Tuesday, February 2, 2016

CALIFORNIA OR BUST PART 2.......Hot Dogs..Chimps..Chimps and More Chimps!

EVERYONE ALWAYS HEARS ABOUT LOS ANGELES' HORRIBLE TRAFFIC......
NOW I REALIZE THEY MEAN THE HIGHWAYS.....BUT....
I GIVE YOU DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC...
IN THE FIVE DAYS WE WERE IN CALIFORNIA WE EXPERIENCED ZERO TRAFFIC....
AND YES WE DID DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAYS....
I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT.....
NOW YOU WANT TO TALK TRAFFIC....SEE ALL THOSE CARS....
THEY ARE PARKED...AND THEIR PASSENGERS WERE ALL OUT WALKING....
WHAT I WOULD GUESS TO BE A 2 MILE WALK.....UPHILL...
TO THIS....
THE GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY......
UNBELIEVABLE.....
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE....
CARS AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE....
AND PEOPLE WALKING....
LIKE IF YOU MADE IT TO THE TOP SOMEONE WOULD GIVE YOU
A MILLION DOLLARS.....OR IN MY CASE....
 TOM SELLECK IN THE BUFF......
THANK GOODNESS FOR THE
"HANDICAPABLE" TAG...
WE JUST FLASHED THAT PUPPY AND DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE TOP
AND GOT THE LAST PARKING SPACE RIGHT OUT IN FRONT....
HEY...YOU'VE ALL SEEN MY WONKY FOOT!!
I SEEM TO THINK THEY WEREN'T DOING ALL THAT WALKING JUST TO
GET A GOOD VIEW OF THE INFAMOUS HOLLYWOOD SIGN.....
BUT MAYBE THEY WERE...
ON OUR WAY UP WE SPIED THIS GINORMOUS HOUSE BEING BUILT AND
DAUGHTER SEEMED TO THINK IT COULD HAVE BEEN
MOHAMMED HADID'S HOUSE
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WATCH THE
HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS...

HE IS
YOLANDA'S EX.... 
BACK DOWN ON LEVEL GROUND THERE WERE THREE PLACES I WANTED TO
EAT  IN L.A.
PINK'S HOT DOGS...
THE IVY...
AND FABIO OF TOP CHEFS RESTAURANT......
UNFORTUNATELY FABIO'S WAS UNDER RENOVATION BUT WE DID
HAVE SUNDAY BRUNCH AT THE "IVY"
NOT AS GLAMOROUS AS IT APPEARS IN MOVIES....
THE PICKET FENCE WAS IN GREAT NEED OF A PAINTING....
BUT INSIDE WAS FABULOUS WITH ROSES EVERYWHERE...
FRESH ROSES!!
AND FLORAL FABRICS AND CHECKS AND PRINTS....
VERY COOL...
WE HAD TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES FOR A TABLE ON THE OUTDOOR PATIO
AND WE WERE GIVEN CHAMPAGNE AS WE WAITED... 
THE FOOD WAS GOOD.....
I HAD AN OMELET AND DAUGHTER HAD EGGS BENEDICT ON A
CRAB CAKE....
TWO YEARS AGO WHEN DAUGHTER WAS IN L.A. SHE BOUGHT ME
THAT FABULOUS HAND PAINTED PITCHER...
UNFORTUNATELY THE SHOP NEXT DOOR THAT SELLS ALL THE MATCHING
DISHES AND CUPS AND THINGS WAS CLOSED ON SUNDAY.... 
WE SAT.....LISTENING TO "HOLLYWOOD"
PLASTIC SURGERY LADIES MAKE ASSES OUT OF THEMSELVES
BEING VERY BOISTEROUS AND OBNOXIOUS.....
THEY WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THEY WERE THERE....
EVERY FACE LOOKED LIKE THEY HAD ON A MASK....

