A Free Day in L.A.

This is our Bliss...

Mission accomplished regarding our respective sets of wheels, we awaken on Wednesday Aug. 12 to the tune of (you guessed it): a blank PAGE. No need to be in Boulder City before tomorrow evening, so why hurry? We reap the first reward of efficiency: freedom to be tourists for one day in L.A. What to do? Had you just arrived from the Arctic, after a so-called "summer" that offered very little temptation to do anything but our work, what would you choose? 

"The list of things to do in Los Angeles is as long as the city is vast. If your time in town is limited, you could spend days in the museums alone and never even make your way to Hollywood. Expect to put in a few miles between hitting up Venice Beach and exploring a hip Eastside 'hood. But that's the great thing about this city: there are so many things to do and see, like the ones listed below, to get the most from your LA getaway."

http://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/things-to-do/great-things-to-do-in-los-angeles

We enthusiastically agree with "timeout" and get an early start, still aided by jet lag that tips the scales in our favor. A little precaution however: if you read the previous entry and noticed the text in "the pink slip" that transferred ownership of said vehicle to new owner, you may have raised your eyebrows at the relinquishing of insurance responsibility by previous owner. Allan takes a precursory look at insurance plans, but rather than compromise our holiday outing, scattered his contact info here and there, and off we go (neatly avoiding rush hour, however). 

In downtown Venice, the phone calls start coming in, as we meander the streets to find a gas station... There is nothing to do but park, listen (to one insurance offer "better" than the other), and finally learn to ignore phone calls ("Sucker!"). At some point, Allan judges our navigational position to be close enough to walk to the beach, and so we set out on foot -- in the wrong direction. Fascinated by the street people, we get disoriented, and succumb to gnawing hunger at Taco Bell where avocado appears on the billboard.  Picking our way back via landmarks, Allan marks the GPS with the approximate location of our parking spot as we scoot past in the opposite direction. It's two miles to the beach! Max offers use of his gold scooter to the complaining member of the threesome (me). And that makes the trek much more fun! Somewhere down the line, I hide and jump out to startle the twosome on foot (paying Max back for his frequent pranks)! The oldest kid on the block...Gee whiz!

This dude hesitates -- not -- to test the water and waves. WE (watching from the notably long fishing pier extending far over the water) got to guard the gold scooter! Hearts in throats, we struggle to keep track of the intrepid young man body surfing in the waves - where later, we learn, on Labor Day weekend, someone disappeared! Phew! 

A SNEAK PREVIEW: "Here's our HuffPost News unofficial, totally subjective list of Five Places to Avoid This Labor Day Weekend!

1. VENICE BEACH

This popular piece of California coastline is naturally crowded...like on a Wednesday at noon...in December...it's still packed! Multiply that typical crowd by ten and you're caught in the middle of one of the WORST spots to visit on a summer holiday weekend.

Additionally: "Labor Day bummer: Rip currents, swells close an L.A. County beach

The increased emphasis on beach safety comes days after a swimmer died at Venice Beach after getting caught in a rip current. The man was swimming with two other people about 200 feet from the shore when they were overcome by the current."

“The waves were nasty today, Indeed. I swam around and around in a couple of rips sand ‘sneaker waves.’”

LIBERTARIAN COLLECTIVIST

AT 11:24 PM SEPTEMBER 06, 2015

2. BRIDGEPORT, CT

3. LAS VEGAS, NV

Aside from the holiday hotel rates and packed bars, it's too hot to be anywhere other than the pool and the pool is packed with frat boys and their baes, international celebrity DJ's, and sometimes, something else. A few years back some of the most popular pools on the Vegas strip tested positive for high levels of urine and bacteria. Bacteria known to cause urinary track infections and skin infections.

4. SEATTLE, WA

5. ANY BEACH IN THE CAROLINAS"

Get the picture? At this point we just watch, open-jawed, and proud, with nostalgia for the days when we ourselves enjoyed this sort of thing... Relieved when Max emerges from the waves, and reports that he gulped a bunch of water -- so that's enough for now. As for me, I have reconfirmed my preference for still water!

Scooting to the far end of the pier and back, the back end flips up when I reach the edge of the sand! (Still lots to learn!)

Oh, and where is that famed boardwalk? Haven't seen the hide of it yet, but maybe way yonder, where all the people are? Yes, indeed-y, that is the way to go -- but oh my, it adds to the distance from the car. Allan has a heavy backpack and so do I; we are getting tired... but decide to stick together anyhow. After the street shows and kitsch, the walk back is practically the best part: there is artful graffiti, and unique architecture. There is much to be observed, consumed, and absorbed!

So, here are some of the visible traces of our free day in L.A. ("our bliss.") An extra tall AriZona beverage that could be shared 3-ways, an exclusive gold scooter that likewise gave us all some free kicks (or vice versa), and vibrant colors, exotic scents, tanned skin, good memories... 

Today we recharged our batteries; tomorrow we drive across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas/ Boulder City! Be sure to tune in again and see what happens next, and whatever awaits us in the small American town soon to be called "home." We  are excited; we are ready to move on. Have I kept you in suspense long enough?

Take a deep breath...