A Not So Laboring Labor Day

We spent a the most wonderful Labor Day weekend with our friends Cobban and his hubby Ray, whom were driving up from Southern Arizona and staying with us for a few days.

We had a great weather, lots of food, a few cocktails and a lot of fun. And we actually accomplished quite a lot of sightseeing. Red Rock Canyon, the Las Vegas Strip, old downtown Las Vegas, a free Howard Jones concert at Fremont Street Experience and Cirque du Soleil's "Love" at the Mirage.

Did I mention that it was one heck of fun weekend?

Below are some impressions.

Cobban, Ray, myself and George at the garden conservatory inside the Bellagio.

The dancing water fountains of the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.

At Red Rock Canyon, just outside Las Vegas, NV.

The red sandstones of Calico Hills at Red Rock Canyon.

Red Rock Canyon, just west of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ray is educating himself about the natural history at the new visitors center of red Rock Canyon.

I think George and Cobban should stop growing any taller already.

Ray, Cobban and I at Red Rock Canyon.

Cobban is posing as the 'fifth' Beatle at the entrance of Cirque du Soleil's 'Love' at the Mirage. And he is an avid Beatles fan. He really enjoyed the show, which is a feast of amazing visuals and sounds. A must for every Beatles fan.

Raincheck

Back in March, George and I were planning on going to Six Flag’s Magic Mountain. Due to record rainfall in Southern California at the time that plan literally went down the drain. We opted instead to go see a concert of the L.A. Philharmonics at the Disney Concert Hall.

About three weeks ago we were finally able to cash in that raincheck and spent another fun day at Magic Mountain in Valencia, in the outskirts of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. This huge, green and lush theme park, which is nestled in picturesque rolling hills, is home to some the fastest and wildest roller coasters on this planet. With the opening of a brand-new conceptual coaster, called the “Green Lantern,” later this summer, it will boast the most numbers of coasters in any theme park in the world.

The afternoon and evening before was spent with George’s brother Thomas and his friend at Downtown Disney. We had a wonderful dinner together and were strolling through the Disney resorts and stores afterwards.

Below are some images from that weekend.


We stayed at a hotel on Katella Avenue in Anaheim, CA, in walkable distance to the Disneyland Resort.

Even though we didn’t actually visit Disneyland we took some obligatory pictures standing ‘in front’ of it.

At Downtown Disney, this man worked hours and hours on this sand sculpture, promoting the new Disney Nature film “African Cats.”


George, his brother Thomas and I at a nightly Downtown Disney.

The next day we drove to Magic Mountain. Here is the marquee along the I-5 freeway at Magic Mountain Parkway.

The first few of countless roller coasters in various shapes, heights and forms are visible from the parking lot.

Way up in the hills is the Viper, with its many loopings, corkscrews and other types of twisted inversions.

A interesting view looking upwards the X2, one of the craziest, most wildest rides around. X2 is a so-called fourth-dimension coaster. When I rode it for the very first time a few years ago I didn’t even know what just had happened to me. Too many sensations at once...

The totally awesome Tatsu, a “flying” coaster and the white loop of the “Revolution,” the world’s first-ever looping roller coaster. This one was featured in the 1977 disaster-suspense movie “Rollercoaster,” starring Richard Widmark, George Segal and Timothy Bottoms. We would pass the spot of the curving steel track many times where Timothy Bottom’s character would eventually find his demise at the end of the movie. A ‘historical’ landmark, so to speak.

George waiting in line for Tatsu.

One has an incredible view of the Santa Clarita valley from the boarding station of Tatsu.

Part of the ‘flying’ coaster Tatsu and the Sky Tower, one of the few remaining original attrations from when this park first openend back in 1971.

The sun is setting behind the Southern California hills and “The Riddler,” the world’s fastest standing coaster.

Another Night Strippin'

George’s brother Thomas and his friend Linda came for a visit over the weekend. So of course, the four of us had to go the Las Vegas “Strip.” It turned out to be a very fun and long night.

The Strip was busy and crowded like we haven’t seen in quite some time. Apparently, the economy is approving. Or people are just slipping back into their old habits of living beyond their means just to have a little fun.

Either way...it was a fun night “strippin’.”

Very heavy and slow moving traffic along the Strip.

George, his brother Thomas and Linda at the Café Bellagio.

