the Dodger Dog has nothing on the Dome Dog – it’s just a larger, more expensive version of what we have here.

The feelings I have for IN and OUT Burger can’t be described. Why don’t we have them here? Let’s move on, I am getting emotional.

Seeing the "Hollywood" sign in person was pretty sweet.

The heat in California was unlike any other heat I have ever experienced. It was somehow dry and humid at the same time. The day we left it was 102 degrees. In the words of Lewis Black, it should never be so hot that you actually think “I should have put deodorant on my balls,” but I felt that way for the last 72 hours of our trip.

Last but not least -- a lowlight about the trip.

I have to mention how big of a pain traveling on an airplane is these days. At this point, I would choose to drive an RV through the mountains rather than spend another second of my life in LAX. It’s hands-down the worst airport I have ever flown into or out of and they make the folks at MSP look like award winning customer service providers.

Adding insult to injury, we flew Northwest airlines. This company has figured out a way to suck every enjoyable moment out of traveling. The worst part is -- we don’t have any other options here, so we are stuck with their rude employees and shoddy customer service. Until Jet Blue comes to this market or Sun Country steps it up and flies to a few more cities, we get the most poorly run airline in the nation. Other than that – they are doing a great job.

All that being said, the moral of the story is this: LA is great. I can’t wait to go back.