We've had a lovely Memorial weekend here in Maryland. Everything is lush and verdant, and I'm tickled with my roses.
We attended a Memorial Day picnic at my father-in-law's development where they honored quite a few WWII veterans, and a number of Korean War and Viet Nam veterans. I thought a lot about my dad and wondered if he would have sat up there with the others. There were two other men from the then Army Air Corps. My dad "flew the hump" in China/Burma -- a still unsung part of WWII. I'm so proud of him. We still have his silk maps and the original cases. I'm wondering if the Smithsonian or perhaps the San Diego Air and Space Museum might be interested in them.
Anyhoodle... Our next stop on the cruise was Los Angeles which boasts two VERY large ports: Santa Monica and San Pedro. We docked at San Pedro and then hopped on a bus to Warner Brother Studios. The shenanigans continued as before getting off the ship, we had to fill out a US Custom's Declaration for things we had purchased. Remember that our last port was San Diego. Isn't that still part of the US? We figure the cruise line had really angered someone in Southern CA.
I've never been to LA -- except the the LAX to change planes, and am kind of awestruck by the traffic and how large LA is.
We did ride by the iconic Hollywood sign and through the hills on our way to the studios. It was a great tour and our tour guide, Megan, was extremely knowledgeable.
We were hospitably greeted by Daffy and Bugs.
We visited the transportation 'hut' and saw the car from HARRY POTTER.
The MainStreet sets, some of which will look familiar...
And visited the sets of MIKE & MOLLY, THE MENTALIST, and FRIENDS' set of Central Perk, the only set in the history of the studio to have been saved in entirety.
We had a lovely day -- it was gorgeous and about 68° -- no smog. We returned to the ship for a little nap and dinner, very much looking forward to our stop the next day in beautiful Santa Barbara.
