Hiatus before Xmas hiatus.

It's been almost a month since the Good Doctor season 3 took a week hiatus for the U.S. thanksgiving holiday, and many of the cast and crew took full advantage of it. We chose to get an early morning flight out of Vancouver......

……. quick photo op with Morely......

……. then the quick hop to Los Angeles.

We stayed at the Biltmore Millennium in the downtown core. This hotel opened in 1923, and the interior décor was quite impressive.

The rooms were nice enough, although the view reminded me of Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam.

Ritsue standing above the lower lobby of the hotel.

Day 1, we went to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which also opened in 1923.

…..it was Monday Night Football, so of course the Good Year Blimp was there!

….lots of tailgate parties going on.

Inside the stadium grounds, there's the blimp hovering overhead.

The sun is setting prior to kick-off which meant only one thing. Cold! The wind was swirling around and it was quite chilly, something we did not expect to endure while in Los Angeles.

We were wearing the same clothing that we wear back in Vancouver!

The tunnel entrance to our section.

Pretty decent seats. 

We had to buy one Rams shirt each, just to have as an extra layer from the chill.

….and here comes the Rams! Don't disappoint us boys!

We got a towel when we came in the gate, Go Rams!

They lit the Olympic Torch tonight! The coliseum has hosted the Olympics twice before and will host them again in 2028.

Well, the Rams did disappoint, getting embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens 45 to 6. 

Day 2, don't let the sunny skies outside of our hotel fool you, it was another coolish day.  I optimistically wore shorts today, but quickly changed back to pants.

We tried out the L.A. sub-way system, and headed towards...….

...Ventura Blvd, and …….

Yay!

I was concerned about the crowds because schools were out in the L.A. area.

It was not bad, we even got to meet some new friends.

The best attraction in my opinion.

It was kinda cool seeing what was actually filming at Universal Studios on this day.

Of course, the number one thing for me to do was take the studio tour. 

A lot of the film crew equipment was very similar to what we use in Vancouver.

Jurassic world was fun....

The view of Universal Studios from the upper lot level

....ahhhh, there it is, Amity Island! (and yes, Jaws did try to eat our tram car)

….and we (and millions of others, lol) got to see Norman Bates of Physco fame take a body out of the Bates Motel and stuff it into the truck of a car.

The plane wreckage from the 2005 movie War of the Worlds.

The Transformers attraction was good as well.

Jurassic world.....fun as well....

….another street set. This one reminds me of the Watchmen set in Burnaby.

Thank goodness there were escalators to get you back up to the top lot of the studio.

Phew, back on top! Once again, their base camp set-up is pretty well the same as the one we have on the Good Doctor.

When in Springfield, you gotta have a beer at Moe's. (I know I did.)

We went to a Special Effects show on the lot, very good.

Ritsue getting some info from the conductor at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Ha! Turns out he know Japanese!

I'm not a fan, but it was a impressive, albeit, busy venue.

Good food at the Karl Strauss Brew Pub on Wilshire, downtown L.A.

Me looking all heavenly-like in the upper foyer of the hotel.

….and then the rain came for 2 days, where are we??? We headed to Pershing Square and took the subway to....

….Union Station.... 

…...then onto …..

....Little Tokyo. We went to the Japanese American National museum., and saw an eye-opening exhibition called "Under a Mushroom Cloud",  about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War 2

We didn't really get much time to look around Little Tokyo. (which was fine, the weather wasn't cooperating anyways.)

We did manage to find the spiciest ramen we have both ever eaten!

Ritsue found the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist temple in Little Tokyo.

On the grounds were these beautiful flowers showing off the recent rain drops.

The people at the temple were kind enough to let us in so Ritsue could give prayers.

The weather got better, so we walked back to the hotel. We passed L.A. city hall on the way.

On the way home random, cool mural pic.

That evening the weather was cooperating so we decided to walk........

.....not just to find random hot dogs on the side of the road.....

.... but to head towards the Staples Center...

A little ways from Christmas (at least when we went on Nov. 27th), but the spirit was there.

....to see the Los Angeles Kings against the New York Islanders.

Once again, we had really good seats.

This time, the boys did not dissapoint, the Kings won 4-1.

Back to the hotel,  3 days done already!

