A couple of dear friends were in town this weekend, and I dragged them around for hours every day showing them interesting things in Los Angeles.
These things included standard fare, such as the Griffith Observatory and Sunset Junction, the Natural History Museum at Exposition Park, the double whammy of the Museum of Jurassic Technology and the Center for Land Use Interpretation, and the Bonaventure, our own postmodern icon. We found over time that our meandering, which involved a lot of bus rides and a lot of walking, was greatly enhanced by Bobby bringing his bicycle and playing scout. I happily wander all over my city, finding new bus lines and walks that connect various parts I know, and it can be a doozy dragging friends along on these excursions. The bike scout made it more feasible because he went ahead and checked things out, ensuring that I wasn't leading us all into a food desert or Skid Row after dark.
For example, we decided that one round of expensive drinks at the Bonaventure was enough, and that we should head to Little Tokyo for dinner, but we did not know if the restaurant we liked was open on Memorial Day. Bobby rode over and checked it out, while the guests and I trotted along on foot.
On a side note, the bird hall at the Natural History Museum has a drawer full of bird heads. And stay away from Tiki Ti on Sunset unless you want to spend $12 on a mix of cheap booze and Kool Aid, all while being aurally assaulted by Steely Dan. See, it's nice having visitors cause you learn new things about your town!