Spiegelworld is part of a touring varieté and circus show, which is currently performing on the grounds of Caesars Palace. http://www.absinthevegas.com/

A surreal world unfolds every evening behind these Roman columns of Caesars Palace. “Absinthe” is the alternative to Cirque du Soleil, another once alternative troupe gone mainstream. This little place brings some bohemian flair to the epicenter of pomp and glitz.

More from the “beer garden” of “Absinthe.”

From a subtle bohemian world right back smack in the middle of pure decadence. This is the hotel lobby of Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

The opposite end of the hotel lobby of Caesars Palace.

George, Linda and Thomas in front of Caesars Palace.

Here are George and I on the Strip, with the Eiffel Tower of the Paris Casino in the background.

George, Linda and I in front of the Bellagio, waiting for the next performance of the dancing water fountains.

Currently the absolute “it” place in Las Vegas, the new Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino.

Sprouting and Blooming

Here are a few flowering impressions of our backyard from last Saturday morning. There’s a lot of sprouting and blooming going on...

Desert Snow

A lot was going on this weekend. On Friday, we have spent a nice evening on the Las Vegas Strip which included meeting some friends, having dinner and a few drinks. Ultimately, we ended up staying until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Something we rarely do. One will see the most curious people out and about in the casinos and on the Strip around 3 a.m.

The view of the Las Vegas Strip from the MGM Grand’s Signature Towers around 2 o’clock in the morning. Still lively and sparkly. Las Vegas truly is a city that never sleeps.

Despite our long night out on the Strip we got up fairly early on Saturday morning. But we couldn’t believe what we were seeing when we looked out the window. It was snowing. Were we still dreaming? Nope, there was actual snow falling in Las Vegas. In the desert. In April.

There’s a German saying: “April, April, der weiß nicht was er will” (April does not know what it wants). It basically means that weather wise anything and everything is possible in the month of April. Which is more than true for German weather during April. However, in the Mohave Desert it’s usually already nice and quite warm this time around.

And while the rest of Saturday was turning out to be a rather cold and dreary looking day weather wise, it would eventually turn into a rather inspiring and entertaining day cultural wise. That evening, George and I went to the Las Vegas Academy Theater to see “Dream.” It was a new play with music, loosely based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The metaphors of the current happenings in politics and society of today’s America were just gushing throughout the whole play. It was a very clever and well executed piece of theater.

An ad for “Dream,” the play we saw at the Las Vegas Academy Theater.

We were planning to check out a new bar but had it call it quits after the theater as we were just simply spent from the night before.

Sunday was spent rather leisurely. I suppose we needed to recuperate from all the excitement. Except for our walk in the park, some household chores and a little cooking it was a beautiful and quiet day.

First snow, then blooming cacti...just another day in Las Vegas. We saw many of these cacti at Pueblo Park in Summerlin.

I wonder what next weekend will have in store for us. Only four and half days to go to find out.

When It Rains It Pours...

The weekend before last we spent in Los Angeles again. We had theater tickets for Saturday evening to see the musical stage version of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” at the Pantages in Hollywood.

It was also planned to meet up George’s brother Thomas on Sunday to spend the day at Six Flag’s Magic Mountain. Well, that plan fell through as Southern California happened to experience record rainfalls that day and the next.

Instead of riding some of the fastest and most insane roller coasters in the world we decided to take in some culture. The three of us braved torrential rains and gusty winds and drove into downtown L.A. to see and hear a live orchestra perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Having always marveled at this architectural masterpiece by Frank Gehry, we have been planning to see a symphonic concert there for years.

This particular Sunday afternoon the Los Angeles Philharmonic would be playing symphonies by Mozart and Beethoven, directed by their star conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Guest pianist Jeremy Denk accompanied the orchestra. It was quite an astounding recital and was well received by the audience.

A concert review by the Los Angeles Times can be found here.

Afterwards we thought we would visit the huge L.A. Live entertainment complex but continuing rains and winds, along with ridiculously high parking fees, put a damper on this plan. So we ended up driving back to the Pasadena area, where George and Thomas grew up, and have dinner at a traditional local staple, the Clearman’s North Woods Inn restaurant. The two brother’s reminisced childhood memories while all of us enjoyed a delicious and hearty dinner.

