In the month that I have been working part time, there has been a lot to do for my in-laws. It seems that as soon as we close one door, another opens.
I will be going to Indianapolis from June 12th- 17th, but leaving Doc at home. When I go on business trips, he will come along if the destination sounds interesting. He probably would have come on this trip, but airline tickets are $1000 plus, and then another $500 or so to board the dogs. So he isn't coming this time.
As a consolation prize, we decided to go up to Los Angeles and go to some used book stores and thrift shops. The first stop was obviously The Last Bookstore. It opened n 2005 and is California's largest used bookstore. It is right in the middle of downtown LA. Here is the entrance. You can see Doc's reflection as he photographs me. I included the extra shots because I look cute.
The store is two stories and it looks like it used to be a bank, because there are vaults. You are greeted by a woolly mammoth head on the wall.
The rare and antique books are kept in a vault. They didn't have a very big selection, and no medical books.
Then we went up the stairs.
On the landing, there is this crazy sculpture. The whole place has this crazy Alice in Wonderland, drug trip vibe to it.
Looking down to the main floor, you can see that they do have a vast inventory.
Also on the second floor is the Spring Arts Collective. Artists have stalls there and you can purchase their works.
There is also this little outhouse type building that serves to commemorate the lives lost to drug abuse. You can take a little strip of paper and write the person's name on it.
These ribbons are those strips of paper. Note that the cross contains syringes.
There are also injectors of Narcan available to anyone who wants one. It is a law that physicians need to prescribe Narcan for patients who need heavy duty pain medications. Narcan will also wake you up from a Fentanyl overdose, which unfortunately happens quite frequently here.
Then you enter the Labyrinth. This portrait hole has been used on many movies, ads, and promotional materials. Of course, we both had to get our portraits done there.
The $1 and $2 used books are protected by a sarcophagus.
This poster basically sums up how Doc feels about bookstores.
Another famous feature is the tunnel of books.
This is how it looks from the outside.
The sci-fi section also lives in a vault.
I told Doc that he looks like Indiana Jones here. He also matches the vault.
A couple more views of the bottom floor. I was trying to capture the wave sculpture on the opposing wall.
The anime section is pretty cool, and is probably the best lit section of the store.
As you leave, another sculpture made of old Samsonite suitcases.
As you go down the back staircase, a sculpture commemorating the Lady of Guadalupe.
This sign says that she is our queen and lady of the freedom of Los Angeles (or something quite similar).
The building is a replica of LA City Hall.
Then there is an attached section on the first floor that is all about people in the entertainment industry.
I told Doc that this wall reminds me of our house - we have so much artwork and so many pictures up.
So Doc got three books and we really enjoyed out visit.
So we stayed at the Ramada Inn. First, our door would not lock, so they fixed that. Then the shades fell down on one side, so we screwed them back in ourselves. Then I heard a noise - it turns out that there was water pouring through the ceiling into our bathroom. And it was dirty water. At that point, I had had enough and we were given a nicer room and $50 for our troubles.
We relaxed in the hotel for the evening. DTLA is not really the place to cruise around on foot at night, even though the Ritz Carlton is right there. Lots of homeless.
The next morning, we went over to MacArthur Park. it was originally called Westlake Park. It was built in the 1880s, along with Echo Park and Lincoln Park. They were originally reservoirs, but after they were no longer modern enough to use, they were converted to parks. Henricus Wallace Westlake donated part of his land for the park. He was a Canadian physician who came to LA in 1888.
It is in the center of the Central and South American immigrant district. The surrounding streets do remind me of Mexico, with pop-ups and stalls and jugo, taco, and helado vendors. This statue greets you at the south half of the park. The north half is undergoing renovations.
Of course, there is a fountain in the center of the lake, just as it is in Echo Park.
We first noticed the abundance of turtles.
There are all kinds of birds there. A lot of seagulls - and a sprinkling of other water birds, like this old man bird here.
And look !!! One of my beloved Egyptian geese !!!
Geese of all breeds abound.
I took a skyline portrait in every direction.
The old boathouse stills stands, but it is not in use.
This pelican was huge !!
