I Love LA

Poolside in Silverlake

I flew out to the coast on Friday for some much needed R&R. My flight was an early one, and not into Burbank (as I like), but into LAX. However, it was non-stop and only $200, including tax (crazy cheap).

My friend, Roger, met me at the airport, and we headed out to visit another couple of friends and former clients of mine who gave us a tour of their awesome production facility. After that, we hit a great vegan place for lunch (I posted pix of that meal on my FB page), went to a movie with another friend, hit a bar in WeHo, and then went to bed.

I awoke early the next day to do my favorite West Coast run; from the house where I stay in the hills, down to the base of Griffith Park, and then up to the observatory and back. .5 mi downhill, 2 mi uphill, 2 mi downhill, .5 mi uphill. I have posted numerous pics of this run before as well. It is always a treat. I knocked it out on Saturday and Sunday. I did run into a scraggly old coyote in the hills. I cannot escape coyotes wherever I go.

At the end of Sunday's run, however, something screwed up in my problematic knee. A shin splint also pushed some pain to the fore. Not good. I am seeing the doc about getting this taken care of permanently on Thursday.

Still, though, I got both planned runs in and was able to walk afterward. I never take days off from running, so this forced break is, in fact, a nice break to have. I'll get some biking and swimming in before seeing what can be done on Thursday.

I was able to relax (finally). I spent two full days poolside at a friend's place in Silverlake. The number of hummingbirds was shocking and wonderful. The pool was beautiful. The people who stopped by, interesting and nice. The wine, margaritas, and food were fantastic. The overall experience...priceless.

I also hit the Hollywood Farmer's Market (my favorite in the country), the Farmer's Market near The Grove, another vegan restaurant, and a Thai restaurant where I had the single spiciest meal I've ever had. I love hot. I always spice my foods beyond what most people can tolerate. But even to me, the final meal in LA was almost too much. A few hours later it was too much. I think I burned every internal surface in my body (and you know what I'm talking about). Note to self - in the future, order medium. You can always add heat, but you can never take it away.

More next week.