FREE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have ONE day off during SongFest, and it is Sunday, June 17.  What a great day! I slept in, and met Nathan at 10:30 to go to brunch.  We went to some famous place down by the Staples Center, and the line was really long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So, we went next door :)  Pancakes and coffee!  Num!

Not sure what I was trying to capture, but it is kind of a funky shot.

We then took public transportation (BUSES!) to Dodger Stadium, where we watched a Dodgers and White Sox game!  Awesome stadium (old school, 70s colors, one big speaker instead of surround sound, no HD score board, etc.)  We had no idea the stadium is basically built into a hillside and the vista of mountains is incredible.  We sat at the third base line, in the shade, perfect view of field and surrounding valley.  And, the Dodgers won the game in an extra inning!!!!!!!!!!

Riding public transportation with my buddy and my hat, purchased on the street from a dude for $5

Back to Colburn for a quick bite (turkey burger!!!!!!!!!!!!! yum!), slight freshen up and added a trusty cardigan, and got (stole, really..) a cab and headed to Hollywood!  $31 later I was in front of the Kodak Theatre (now called Dolby Theatre since Kodak no longer exists) and got a rush ticket to "Iris" by Cirque du Soleil."  I have always really thought they were "out there" but I really wanted to see the theatre.  The theatre is AMAZING, and because I went by myself I got a primo seat, in the middle of the orchestra!Whoa!

The show was about the history of cinema, and there were strange sections of course, and an odd, not really funny, comic relief of the "ugly girl" who is in love with someone she can't have.  But, there were acrobats, bendy ladies, trapeze artists as expected.  BUT, the second half was AMAZING.  There were three huge scenes that kept me from breathing--the opening of the second half was a huge montage of the big studio years (Tarzan, creatures from the lagoon, etc. as well as all the behind the scenes characters) that was astounding.  The entire stage was open and they used every inch.


The one that really blew me away was the tribute to film noire.  An entire rooftop of the city scene with fights, mobsters, machine guns, and brawls, all with trampolines (that you couldn't see.  So it looked like they were falling off a roof and then they'd bounce back up, or up in a different direction and land on a different roof or level.  Holy cow it was one of the most amazing pieces of choreography I've ever seen.  No pictures in the house so I hope I can find some on the inter webs.  I did take a few clandestine photos:

Kodak is beautiful!  I am picturing all the stars who have sat in the seat where I sat!

The last amazing thing was five trapeze artists above our heads, while the stage was filled with the cast and other trapeze artists.  And then they dropped glitter and confetti down on us!  I found some down my shirt later that night, and this morning in the shower one appeared from somewhere!  These pictures of the ceiling are taken from my iPhone in my lap, so they aren't very good but they will help me remember that incredible, incredible effect.

I met a moviestar afterwards (by the way, the "movie star" from an earlier post was really Nathan Wyatt the singer :)  ) and was pretty much in heaven over the foyer and I could imagine the red carpet with the stars of yesteryear on it.  A strange reminder that the theatre is in a mall, though, and the stars walk past chocolate shops on their way to their Oscar Ceremony seat. 

Look Mom, I met Vivian!

The Mall

Formerly the Kodak Theatre

"The" stairs

The panels on the right and left are Oscar winners back into the 40s

Me and the seamstress of "Iris"

And, the evening was not over!  I got outside at 9:15 or so, and it was hopping!  Lots of people out and about, including Darth Vader, a silver machine man, Michael Jackson, and other strange people, as well as families, tourists, and shady peeps.  I decided to go to a movie!  I had asked around, and the Grauman's Chinese Theatre was recommended as an authentic movie-going experience.  So, I went to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" at 9:40.  It was a great movie, nice theatre (though much smaller than I would have guessed), great sound, and really comfy seats.  And almost no one was there!  I had a great time!  Here are my feet and the screen!

Me in the Chinese Theatre Lobby

Checked out several cabs, picked a guy with a nice face and he took me back directly to Colburn.  I felt totally safe during the entire adventure, and  I got to do two things I really wanted to do!

Slept tight!  By the way, my hiking/walking sandals, which I bought for the Spain/Portugal trip and are fairly ugly, are so comfortable!  My feet didn't hurt at all when I got up this morning!

I love LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!