We went to a few stores and then came home on Sunday. We were quite the gourmets during our LA voyage. After the bookstore, Doc was carving a Big Mac. The McDonalds near our hotel was running a special - 2 Big Macs for $5 - almost half price. We pigged out. McDonalds has the best french fries. The next night, after the park and thrift shops, we got a pizza from Pizza Hut. That was also delicious. We usually buy frozen pizzas because they are more cost effective, but a fresh hot pizza sure is delicious!!
I went to HB Central Park for a run, and to my surprise, they have built a new bridge path going all around the lake between the stables and the playground.
When we got home, a duck and her drake were enjoying swimming in our pool.
So that's about it as far as adventures go. Let's look at some outfits.
On May 3rd, I wore a color combo that I have been wanting to try. I wore my White House Black Market fuchsia slacks with a tiered tank from Ann Taylor. The shrug on top is Dana Buchman.
On May 4th, a dress by Theory. The leather jacket is from Baby Phat ( remember them?) and I got it many years ago in Hawaii.
My fringed scarf was purchase in Truckee, California, and my leopard booties were in a $5 box at the mall.
On May 5th, I wore my tried and true slinky knit jumpsuit from Calvin Klein.
On top, a bright silk blouse that is also from Ann Taylor.
On May 6th, we got our bathroom floors redone. This is Doc's bathroom (I guess it also belongs to Pandi). We got a light tan laminate in there. I also restained Doc's vanity.
In my white bathroom, we got light gray laminate. This room currently has red accents.
Sunday, May 8th was Mother's Day. Luke, Ashley, and Preston brought over strawberries with chocolate for coating and Joseph, Kim, Nate, Calista, and Benjy brought me a pinwheel for my garden.
We went over to Win and Mimi's house and brought them a cheesecake with multiple flavors. I wore Rampage knit pants, and a cold shoulder top.
I accented it with red toned costume jewelry.
On Monday, May 9th, I wore this sweater dress that I got in a thrift shop somewhere in San Diego. It needs more sophisticated shoes than the flat wedges I wore.
I wore my WHBM belt and the same jewelry that I wore the day before.
On May 10th, a safari inspired dress from Taylor. I should have worn these Halogen shoes the day before.
I have this weird necklace that matches this dress exactly. On top, a khaki silk anorak.
On May 11th, I wore a Carole Little printed sheath. These black suede booties are from Impo.
On top, a blazer from Saville that my MIL gave me.
On Thursday, a favorite dress from Ivanka Trump. I liked it so much that I repurchased it when it fell apart. You can find almost anything on EBay.
Lots of black and gold accessories, including a Versace belt.
Then I was off for four days, during which we took our LA trip. On Tuesday, May 17th, I wore a top from Theory that I got in one of the thrift stores up there.
I wore a rose velvet tank under it and my usual ivory trousers. I have a few pairs, and this one is from Semantix.
On Wednesday, May 18th, I did some pattern mixing. I know it's hard to believe, but my double layered chiffon skirt is also Ann Taylor.
My sweater is Fendi.
I break out these cute shoes from Laura Scott whenever possible.
I received both of my cosmetic bags. First, Ipsy, with a muted floral bag.
1) Balance Me AHA Glow Mask
2) Purlisse Perfect Glow BB Concealer
3) Beauty For Real D-Fine Lip Liner in Neutral
4) The Nue Co Topical Microbiome Barrier Culture Cleanser.
5) Kinship Self Reflect Probiotic Moisturizing Sunscreen
Then, my Birchbox. I love the lavender and yellow color combination.
Inside, from top to bottom:
1) Sweet Chef Ginger Vitamin C Serum shot for dark spots and uneven tone.
2) Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask - an overnight treatment
3) Georgette Klinger Charcoal Cleansing gel - a classic skin care brand.
4) Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier Electrolyte drink Mix in Lemon Lime
5) This Works Stress Check Kind Hands lotion
6) Dr Botanicals GR Grapefruit and Watermelon Refreshing Cleanser. I have been choosing cleansers as my bonus gift lately.
One final outfit. On May 19th, it was cold, dreary and rainy. I busted my Tahari boots out for one last spin. I wore them with a cute mini dress from Style and Co. I also wore this beautiful braided silver necklace that was my mom's.
Well, that' s about all for now. Tomorrow I will conduct one of my last Infection Control Committees before I retire. I am enjoying the reduced work schedule, but my time off seems to fill up pretty quickly. Stay tuned and maybe there will be some Memorial Day excitement !!
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