Grammy Weekend

I've been really busy this week, have started getting sick, and just didn't really have anything I wanted to write about, so I'm just going to talk about last weekend when my buddy Paul and his sister Angie came down to LA to attend the Grammys and visit me. Maryann writes a daily nutrition blog in this style, so I thought I would try it too.

 Grammy Tickets

They won a contest on Kube 93 in Seattle, which paid for their airline tickets, Grammy tickets, and hotel stay. For some unkown reason, the hotel that the radiostation booked was way down in Anaheim, about an hour south of my house.

Map of LA: My house in purple, downtown LA in orange, LAX in pink, and Anaheim in yellow.

So we all figured it would be best if they crashed at my place so they wouldn't have to pay for an outrageous taxi to and from the Staples Center in downtown LA where the Grammys were being held. On Saturday afternoon, Maryann and I went to get them from the airport.

Maryann and I drive to pick them up at LAX.

After we left LAX, we all decided to go to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre, where the celebrities place their hand and footprints into concrete.

Paul and I in the front seat with the roof down.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

The four of us outside Grauman's.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Terminator and former Governor of CA

Hollywood Walk of Fame

With Shrek outside of the Wax Museum

Sunday morining, we went to Toast, a trendy Los Angeles breakfast spot, hoping to see some celebrities. Sadly, we had no luck. But the food was delicious!

Later that day, Paul and Angie got dressed up for the award ceremony and I drove them to the train station, because taking the train is twice as fast as driving through downtown.

Lookin' sharp! (This is outside my apartment)

The Grammys were pretty entertaining to watch on TV and Paul and Angie said they had fun. I enjoyed Eminem, Rhianna, and Dr. Dre, of course, but I think the best performance was Cee Lo Green in a crazy red bird costume surely inspired by Elton John.

On Monday morning, their last day in LA, we woke up and drove to Venice Beach. Venice is very unique. It is not at all the type of beach where you bring a simsuit and towel (you can, I just never have). The Venice Beach strip is filled with small businesses and street vendors. Definitely worth checking out if you're in LA.

 View of the Venice boardwalk.

Muscle Beach: An outdoor weightlifting facility

After Venice, we went to In-N-Out, the best fastfood burger on the West Coast! Waaaayyyyyyyyy better than Dick's. I know everyone in Seattle thinks Dick's is the greatest, but I honestly don't even think its good. Period. Yeah, I'd rather go to Burger King, McDonald's, or Jack in the Box.

All in all, it was a really fun weekend. I especially liked being the guide, instead of the tourist. It made me feel like I had actually become assimilated into this city. Even though Paul and Angie probably left pretty skeptical with my navigation skills. Oh well, I'll be better prepared next time.

Next week I'll try to run a real article. Feedback/suggestions/comments always welcome. Thanks!