The next day, we stocked up on our beloved Peet’s Coffee at their coffee house on Lake Avenue before heading back home to Las Vegas. Just as we entered the I-210 freeway, the floodgates in the dark clouds opened and a deluge of water came crushing down. It was raining so hard that I could barely see the car in front of me. At times, the winds were again so strong that it felt like we would be blown off the road. But as soon as we’ve reached the high desert the rain would subside and eventually stop. We made it back to Las Vegas without further delays or disturbances.

Although it was a rather wet weekend we still had tons of fun. Come rain or shine, we always seem to have a grand time in the City of Angels. And it looks like we’ll be back again sometime in April.

We still need to cash in those rainchecks for Magic Mountain. We’ll ride those darn roller coasters yet...

These palm trees just scream L.A.

On Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz, after we had the most scrumptious dinner at the Alcove. The blackened salmon I had was out of this world. We love that place.

The main reason for our trip to L.A. this time. George has never seen "Beauty and the Beast" before and I'm up for any opportunity to go back to the Pantages again. I love this theater.

Starstruck in Hollywood? George admiring some of the architecture along Hollywood Blvd.

Hollywood Boulevard at Vine Street, with the Hollywood sign on top of Mt. Lee in the background.

This is actually a relatively new neon sign but I love the retro feel of it.

This is one of the most famous murals that can be found in many of the side streets off Hollywood Boulevard. This particular one has been featured in countless magazines and is described in every imaginable travel guide and photo book published around the world.

The entrance of the relatively new W Hotel in Hollywood, right across the Pantages Theatre.

What would Hollywood be without a grand staircase? Inside the lobby of the W Hotel in Hollywood.

The lobby area of the W Hotel.

The bar inside the lobby area of the W Hotel.

The neon marquee of the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. This iconic movie palace from 1922 was recently renovated and is again open to the public.

The ornate chandelier inside the auditorium of the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. I love art deco and this theater is art deco in its purest form.

I took this photo of George right after the theater. It was a fabulous show.

I took this picture of the iconic Los Angeles city hall tower the next day. I love this photo. It was also rather hard to take photos with all this rain and strong winds. We actually enjoyed the rain since it basically never rains in Las Vegas. Angelinos didn't quite share our enthusiasm though.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavillion across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. It's L.A.'s opera house, but many Academy Awards ceremonies were held here before the Oscars moved to its permanent home at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood just a few years ago.

The Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall is a true architectural masterpiece. That very morning we decided to see the L.A. Philharmonics, hoping to still get some tickets. Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel with guest pianist Jeremy Denk, they played Beethoven, Mozart and a little Charles Ives. An interesting mix.

Another exterior detail shot of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Lots of wooden paneling inside the lobby areas of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Indoor detail photo of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Another interior detail shot of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall auditorium. We were lucky to find three seats together as the concert was nearly sold out.

A dark and rainy downtown Los Angeles. To the right is the Bonaventure Hotel with its massive atrium, which was used in countless movies. All of downtown has been used for films and TV shows for that matter.

The Simon brothers at Clearman's North Woods Inn in San Gabriel, an old restaurant that's been around for ages. George and Thomas had fun reminiscing the good old days.

George and I after having way too much food at the Clearman's North Woods Inn Restaurant. I think those cheese breads alone had over 10,000 calories, lol. But it was so good.

George and I stopped at Peet's in Pasadena on Lake Avenue to stock up on coffee for the next few weeks. A luxury we'll never let go. Here's George enjoying some freshly brewed Peet's coffee. It's just simply the best coffee around. I also found my new favorite pastry there, a Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffin. Yum!

Low clouds hanging over the San Gabriel Mountains, near George's old neighborhood. It's usually on the way and we almost always are getting gas here since it's one of the cheapest in the greater L.A. area. Pssst...don't tell anyone. ;) Besides, it is really beautiful here and always worth a stop. You should see it when it's warm and sunny.

On our drive through the Mojave Desert back to Las Vegas. While still in Los Angeles we were almost washed and blown off the 210 freeway. I thought the ocean was coming down. When it rains in California...it rains!!! Once in the high desert, we had snow, rain, sun and high winds. It's never boring along I-15.

Somewhere in the middle of the Mojave Desert, on the I-15 freeway. In the higher elevations it was snowing and some views of the mountains were just beautiful.