Bloggin'......

Los Angeles Roadtrip - Day Two

My "sad puppy dog" story...

So Diana was going to a barbeque down near Brea, in Orange County, yesterday, and I was going to simply hang out for the day. Since she knew I was going to just mill around for the day, she gave me Sabrina's extra set of house keys to keep, but in the back of my mind, I knew I didn't want to take it, because I knew somehow I would lose it. But Diana was concerned what I was going to do all day with everyone gone. Sabrina had left early in the morning for a summer fashion show and sale, Ansen was out to a business meeting, Jason was busy at home with prior plans, and Mike had Church, it being Sunday and all... But Diana reasoned to just take the keys anyway, at least come back to the house if I was bored. Ok, I thought.

My plan for the day was to just take the Santa Monica Blue bus (made famous in the movie Speed"), down to the Third Street Promenade and relax and listen to some of the bands playing on the street. I originally made the effort, because I wanted to get a CD from one particular band that I saw during my last road trip to LA. And if time permited, I was going to take the bus to UCLA, and tour the ol' stomping grounds. Relaxing day, right?

Well, after everyone left the house, I promptly got my things together, and walked down to the corner bus stop. I actually waited for a while, so I started calling friends on the cell phone, fidgeted with my camera, and kind of paced around the street corner, kicked around the light post, and sat on the hot plastic bus stop bench, thinking how nice it was in LA.

I finally got on the bus, and off I was to Santa Monica, so I thought. Halfway down the road to Santa Monica, felt my pockets were kind of empty, and I started wondering where Sabrina's key was, and a sudden paleness crept up over me. I didn't have the key! I looked all around the my seat on the bus, but it was not there! Crike!

By the time I realized it was not there, I was already in Santa Monica, just past the 20th Avenue Stop. Feeling like crap, I had to stop and go back, and look for the key. The last thing I wanted was someone to break into Sabrina's house, with the key I LOST! When I got off the bus, I thought I could simply walk back to the bus stop where I started. "It wasn't too far, and I might have to wait a while," I thought, since I had to wait for such a long time for the first bus, anyway. Plus, when I started, I had only brought exact change for the first leg of the of the trip, thinking I could get change for the bus ride back when I go shopping. It was the longest, and loneliest, 20-some-odd blocks I had to walk in a long time.

When I finally got back to the bus stop, the keys were not there, and I asked the shop right in front of the bus stop if anyone had turned in a set of keys, but no such luck. Since I was already back at Sabrina's house, I decided, I might as well face the music and see if anyone was home, or at least check if I left the keys in the house, funny if it were! But no one was home, everyone was still out. Dejected, and having lost an hour, I walked back to the bus stop, to try to salvage the day back in Santa Monica. Since I didn't have the 75 cents for the bus ride anymore, I went into a convienice store, to break a twenty dollar bill for some quarters. They rejected and so, I left with an even sadder face!

At least the Hollywood video store next door saw my sad face and made change for me. Just in time too, as the Blue bus was just approaching. I went to Third Street, and did all the things I wanted, which was just to relax for the day. It was a beautifully sunny afternoon, with a cool ocean breeze on Third Street. I listened to the music, and ducked in and out of a couple stores, and just made the best of it. Sabrina eventually called to find out what I was up to, and I told her I was having a good time, not knowing how to tell her I lost her key, but I told her anyway. Her true shock was, what the heck I was doing taking the bus in LA? Nobody takes the bus in LA!

She promptly came to picked me up, and decided to go have afternoon tea and deal with the missing keys later. We had tea and sandwiches at the Chado Tea Room in Beverly Hills, with Jenny, whom I have not seen in a long time. I got to catch up with her, and found out she just bought an Infinity G35 Coupe. I can't say I'm jealous, but I have to keep telling myself I'm past my coupe driving days. Maybe i'll shold just get a coupe myself, later on, when I hit my mid-life crisis. Maybe.

Anyways, we went back to Sabrina's house, afterwards, and just as we walked in, there it was! The missing house key, right on the coffee table, next to the laptop I was using to look up the new bus fares in Santa Monica! with the final insult to my injury, I plopped myself down on the counch, and just sat there, calm and colleceted. Well, I thought, how can I complain when in the end, I got to spend the afternoon with two pretty girls who picked me up from Santa Monica. It wasn't completely a bad day.

Jenny had to go, but the rest of us got back together again for dinner at Killer Shrimp out in Marina Del Rey. I've heard so much about it, that I had to go try it. Just from the name alone, you can probably guess what was on the menu, shrimp with pasta, shrimp with rice, and shrimp with bread. I had the latter and I loved it, so succulent and so sweet. Dessert was decided over Apple Pie a-la-Mode at Apple Pan, across from the Westside Pavillion Shopping Mall in LA.

Just absolutely too much adventure in one day!

Posted by Jimmy at August 9, 2004 09:18 AM