January 4

Los Angeles

[I don’t now what this is, but it was the first photo taken back in the good ole U. S. of A.]

[Port of Los Angeles, a/k/a America’s Port, in San Pedro . . . ]

[In the wee small hours of the morning . . . ]

[Aboard our bus for the 20-mile ride north from the port to downtown. Our guide, a native New Yorker, of course, loves L.A.!]

[I suspect this is the Banc of California soccer stadium . . . ]

[An exciting look from inside the bus . . . ]

[The stadium, at Exposition Park, was completed this year . . . ]

[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, built in 1923, home of the 1984 Olympics and the University of Southern California football team . . . ]

[I’m not sure how they were able to land this here?]

[California African American Museum . . . ]

[St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church . . . ]

[Los Angeles Convention Center, or so it is claimed . . . ]

[The Staples Center is home for the basketball Sparks, Lakers and Clippers . . . ]

[Why yes, it is my place!]

[Grammy Museum . . . ]

[Shopping on Figueroa Street . . . ]

[Alexander Calder’s “Four Arches,” Bank of America Plaza . . . ]

[The Music Center with . . . ]

[The Walt Disney Concert Hall . . . ]

[The “Dragnet” building . . . ]

[The Broad, the new (2015) L.A. art museum . . . ]

[The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion And Music Center water fountain with City Hall (the “Dragnet” building) in deep background . . . ]

[Federal Court House . . . ]

[The parish church in the Plaza Historic District was founded as La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles (“The Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels”) on Aug. 18, 1814. The structure was completed and dedicated on Dec. 8, 1822. A replacement chapel, named La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (“The Church of Our Lady of the Angels”) was rebuilt in 1861 using materials from the original church (discoverlosangeles.com).]

[Olvera Street (Calle Olvera) is a historic district, and a part of  El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Los Angeles was officially founded in 1781, Olvera Street obtained it current name in 1877. Many of the Plaza District’s Historic Buildings are on Olvera Street, as well as some of the oldest Los Angeles monuments including the Avila Adobe built in 1818, Pelanconi House built in 1857, and the Sepulveda House built in 1887. The tree-shaded, pedestrian mall marketplace with craft shops, restaurants and roving troubadours is a popular tourist destination. The street has been described as a “Top Five” in the “Great Streets of America” journal (Wikipedia).  This is the entrance to Olvera Street . . . ]

[This was the only place where we stopped and exited the bus.  It’s L.A. afterall – I think this is the only place where there’s parking!]

[The plaza area . . . ]

[Yup, still the Feliz Navidad season . . . ]

[On my birthday!  I was only 3 at the time!]

[Quite a tree . . . ]

[Quite a bandshell . . . ]

[Leaving the area . . . ]

[Union Station . . . ]

[Los Angeles City Hall . . . ]

[This is the city, Los Angeles, California . . . ]

[Containing such as Sunset Boulevard . . . ]

[And “Hollywood” . . . ]

[How you know you’re in L.A. . . . ]

[Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards . . . ]

[Mann’s (Grauman’s) Chinese Theatre . . . ]

[It really is LaLa Land!]

[The siver ladies “Gateway to Hollywood” . . . ]

[Hop on the bus, Gus . . . ]

[It says Directors Guild of America . . . ]

[The first all nude strip club on Sunset Strip.  I guess that’s worth something . . . ]

[Somebody’s express line . . . ]

[Fred Segal, a big mall guy . . . ]

[Whisky a Go Go opened in 1964 and is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . . . ]

[Apparently a photo op . . . ]

[On Clampett alert!!]

[Not sure what they do here?]

[Beverly Hills Town Hall . . . ]

[The Super captures the moment . . . ]

[On the lookout for Homer Simpson . . . ]

[The appearance of gantry cranes means we’re heading back to the ship . . . ]

[The Vincent Thomas Bridge crossing Los Angeles Harbor linking San Pedro to Terminal Island . . . ]

[A more closer-upper view of the bridge . . . ]

[USS Iowa ship museum . . . ]

[American Merchant Marine Veterans Memorial . . . ]

[Back on board ship for our last night . . . ]

[Saying good-bye to new friends Winston and Sue Shindell, hoping to run into them again some day in Bloomington, Indiana . . . ]

[Our last outdoor deck fine dining . . . ]

[I like this!!  I could do it on a regular basis!]

[Once again playing with fire . . . ]

[Leaning over in direct violation of maritime law . . .]

[New musicians in the Atrium.  The Classical Trio disembarked in L.A. to head back to Hungary . . . ]

[And the piano player, known simply as Grego, is also from Hungary . . . ]

[Say goodnight, Ruthie!]

January 5

This is the day we left the ship for the last time.  It’s now April 25, 110 days later, when I’m finally wrapping up the report of the 22-day trip.  Go figure!  Surprisingly, two-thirds of the travel mates we left on the ship are still on it – at last report they had reached the Mediterranean Sea enroute to the final destination of London.  I cannot imagine staying on the boat that long.

[The Super bids our final adios to the sea . . . ]

[And the Norwegian flag . . . ]

[And the full moon . . . ]

[And Percy, who took care of us and our room!]

Once a year, go somewhere you’ve never been before.  ~  The Dalai Lama

Up Next:  Regular stuff . . .