#116~La La Land

Escaping the cold and winter blues of Boston we headed to La La Land.

Typically, I don’t fall for musical type movies but for some reason I have become captivated by the movie La La Land. Not sure if it’s the plot or the music probably both. It just sparks joy in my heart.

As you recall the movie was robbed of an Oscar for Best Picture in 2016 when Faye Dunaway incorrectly announced La La Land the winner on stage when it was actually Moonlight.

Like the song in the movie, Another Day Of Sun we kicked off everyday with bright sunshine.

I can’t think of a better way to start a day than a swim in a 50 meter outdoor pool. Pool #116 was the Culver City Plunge. I grabbed a bit of extra shut eye and got to the pool around 6:30am swam with a couple of fast swimmers a former Olympian and an English Channel swimmer. A masters coach on the deck complimented my wounded moth stroke aka butterfly and said I should join his masters workout the next day. That was certainly a bright start to my day!

We were then off to idyllic Paradise Cove for a brief rest bit and lunch where we were just Someone In The Crowd with the beautiful people in Malibu.

The the next day I went back to pool #92 at Loyola Marymount University to swim with the Southern California Aquatics Masters crew (see pool #92 blog-#92 & a week of opposites). A fantastic sunrise greeted us as we took the plunge into the 50 meter pool. By 8:00am I had started the day on a high was ready for what all Saturday would bring.

To feel like we really had really taken advantage of the City of Stars there were two big activities planned for the weekend.

First up was the iconic Getty Museum set in the Santa Monica Mountains straddling Westwood and Brentwood. It was gorgeous day and Shannon, Ryan and I got there just before it opened. The Getty is a jewel for Los Angelenos. Admission is free and the setting, the grounds and architecture are stunning. Our visit was a true highlight of our trip to the City Of Angels.

On Sunday, we enjoyed Another Day Of Sun by making it a beach day. After a walk, we hit Abbott Kinney for a light breakfast and then made our way to the Venice boardwalk on Uber bikes and scooters.

Eventually, we found ourselves at Tower 26 where we set up camp for a few hours of resting, reading, watching Ryan surf and a couple quick dips in the cool Pacific Ocean.