AND NOW WHAT YOUR ALL WAITING TO HEAR ABOUT.... 
THIS IS ELI....HE IS THE CHIMP I WAS SUPPOSE TO HAVE A "ONE ON ONE"  ENCOUNTER
WITH....SOMETHING I HAVE DRIVEN YOU ALL CRAZY ABOUT FOR YEARS
AND YEARS NOW....
I HAVE AWAYS WANTED TO SEE A BABY CHIMP IN PERSON AND WITH
CHIMPS BEING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES USING THEM IN THE
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY IS DYING....ADD PETA TO THE MIX
AND POOR ELI IS THE ONLY ACTIVE WORKING CHIMP LEFT IN THE BUSINESS....
BUT ELI IS NOW 5 YEARS OLD....
ALMOST TO THE AGE WHERE HE WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO
INTERACT WITH HUMANS....
WHEN I RECEIVED THE CONFORMATION E-MAIL TO SEE ELI
THE WOMEN MENTIONED THAT ALONG WITH THE FACT THAT HE WASN'T
FOND OF OLD PEOPLE???? (SHE ASKED IF I LOOKED OLD)..... IF HE GOT UPSET HE COULD BITE....YOU READ THAT RIGHT....HE COULD BITE ME...
FOR $900.00 EVEN WITH IT BEING A LIFETIME DREAM....
AND THE FAMILY SUGGESTING I MIGHT WANT TO KEEP MY FACE INTACT...
I HAD TO UNHAPPILY DECLINE....
SO THEN WHAT DO YOU DO....
YOU GO TO THE LOS ANGELES ZOO WHERE THEY HAVE THE COUNTRIES
LARGEST FAMILY OF CHIMPS...THERE HAD TO BE 13 OR 14 OF THEM...
NO THIS ISN'T A CHIMP.....
JUST VERY COOL......
PICTURES OF A GIRAFFE.........
THIS.....IS A FULL GROWN CHIMPANZEE....
HE LOOKS LIKE A GORILLA.....
AND HE WAS ONE MEAN MONKEY.....

HE WAS HOLLERING OUT SOMETHING HE WAS UNHAPPY ABOUT....
REMINDED ME OF THE BOSS....
AND I WAS CORRECTED BY A VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE WOMEN
WHO WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME IN FRONT OF THEIR ENCLOSURE...
MONKEYS HAVE TAILS....
CHIMPS DO NOT....THEY ARE APES.....
THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.....
WHEN I FIRST DISCOVERED ELI THIS IS WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE.....
HOW ADORABLE...WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO CUDDLE THIS
LITTLE GUY....
HE WAS 4 MONTHS OLD....

LOVE.....LOVE.....LOVE...... 

I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH....
AFTER ALL THIS IS WHAT I DRAGGED DAUGHTER ALL THE WAY
OUT TO CALIFORNIA TO SEE.....
I PROBABLY STOOD TAKING PICTURES FOR OVER AN HOUR....
THIS POOR OLD GIRL WITH HER DROOPY BOOBS.....
IF THE BOSS WAS AN APE.....THIS WOULD BE HIM....
WHY STAND WHEN YOU CAN SIT....WHY SIT WHEN YOU CAN LIE DOWN.....
NOT ONLY DROOPY BOOBS BUT LOSING HAIR TOO......
POOR BABY......
PROBABLY NO TEETH EITHER :(
THE ORIGINAL
SEE NO EVIL....HEAR NO EVIL...SPEAK NO EVIL....
FROM BEHIND!
GIVE THE OLD GUY A BREAK.....
HE IS 43 YEARS OLD....
THEY DON'T SEEM TO AGE VERY WELL.....
AT LEAST THEY EVENTUALLY GROW IN TO THEIR EARS....
THIS WAS AN ADORABLE MAMA AND HER BABY....
WE HUNG AROUND UNTIL FEEDING TIME.....AND I GUESS THAT SAID IT ALL
FOR THE SAFETY OF BEING AROUND THESE CREATURES....
THE HANDLERS STOOD UP ABOVE THEIR LARGE PEN AND THREW
BANANAS AND TOMATOES DOWN AT THEM...
I FINALLY REALIZED THESE ARE NOT ANIMALS TO BE RECKONED WITH....
THEY ARE HUGE....STRONG....AND CAN BE VERY MEAN....
EVEN WITH EACH OTHER....


