We finish the drive into LA this morning. I get up around 7, close up the RV and we are on the road by 7:30. I had noticed last night that the LP gas was getting low and went down to the office to find out that they don’t open until 9. We don’t want to wait that long to leave, so I spent some time looking for someplace to fill the LP and found a U-Haul dealer in Ventura, so put the address in the GPS and off we go. If we don’t fill the LP, we may lose everything in the refrigerator while the RV is parked for 4 days in LA. Everyone is still sleeping, traffic is light and I put on a book on my iPod to pass the time. A couple miles down the road I spot a roadside sign for gas and notice it has an LP sign underneath. I decide to give it a try. There is a vendor filling his propane for his beach side hot dog stand, and I wait the 5 minutes and talk to the gas station attendant. Turns out he is from Chicago (he notices my Bears cap). As he fills the tank we discuss the Cubs season, I go inside and pay the $26 for the 6 gallons and head on down the highway.
We are now about 120 miles out from LAX where I plan on picking up a car. The drive is along the coast still with glimpses here and there of the beach. It is the Fourth of July weekend and many people are up and out on the beach already. About an hour out, I decide to make a stop for ice for the cooler and get my bearings for the car rental. I don’t want to spend a lot of time driving around LAX in circles looking for the place. When I pull out my paperwork, I can’t find my reservation. I go back to my spreadsheet and notice that I have indicated Payless with a cost, but no confirmation number. Strange as I have all the reservations noted here, so I must have missed this one. I pull up Kayak to see if they are still the lowest and find out the new rates are about $30 lower than what I had researched a couple months ago with Budget being lower by a couple dollars. I give Payless a call on the outside chance that I just forgot to write it down and find out they don’t have any record, so I go ahead and book the car at Budget, look at the map to get my bearings and put the address in the GPS.
As we get closer to LA, we start to notice signs for cities and roads that are familiar from shows and movies. We point out some of the homes up in the hills to the kids as we drive in. Traffic heading out of town is bumper to bumper, but we are still moving well. As I pull up to Budget, I notice I can get the RV into the guest lot, but have to do a 3 point turn to get it turned around. It is more like a 13 point turn, but I have plenty of room. I put it along the No Parking curb at the front and head inside to find out the line is about 45 minutes long. The Hertz rental was about $200 more for the week, and I joke with the guy in front of my about the convenience of Hertz Gold vs. Budget. Guess everything comes at a cost.
We get the car, and I head outside to finish the packing with Wendy. A couple of the kids have showered while we waited and she has all the clothes laid out for the kids. It takes us another 45 minutes to finish packing us and getting everything organized to move to the rental. Wendy wants to have lunch for the kids and move everything once we get to the hotel. I insist that we move everything to the car as I have no idea what the streets are going to be like at the Lowes hotel right on the beach. It is a Sunday over the 4th weekend after all. We get all the bags into the RV, and get back on the 405 to I-10. The traffic on I-10 is stop and go the entire way and the 6 miles to the hotel takes about an hour. Welcome to LA traffic.
I give the hotel a call when we are a mile out just to check logistics. Again, I don’t want to be driving around in circles in beach traffic. They tell me there should be no problems getting in and to just pull it into the circular lot in the front and talk to the Valet. When I do get there, I immediately notice that the overhang is very low and the circle is packed with cars checking in. No way am I getting in, so I park it on the street and put on the 4-ways. Wendy pulls in, we pop the trunk and I tell her to handle check-in while I deal with the valet and the RV. The valets all keep pointing to one another and saying this is something George usually deals with. When I ask where George is, I find out he is off today. OK, so where do I park the RV? They all agree that the Viceroy is the usual spot, but they know they are full and it will be very expensive. How expensive? They have no idea, but the lot by the Police Station a block away is a better pick and I only have to pay $26 per day. I notice a police car has pulled up behind the RV and he is out writing a ticket. I am parked in a tow zone and I run out to plead with him. He says that once he has started writing the ticket, it is a done deal and that I can’t move it. It is in a tow zone and will be towed. I again plead with him explaining that I called a few minutes ago and explained the situation, that the hotel said I could get in the drive that I was supposed to park at the Viceroy but they are full and we are just trying to get me directions to the police lot. The valet came over and backed me up on my story, so the officer tells me to get in and move it right now. The directions I have a sketchy, but I hop in and drive off avoiding a ticket and a tow.
