Memories

We started the day trying to beat jet lag. I think I was awake from about 1:30 a.m. and eventually gave up trying to sleep just after 4:00 and made a coffee. One advantage of being awake so early was that we were up in time to watch the rugby and I managed to find a channel that was showing the Wales Ireland game. To be honest, I wish I hadn'! 😁🏉

After the game it was still only 8:00 and I'd already called the car hire place to see if we could change the car to something a little smaller. So we found ourselves back at the Avis garage and managed to get a different car. We then headed up towards Westwood for some reminiscing.

Our first stop was for breakfast at a little cafe with some seats and tables outside. The sun was already high and the day warming up.

Next, we drove to find the house that we stayed in when we were living in Los Angeles at 2146 Balsam Avenue. We reminded that the area was full of houses and not one of them alike. Was the one that could probably do with the most modernising but it was nice to see anyway.

From here we walked along the road to the school at Kirsty used to go to, Westwood school. The weather was glorious and we then retraced our steps back to the car.

We drove a short distance along the route that I would have taken walking to school and parked this before Santa Monica boulevard. Here we walked along the road in front of the temple and found the 7-Eleven store that I used to stop at every day on my way home for a very large Coca-Cola.

Next, we walked along the streets to the school. I went to Ralph Waldo Emerson middle school although when I went there it was called Emerson junior high. After a quick photo stop we went around the block and passed the Catholic church and along the other side of the temple back to the car.

Our next stop was Century city for some retail therapy and I finally stop for the hotel with the supermarkets that we used to use when we were here in 1988. We arrived at the hotel at around 2:00 p.m. and we're able to check in.

Both are really high floors and mum's view looks out towards the temple and can actually see Emerson junior high from there. We spent a couple of hours relaxing by the pool and enjoying the sun before having a shower and getting ready for 'wine hour' at the hotel at 5:00 p.m.!

At 6:30 I ordered an Uber and we drove the short distance to Carmine's where we met Simon and Rebecca. We worked out that it'd be at least 20 years since we'd seen each other, but despite this we had a lovely evening; great food and catching up on some of the things that changed since we last met. It's only when writing this that I realised the one thing we didn't do was to get a photo!

We caught an Uber back which was just as well cos a temperature really seemed to have dropped and after a quick night cap had a relatively early night at 10:30 p.m.Read more