AS FOR ELI...
I DO HOPE HE GETS TO REMAIN WITH PEOPLE AND THAT HE LIVES A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE 
SUNDAY NIGHT FOUND US GOING OUT FOR A MIDNIGHT RUN TO
PINKS FOR HOT DOGS....OF COURSE....
YOU KNOW ME AND MY LOVE OF THE DOG....
WE PULLED UP TO A LINE DOWN THE BLOCK...A GOOD SIGN
WE KNEW IT HAD TO BE GOOD....
AFTER GETTING INTO AN ARGUMENT WITH THE PARKING LOT
GUY FROM CHIPOTLE FOR USING THEIR
HANDICAP SPOT WE DID SOME FINE DINING....
A LARGE FRY AND A COKE....
A CHILI DOG AND ONE
"CARL REINER" DOG...
HOT DOG WITH MUSTARD AND KRAUT!!
CRUNCHIE SKIN DOGS....THE BEST!
MONDAY WE TOOK A DRIVE DOWN TO VENICE BEACH....
DIDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE CAR....
IT LOOKED A BIT SEEDY....
SO WE DROVE BACK TO THE SANTA MONICA PIER......

IT WAS A GREAT PICTURE TAKING SPOT.....

THIS IS NOT A BLACK AND WHITE PICTURE.....
IT REMINDS ME OF A SILHOUETTE 
THIS WAS SOMETHING YOU COULD PAY TO DO....
BECOME AN AMATEUR TRAPEZE ARTIST...
THIS PERSON DID VERY GOOD... 



IT WAS COMING TO THE END OF OUR LITTLE TRIP.....
TIME TO GET OUT TO THE AIRPORT.....
 

AND IN TYPICAL SUE FASHION HERE IS THE ONE
OUT OF PLACE PICTURE.....
THIS WAS TAKEN IN BEVERLY HILLS...
I BELIEVE IT WAS ON THE FRONT OF THE TIFFANY BUILDING.....
 
THE BEAUTIFUL WEST COAST SURF......
MAYBE I'LL COME BACK SOMEDAY....
CERTAINLY NOT ON JETBLUE!!

AND THAT'S THE END......

A BIG BIG THANX TO DAUGHTER.....
FOR THE TRIP AND FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY ANTICS.....
I THINK SHE WOULD HAVE DONE BETTER 
TRAVELING WITH A CHIMP....

P.S.........
AFTER GETTING BACK TO NEW YORK I HEARD THAT YOU CAN HAVE AN ENCOUNTER
WITH A CHIMP FOR $100.00 AT A PLACE IN MYRTLE BEACH S.C.
IT'S CALLED THE
T.I.G.E.R.S. PRESERVATION STATION...
WHERE WAS SUE BACK IN SEPTEMBER???????.....
YES....THAT'S RIGHT....
CHARLESTON S.C.
ABOUT AN HOUR SOUTH OF MYRTLE BEACH....

ONLY ME.





7 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I must say I'm glad you passed on the close encounter with the chimp. They get pretty aggressive as they age! It still looks like you had an awesome time. No RHOBH sightings? The last bit just gives you another reason to take a trip to Myrtle Beach!
hugs,
Linda

Terra said...

This was fun reading about your trip. Your parking placard came in handy in avoiding that long uphill walk. Maybe you will hang out with the chimp closer to your home in future.

Anonymous said...

FUN fun Fun !!!
Looks like you had a great time! Love the pics of the chimps, great expressions and I'm with you about the baby chimp..would be awesome to play with him. Okay, just have one question...WHY didn't you go to SUR or Villa Blanca???? You might have seen Jiggy!
Rose Harrison

Chatty Crone said...

Okay first of all that older ape looks like my hubs, not yours!
Next Venice Beach is seedy. Glad you left.
Was that you in a wheelchair?
It is never to late to go see the chimp in S.C!!
Those hotdogs looked good.
Looks like you saw so much and had a wonderful time with your daughter.
Thrilled for you!

Cheri said...

Looks like a fabulous time but I was expecting to see you being a trapeze artist...no one dared you?
Now you need to go to Charleston to get your chimp on, at least it isn't too far away.

Ellen said...

So glad you opted out of the chimp experience. You don't want to wind up like the lady in Connecticut who had to have a face transplant because the chimp chewed her face off. Not a good thing. And why didn't you have the Martha dog? Now that might be "a good thing".


Love you trip recaps. Looks like you had lots of fun and good mother/daughter time.

Mary Lee said...

What a trip! I had to stop and rest halfway through reading it!

I'm with you--I don't want to leave it up to a chimp to decide whether or not I look OLD!

You're only a state away from Myrtle Beach, so you can visit any time. I don't think they have "The Real Housewives of. . . " but they do have "Myrtle Manor," about life in a trailer park. LOL!