Keris Stainton's Blog, page 69
July 30, 2011
LA: 30 July 2001
After finding somewhere to leave the car for the day, got the tram into LA. We walked down Hollywood Boulevard, which was pretty seedy: lots of tourist tat shops, Scientology Testing Centres and sex shops, but we saw the stars on the Walk of Fame and I took a photo of Harry James's star to show Dad.
Went to Grauman's Chinese Theatre – I have the same size hands as Demi Moore – before taking a Hollywood History trolley tour. We saw the sign, but from miles away – the guide was literally going "As we turn this corner, it's there! It's there!" Blink and you'd have missed it. We were given tickets to go to a filming of The Weakest Link, but the bus didn't come so we missed it. Probably for the best. The tour took us past Paramount Studios and Jim Henson Studios, which was quite exciting. The Henson Studios is mock Tudor with a statue of Kermit dressed as Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp (it was previously Charlie Chaplin Studios).
We got back to Long Beach and went for a drive to try and find the canals but got lost – again! This place is like The Twilight Zone. Anyway, we decided on the way back that we'll have to cancel the east coast car. Better to have six really great weeks than 12 average ones. Shame.
Reading: Bandits by Elmore Leonard
July 29, 2011
Santa Maria to Long Beach: 29 July 2001
From Santa Maria we drove to Solvang – really odd place, but fun. David described it as "all European houses and tourist tat" and he was quite amused to find a shop selling milk bottles from Darwen. Then we drove on to Santa Barbara, stopping at Cachuma Lake on the way. We checked into the Banana Bungalow.
Walked down to the sea front and along the Pier. Really gorgeous. We went to dinner in a lovely pizza/pasta place with wine and dessert! David didn't want to go back to the hostel until late so we walked up and down State Street. The bars were all full – it's a college town – but we had a drink in an "English" bar. No idea what was English about it, except it sold some imported beer (at inflated prices). We spent a couple of hours in Barnes & Noble and were tempted by the cinema, but there was nothing on we wanted to see. Back to the hostel at 11.30. It was still quite busy and noisy and the two girls we had to share a room with had put their undies to dry on the bunk bed ladders. We checked out and went for breakfast – both desperate for the loo cos we couldn't get to use the bathroom at the hostel.
After breakfast, we drove to Ventura and looked in all the fantastic junk shops – beer signs, old comics, lamps, baseball cards. From there we stopped for strawberries from a roadside stand and then for a burger for lunch. We drove through Malibu, which was v exciting, then went on the wrong road and got horribly lost – to the point of fearing for our lives (we may have been a bit dramatic) - trying to find Long Beach (we did see a plane on that runway that crosses the road though). We ended up in the deserted docks more than once, getting into more and more of a panic. Not fun. It took about two hours to finally get here, so we checked into a more expensive motel for a treat.
In our photo album, David has captioned the above photo of me: "Moments later, the pterodactyl swooped for the Kangol hat and returned it to Liam."
And the one of himself: "Behind the cool exterior lies a cool interior. Beyond that there's a fat man trying to get out."
July 28, 2011
She was always the best one…
Harry's just been watching A Pup Named Scooby Doo. He said Velma is his favourite character and when I asked him why, he said, "Cos she looks like you."
I don't see it. 
Santa Cruz to Monterey to Morro Bay: 27 July 2001
We set off early for Monterey. The weather was lovely and we walked down Fisherman's Wharf and saw pelicans, sea lions and an otter – lying on its back and washing its face. We walked up to Cannery Row and then had lunch looking out at the bay. It was lovely, very relaxing. I think the words "This is the life" were uttered.
From there we did 17 Mile Drive, which was lovely, but the weather was overcast. We saw deer and chipmunks – one right at the side of the road that we nearly squished. We drove through Carmel* and then back onto Highway 1 all the way – eventually – to Morro Bay.
We did stop a few times at viewing points – the coastline was really lovely, much higher and much more woody than I expected. And we stopped at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see the waterfall that runs into the Pacific (the only one).
Our motel is on the outskirts of Morro Bay and we couldn't find downtown so we ended up having a pizza in our room and watching the Woody Allen film Bananas on TV.
Reading: A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss
* I cannot BELIEVE we didn't stop in Carmel. No idea why, but every time I see it online I curse my 30-year-old self. I can only assume I was worried it was too expensive for stopping. What a divot. I mean, look at it: http://www.carmelcalifornia.com/ (Although it does look expensive…)
Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria: 28 July 2001
Drove to San Luis Obispo* intending to spend an hour or so and then head to Santa Barbara, but it was so lovely we decided we'd like to stay. It's a proper town with shops and restaurants, a theatre, three cinemas (an art deco one with a little booth 'out front'), a creek running through and there's the Mission and Mission Square in which they were setting up a free evening concert. There was also a fab bookshop where I bought two Armistead Maupin first editions and got overexcited. It was all lovely, but the hotel rooms were all over $100. So we stayed until 5pm (we had lunch in Izzy Ortega's Mexican Cantina) and then drove to Santa Maria where we were told the room would be much cheaper.