As I pull around the corner, I do notice the Police Lot, but there is no attendant on duty as it is Sunday. They do have an auto pay station, but I’m not sure I want to deal with going back each day and I DO want to talk to someone there about the RV being parked there for 4 days. Last thing I want is to come back a day later to find it towed. I drive around the block once more, and call Wendy to head back down to the desk and talk to them about my situation. They call me back and tell me to try the Viceroy. I pull into their lot and get some wide eyed gazes from the valets. The head valet comes over and as I explain my situation, he tells me they are very full, but he will check the back to see if they can make room.
When he comes back, he explains that if I can parallel park it into 3 spaces, he can charge me a 3 car rate of $36 per night per space. OK, but how am I going to get it into 3 spaces? I wait until he has made a spot and pull it to the back. I am driving very close to Aston Martins, Bentleys and Mercedes. The spot me makes is less than 30 feet wide and I am 34 feet. We immediately notice this is not going to work. He heads up front to talk to the hotel manager, as he as a plan B. There is an emergency access at the back and if he moves the 2 cars there, I might be able to back it into that space. He comes back with a couple employees keys and moves those cars and I start doing another 30 point turn to back it in. As I am working it into this tight space, I notice John Salley is standing next to the valet who is directing me. Turns out his Escalade is the car that I am close to and he is joking with him and giving him a hard time. He tells me to wait and he will move, waves and pulls out. My first Celeb spotting!
The valet tells me he was laughing saying that John’s wife complains about parking the Escalade. He said he will now be able to tell her that it really isn’t that bad. We get it in and I head back up front to pay. They reassure me that it will be very safe in their lot. I have no doubts; this vehicle is less than half the cost of most of the cars in the lot.
Back over to the hotel to find Wendy and the kids having lunch in the lobby. I order a much needed drink and enjoy the mojito and finish Jackson’s $15 cheeseburger. The kids are out running around checking out the pool. Just as I finish my drink, we get a call that the room is ready. We pick up the key and head up. The room is spacious and has a great view!
As the luggage isn’t there yet, Wendy and I head downstairs to talk to the Concierge about some things to do. He recommends a private tour. The total cost for 5 of us will be about the same on one of the package deals, and the person they are recommending will tailor a tour just for our liking.
We head back up, call again about the luggage. It now comes in 5 minutes and we unpack. I get a MUCH needed shower and we head out to walk the beach and see the pier. Jackson has his suit on and says he HAS to go in the ocean. We stop at the rings and rope climbing. Very typical LA beach – and we watch as the locals show off their skills. Jackson gives the rope a try and scampers to the top impressing the locals. The kids then hang on the ropes and one of the guys comes over and asks if it would be OK if he gave them some pointers. We talk to Kendall a bit and he explains the fine art of swinging on the rings. You can tell many here are regulars; they come with their bags of chalk dressed to show off their tans and physiques. I find out Kendall is a transplanted mid-westerner (Cincinnati) and we talk about the joys of living in LA. After a half hour of Kendall and his friends showing the kids how to work the rings and getting many tips from him on how to really take in the local sights, we head to the Pier. We stop and visit some street artists and walk to the end and back. Somehow, Wendy and I get separated. It may have been when Charlotte, Jackson and I stopped to look at Arlington West, a tribute to peace next to the Pier. It is a tribute to peace set up by the Veterans for Peace.
I try to call Wendy, but her phone is in the room, so we head back to the hotel. We meet up at the door and the kids head to the pool while Wendy and I enjoy a glass of wine. They have small fireplaces next to the wall where you can sit and enjoy the view while having dinner and drinks. Wendy asks if we can stay another night. After all the hassle of unloading, it seems a shame to only be here 3 nights. It may put a cramp in our plans and beach time south of LA. We will see how it works out. I also remind her that it is costing almost as much to park the RV here as it is for us to stay in an ocean view room.
I order some sushi and another glass of wine. We enjoy the fire and the quiet on the beach, and then catch glimpses of some fireworks from Malibu. We then head over to find the kids who have already gone up to the room. Time for bed as we have a big day of sightseeing on Monday.