Greetings from Mexico City! After only a few hours in town, I can say for certain that I love this place! I am so excited to enjoy the next fortnight in this incredible country. But my last two nights in Los Angeles were also sensational, so I wanted to pause and reflect on how much I loved my stay in Hollywood! Here's a recap of what's happened since my plane touched down Thursday evening around 9pm.
As you probably know, I consider myself to be a major film buff, and I'm particularly a fan of old movies. For me, visiting a place like Hollywood is pure magic. And since you can't fly directly from Hong Kong to Mexico City, it wasn't difficult for me to settle on Los Angeles as my ideal layover destination.
With only two brief nights in town, I was bent on making the most of things. I decided to spend my first evening downtown—making for easy access to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and Los Angeles City Hall—and my second at the fabled Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel—across the street from the Chinese Theatre. In spite of a heavy dose of rain, everything went pretty perfectly.
But before getting to the stories, I'd like to document for posterity two fun facts about my Cathay flight from Hong Kong to California. Firstly, we took off at 12:15am on Friday, 15 February, but landed at 8:40pm on Thursday, 14 February. And, secondly, I've never been on an emptier flight in my life! For a jet that could probably seat around three hundred passengers, I'd venture a guess there were about fifty scattered about the entire plane. It was pretty surreal!
I didn't have time to do much that first evening, though I learned that a famous twenty-four hour diner called the Original Pantry was just steps from my lodging, the Hotel Figueroa. Seated at the old-fashioned counter, I indulged in a French dip and otherworldly coleslaw at about one o'clock in the morning before turning in.
The next morning, I was up bright and early for a stroll. One of the coolest things about downtown LA was how familiar it can feel even if you've hardly been there before. Since these roads have served as the backdrop for countless movie scenes since Hollywood earliest days, there's a sense of reassurance as you wander the streets, a weird feeling that you somehow know it already even though it's your first time here.
My main objective of the morning was to tackle the free observation deck of City Hall, with its incredible views in each direction. Although rain was forecast—and would come later in the day—the morning was about as clear and sunny as you can imagine. I spent a silly amount of time ogling the city from this high perch.
Nearby is another architectural stunner, Union Station, with its distinctive Mission-style design combining effortlessly with chic art deco elements. Although times have certainly changed since the station's heyday, it's not too difficult to whiff up a bit of imagination and envision yesteryear's superstars like Gary Cooper or Carole Lombard disembarking from the Super Chief in the majestic terminal.
Making my way back to the Figueroa, I snuck in a ride on the Angel's Flight, said to be the world's shortest railway. Seen in classics like Criss Cross and Kiss Me Deadly, and, more recently, The Muppets and La La Land, the bright orange funicular is a cheap, fun attraction in this part of town, costing a mere dollar to ride from top to bottom (or vice versa).
But as good a time as I had exploring Downtown Los Angeles that morning, I was just itching to get to Hollywood! I had splurged and booked a room at the Roosevelt, and I wanted to savor my stay to the greatest extent possible, so I arrived earlier than my allowed check-in time, reasoning that even if my room wasn't ready, I could lounge by the pool or sip a cocktail in the historic lobby while I waited.
The Roosevelt has been on my list of must-visit hotels since I was a little kid. Purportedly haunted by the ghosts of both Marilyn Monroe (who lived there for two years) and Montgomery Clift (who stayed during the filming of From Here to Eternity in 1952), it was the sight of the very first Academy Awards ceremony back in 1929.
And in 1950, during the West Coast premier of my favorite movie, All About Eve, held across Hollywood Boulevard at the Chinese Theatre, the hotel's neon sign was blacked out except for the letter's E-V-E, in a cheeky nod to the title character.
The wonderful front desk clerk who checked me in—Amy—was a true gem. I told her that it was a major dream of mine to stay in the hotel, and she figured out a way to make my stay even more memorable, upgrading my standard tower room to a poolside cabana. She also gave me a free drink voucher, which I promptly used in the lobby bar since the room wasn't quite ready yet.
Already short on time and wishing I could linger for a few more days, I took the opportunity to pop across to the Chinese Theatre to pour over the hand and foot prints of some of Tinsletown's all-time greats. Jean Harlow. Clark Gable. Bette Davis. Fredric March. Norma Shearer. William Powell. Myrna Loy. And these are just the ones whose squares I felt compelled to photograph!
On any list of history's most fantastic ideas, Sid Grauman's decision to have moviedom's biggest stars immortalize themselves in cement in the forecourt of his grandest cinema palace has got to be near the top. And in spite of the drizzles, I loved every minute I spent looking down at the ground, placing my feet here and there as I soaked up the nostalgia of the place.
There's a nifty little museum just off Hollywood Boulevard on Highland, where I spent about an hour in that afternoon, simply called the Hollywood Museum. It's housed in the dazzling Max Factor Building, and the cosmetics giant's iconic work forms a large part of the exhibition.
Also among the artifacts on display? Two Oscars, a pair of Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, Greta Garbo's personal makeup kit, a tray and glasses said to be used in Casablanca, various props from Gone With the Wind, and lipstick blotters saved by one of Jean Harlow's assistants! Only in Hollywood!
After a quick catch-up with my buddy Tobie in West Lost Angeles, I was back on the Boulevard for a special, 7:30pm screening of Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, the Mexican film nominated for a whopping ten Oscars.
Cuaron shot Roma in seventy millimeter, but since Netflix acquired the distribution rights, most people have seen it on their television screens. Not me! I caught it on the big screen at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre—the sight of Hollywood's first movie premier in 1922 and now home to the American Cinematheque—as I got pumped for my flight the following morning!
With its gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, heartfelt performances and tender family story, Roma is a force to be reckoned with. I'm so glad I got a chance to see it before heading to Mexico, and even more so that I got to see it in such a historic venue!
Back at the Roosevelt, I can definitely say that I succeeded in making the most of my short stay, by which I mean, savoring a drink or two in several of its swanky watering holes! Whether seated by the pool with an IPA, or sipping a Gibson in the lobby bar, or enjoying one last Negroni in the Spare Room, it was a night to remember, for sure.
Perhaps encouraged by a little too much gin, I took a midnight, moonlit stroll around the neighborhood one last time, and then decided to indulge in a burger in the Roosevelt's twenty-four hour diner before turning in, delighted that I had just lived a pure, unadulterated Hollywood dream.
It was a bright, sunny morning again when I awoke today, the Roosevelt's pool looking mighty tempting from my cabana room's balcony. It would have been oh-so nice to grab a lounge chair, order a Mimosa and chill out all day. But Mexico was a-waiting, and I had a plane to catch... and, well, here I am!
But my return flight back home—not that I want to think about it yet—is also from LAX in two weeks' time, so I suppose I may have a few more precious hours in the not-so-distant future to mingle with the ghosts of the golden age.
\Here's looking at you, Hollywood. Thanks for my short, sweet, unforgettable layover!
No comments:
Post a Comment