We still had to pay $60, but it was Friday night. We went to see America's Sweethearts and then home to bed (McD's for dinner, where I was told my accent was "real pretty"!)
* Just saw that SLO's website calls it "the happiest place in America." I can totally believe that. Lovely place.
See in SLO: Can you imagine how much David laughed at this?
July 26, 2011
San Francisco to Santa Cruz: 26 July 2001
Went to Mama's for breakfast yesterday to experience what the guidebook called "the real San Francisco". Not sure about that – there were lots of tourists in there – but we each had a great breakfast. Two eggs 'sunny side up', home fries and an 'English muffin' for me; three enormous fluffy pancakes with berries and cream for D.
We checked out of the hotel and got the cable car up to pick up the car. Very weird road rules in SF and David got a bit stressed, but we were soon out of there and on Highway 1. Lovely scenery, rolling hills and washing waves most of the way to Santa Cruz. So much for heading off to the sun though – it's just as overcast here.
Checked into a really basic motel and went for a walk along the Boardwalk. Decided not to ride anything and then drove up to the Mystery Spot. One of those places where the 'laws of physics don't apply.' It was a little disappointing cos the tour was only about twenty minutes, but it was fun. Not sure I believe in it though.
Me at the Mystery Spot
Ate dinner in the room and watched The West Wing (hurray!) then walked down the Boardwalk again, much more fun and atmospheric in the dark. Had our pictures taken in a photo booth.
{Writing this up and looking at the photos is making me tearful…}
July 25, 2011
San Francisco: 25 July 2001
Did the North Beach walk yesterday – better late than never. It was good – very evocative of how it must have been in the past.*
Photo from San Francisco Days
We got a(nother) Subway for lunch then walked up to Russian Hill to find 'Barbary Lane'. It wasn't like I imagined – in fact, it was much nicer, more leafy. These lanes must be amazing places to live. There were two other couples there looking – one gay, one straight 
Wanted to buy the book but it was too expensive. Exhausted after climbing all those hills, we came back to the hotel.
Headed out later to the free screening of Made, the new Jon Favreau/Vince Vaughn film. Had a McDonalds (there was nothing else there) then went to the cinema. On the ticket it said to get there early – we got there half an hour early and there was a massive queue. We didn't get in so decided to get the bus to Treasure Island to see the view and maybe the sunset and the skyline in the dark.
Photo from Treasure Island San Francisco
Treasure Island was a naval base – apparently no longer – but the naval housing and buildings are still there and it's like a ghost town. Really weird. Every now and then you'd see people – a group of kids outside what was presumably a community centre, another group of kids doing what looked like ceremonial drumming (!), but then nothing. It was a bit creepy. The view would be amazing on a clear day, but it was (of course) foggy and it wasn't very impressive – it also didn't get dark in time.
We got the streetcar back and went to see the seals at Pier 39. They were swimming, what looked like dancing, and making a terrible racket – very cute.
* Snort!
I'm such a Pollyanna – David's diary for this day is a real moanfest!
July 24, 2011
San Francisco: 24 July 2001
Went for a cup of tea and a divine chocolate truffle then used the internet at the library for free! Walked up to Chinatown and did the walking tour, which was great – went to a fortune cookie factory. Then we went to the car hire place – realised yesterday that we're booked in here until Wednesday, but the car isn't booked until Thursday - no problem to get it a day early and the man claimed they'd only take $1 deposit. We'll see.
Walked back down to the park, but by then the fog was rolling in and it was getting chilly (one of the tour guides told us that Mark Twain once said*, "The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco."). Came back to the hotel for a read and a nap and then set off back to Chinatown for dinner. Went to a really basic Chinese that the tour guide recommended and it was nice – if a little too spicy – but the bill was a nasty shock. Can't get used to the tax and we guessed they must've added a tip on as well. Just in case they hadn't, as soon as the door closed behind us, I ran up the street, to the accompaniment of a homeless guy shouting "Run, Baby, run!"
* He didn't.
July 23, 2011
San Francisco: 23 July 2001
Had another great cable car ride and then got the bus for the Haight-Ashbury tour, which was fabulous.
Walked to Golden Gate Park and relaxed with a Sunday paper (which I insisted on buying out of one of those coin boxes I've seen on TV), a Subway* sandwich and a glass of wine while listening to the San Francisco Symphony. We talked about what we'd miss if we never went home – Jonathan Ross on Saturday mornings on Radio 2 and The Observer (the paper we bought was rubbish).
Got the bus all the way back to Fort Mason and had dinner in the hotel room. After dinner, walked up Lombard Street (famous twisty street) and got the cable car back down.
* We were emailing friends while we were away and talked a lot about Subway sandwiches. We didn't have Subway in the UK back then and lots of places in San Francisco did 2 for 1 vouchers, so we ate them a lot. After we got home a friend of mine asked me about them and when I told him, said, "I thought you meant sandwiches you found on the subway! I was really worried…"
