Welcome to my pre-Oscar night quick look of Los Angeles. I’ve just returned from my first trip and it was a blast!
I visited with my long-time friend and publicist Trina Kaye of The Trina Kaye Organization to work on the PR campaign for The Pelican Tide. If I can put a plug in for my fabulous friend : ), she and I have worked together for over twenty years. She specializes in book PR. We had a full circle moment reminiscing about past book marketing campaigns and how we are now working on my debut. We’ve only just begun (like three days ago) but she has already placed an article with a magazine and secured a book review.
Even bigger, and the subject of my next newsletter, is Trina helped me to connect with Restore Grande Isle to help raise funds and awareness to rebuild this incredible community where I set my story. The island sustained 100% property damage in 2021 after Hurricane Ida. My ability to tell my story and use it as a platform to help this community is one of the reasons I write - to make a difference.
LA in a Day and Famous Dead People!
Full confession, I had no idea what to expect from Los Angeles beyond movies and the iconic Beverly Hills sign (which is real!)
The reason this city is the setting for movies, TV shows, and books is because it embodies our ideas of glitz and fame. As a writer, I often dissect a big and little screen stories to see how it is shown and how I could potentially write about it. Nothing of course is better than experiencing a place first hand. But we can’t be everywhere and LA is in our face in so many stories.
It was fun to drive by Amazon Studios formerly Desilu a la Lucille Ball; Warner Bros, Paramount, and drive through Century City.
One of the advantages of touring any place with a native is seeing the city at a granular level (and eating awesome tacos because the locals know.) Trina and her family have lived all over the city in different neighborhoods. I was struck by how varied the neighborhoods are from street to street. The area could use some better city planning - just saying - the juxtaposition of old to new is not always well done. I was stunned to see oil derricks pumping in state park land. According to California.com there are 114 neighborhoods.
LA in a Day
Trina’s first stop in her self-described LA in a day - dead celebrity tour - was to the Original Farmer’s market for lunch and some browsing.
The Farmers Market is a Los Angeles original. It felt like a combination of Chelsea Market in New York City and Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market in Boston. Even though these places are tourist meccas, I enjoy them because it is here that you interact with local vendors and experience a community history.
After lunch, it was time to get my tourist on and head to Hollywood Boulevard. As I was there a week before the Oscars, a portion of the road around the Dolby Theatre was fenced off but this allowed me to see where the red carpet would be set.
We of course went inside the theatre and walked up the iconic steps (someday Pelican Tide, someday). I was surprised that the top of the steps opened to a landing with a mini shopping mall. I have fun pictures of me at Grauman’s Chinese theatre where the stars have their hands and feet in cement - it was smaller than I expected. We then drove the “strip” all the way to the ocean. Trina took me to a little known park that overlooks the Pacific Coast Highway. The day was clear with a view of Catalina Island.
On the drive, Trina kept up a running commentary of who died and where. I won’t go into the morbid details but this is a serious “attraction.” For those of you who lean toward the curious, here is selection of links.
Malibu Beach!
I’ve already written about Barbie, my childhood obsession.
But now sh*t got real. I was going to Malibu, home to my favorite Barbie - Malibu Beach Barbie with suntan lines. This is where all my movie and TV ideas of California came from.
Did you own this Barbie?
We brunched overlooking the Pacific Ocean and I was tickled that our car was valet parked next to a yellow Lamborghini. I asked the valet attendant if we could take it instead of our car and he smiled, it was already spoken for.
Movies and celebrities aside, I was interested in the historic buildings and icons in the city. Parts of LA look like a movie set with signs from the 1950s and 1960s and buildings that are a throwback to another era.
I learned there is a strong push to preserve these icons of history. I sadly don’t have space in this issue to discuss this but here are some links that offer interesting photos that are worth a look.
Historic preservation Los Angeles
The Mills Act for Historic Preservation
Seeing, touching, and tasting LA was great fun as I’m working on a scene in my current work in progress that takes place in the general area.
If you watch the Oscars on Sunday and the stars strolling down the red carpet - I WAS JUST THERE! just saying.
Thanks for the trip Trina. Thank you Mother Nature for the beautiful sunshine and the ocean it is always inspiring.