Thursday, we took the subway to the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard. (That's as close as we got to the Hollywood sign.)

The first one we came across, Lucille Ball.

For all my hard driving work in the film industry, my own star!

Awwww, busted! 

(I think the Woolley version is more deserving)

Even Winnie the Pooh!

I remember visiting the birthplace of Winnie the Pooh in White River, Ontario when I was part of the 2015 Pan-American games torch relay.

The newest part of Hollywood Blvd, a little too trendy in my opinion.

What I remembered as Grauman's Chinese theatre has now become the TCL Chinese theatre.

Not crowded on this cold, wet day, where the temperature only got up to 7 degrees Celsius. (44 Fahrenheit)

Our oasis that day was at Raffalo's Pizza, at one end of the strip.

This place was very kitschy, the décor made it very comfortable. I wish it was closer to Burnaby, lol.

The softest, most tender piece of garlic bread I have ever eaten.

The pasta rocked as well...…..

….then back towards the hotel, one more time to see the stars of the likes of Charles Schulz, and Snoopy....

.....and the cement prints of the Terminator!

... one of my favourites.

One last good-bye to Hollywood.

Interesting, the Church of Scientology stands alone on Hollywood Blvd.

Gotta get the pic at Hollywood and Vine. (not entirely sure why).

The roof of the subway station was decorated to look like film reels.

….back at the hotel, it was a long way to the light at the end of the tunnel, or uh, hallway. (to get ice that is, woe is me, haha)

The clouds, which the hotel duvet was.

It was Thanksgiving day in the U.S.A. (hey, that rhymes! I'm a poet and I don't even know it. My feet are Longfellow's and they smell like the Dickens.)

We ended up have Thanksgiving dinner at Dublin's Irish Whiskey pub close to the hotel. 

They were asking too much for the turkey dinner so we settled on some salad, calamari, and the scrumptious bangers and mash.

Back the truck up, not sure how this delicious pic of Ritsue's pizza at Raffalo's ended up here, c'est la vie.

Day 5, a wavy introduction to our day trip to...….

…...Santa Monica  pier.

The sun was out, but we had to bundle up, the wind was brrrrrrrrrrrr.

Very pretty! (and the view wasn't bad either, haha!)

Definitely some wave action.

Looking back from the end of the pier.

My horizon pic.

….uhhhhh, looks like we weren't the only one with this day trip plan.....

…...still a wonderful outing.

Too cool for school, or ferris wheel rides.

...reminds me a bit of the Okanagan valley

… oh no it wasn't! (for us, anyways!)

We had to go down to the beach....

…...selfie time!

….the surf was up....

….but all we could do was.....

….get our feet wet, and that was cold enough!

I thought there was no way this had anything to do with the movie, but in a roundabout way, it does. Click here.

Just off the beer, Big Dean's was there to take us away from the pier crowds.

Good neighbors.

One last  look......

…..next time we come, it will be a little warmer.

Back to the hotel.

Not before Ritsue got a pic with a L.A.P.D. officer with his horse, so cool!

The main lobby of the hotel.

….and then it was Friday night! This is what I was most looking forward to.

)

We went to see the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. (Everyone got a jersey tonight to celebrate former Laker Shaquille O'Neal

We had primo seats! Always so much action during play, and in between.

….added bonus! They were playing the Washington Wizards, who have the Japanese rookie star Rui Hatchimura on their roster.

Anthony Davis was outstanding.(Lebron James was larger than life.)

So much going on between the periods and the commercial breaks, fun, fun, fun.

….and these boys came through, trouncing the Wizards 125 to 103.

...and then it was done, including the wine we had on the plane on the way home.

Pics sent to me by Ritsue. This is herding the masses at LAX.

Our WestJet ride.

Mushy-mushy selfie-selfie

If the plane would of sat still, I would of got the corner to corner sky to cloud shot!

Ritsue does not have webbed feet.

We would not have made it to the Lakers game if not for the generosity of Richard Schiff, star of the Good Doctor. Thanks Dr. Glassman for giving me the tickets!

Another great shot of the Santa Monica pier.

Whether it true or not, on the pier, there is info about a fisherman that was there back in the day. They say he was the inspiration for Popeye. Wow. Merry Christmas and happy holiday to everyone.