Sorry about the click bait title but I never know what to call these posts. When things are moving quickly and there is lots going on there are always lots of little things we did that don’t fit in anywhere but I want to post them. So I often gather them all together and do one post. First and foremost one day while I was sick Lee went down to Hollywood and ate at Mel’s Diner and got a cool picture of himself with a star. One of the locals had letters you could temporarily put on and Lee thought it was a genius idea. Most importantly though Lee was in a store and out of the corner of his eye he saw Henry Winkler. Yes folks Fonzie was buying bobble head dolls and although he wouldn’t do a picture with Lee (didn’t want to start a mob) Lee got to chat with him for a moment and The Fonz gave him a hug. I think it was that moment that Lee fell in love with Hollywood and seriously it was a cool moment.
Another day we went to The Original Farmer’s Market. Basically this area has lots of permanent vendor all specializing in food and although it was cold and raining it was pretty cool. Be aware this is a big tourist area and pretty cramped for space, so highly recommend going early and on a weekday day if you can.
Next we visited Chateau Marmont which was a HUGE deal for Lee. This is old school Hollywood and lots of historical events have happened here including this is the place John Belushi died. The hotel is known for its absolute complete discretion and it was a place for people to stay if they were up to no good (Lindsay Lohan lived here for a year.) When we pulled up it said no outside guests allowed, but Lee being Lee went in and charmed the front desk manager and he said we could have lunch. The lunch (in my opinion) was medicore but Lee was absolutely giddy about being there and that was a lot of fun to watch. The hotel really does have an amazing history, just google it and read some of the articles.
After we went to Chateau Marmont we stopped at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This iconic hotel has been in tons of movies and we both really wanted to see it. We were thrown however when we were told valet parking ($15) was required. This always annoys us because we have the dually and they always pull the truck forward less than 20 feet when they park it. Our original plan was to get a bite in the cafe but it was packed so instead we took a quick look around and then left. Although no one said anything I felt super uncomfortable. Lee is great with feeling at home in and owning any space he is in but that’s not something I am always good at. To be clear no one did anything to make me feel uncomfortable I just felt like I was in a place I shouldn’t be.
After seeing the Beverly Hills Hotel Lee drove by this really funky place, the Spadena House, which is another Hollywood/Burbank/Beverly Hills historic location. It’s also been in several movies and have to say the structure was like nothing I have ever seen before. You really should take a moment to read about it and this article also gives you a look at the interior.
What else? Well we finally got to see Nokatomi plaza (The Fox News building used in Die Hard) and I am not sure what I was expecting but that was a bit of a bust. We’re going to go back to see the inside soon, Lee has a friend who works there, maybe seeing the interiors will be more fun. We also ate at a famous old school restaurant in Burbank called The Smokehouse and that was pretty fun. The prices (for LA) were reasonable and the old school vibe was great. Lee said his Caesar was one of the best he has ever had and since he used to make them from scratch tableside in a fancy restaurant that’s saying something. My prime rib was really good too.
Finally a friend of Lee’s that he used to work with took us on a personal tour of Disney Studios backlot and the ABC building. She works for them and seeing where she worked and meeting people was really cool. We didn’t have access to all the places but the visit to the Company Store was awesome!! There is so much history here and we really appreciated her taking the time to walk us around. Lee was completely floored when he saw that they had an original multi-plane camera that the Disney company invented in the early 1930’s to make animation. Without this none of the animated films we all know and love would ever have been possible. Again, take a moment to read about it, it’s pretty amazing.
That’s all the extras…next up Graystone Manor, an iconic location of many TV shows and films.
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Camper Chronicles 
You guys are having fun! A Fonzy hug, awesome. Loved the history of the witches house. Not familiar with it. Always great to have a friend get you behind the scenes.
Lots o’pics!!! Love it and looks like you are having a great time!!
This was an awesome post!
Thanks for doing this blog. I am a regular reader.
What are you doing with your dog when you visit places where you can’t take him?
I assume he stays in your fifth wheel. Was it difficult to get him used to being alone?
It would be very helpful if you could write on your logistics with your dog while full timing. Anything that you think is different and worth knowing for people who currently live with a dog in a house and consider full-timing.
Hi Helene. RVing with a puppy can definitely be challenging. We spent the first five years with no dog and I loved the freedom of that. I missed having a dog though. When we got Jack he was five months old and thankfully very close to potty trained. Every aspect of this life, hours in the truck, changing locations, etc has been a steady stream of easing him into it. As a basic rule I think I compare what his life is to what his life would be if we still lived in a house. If it’s better I try not to baby him to much. If it’s worse I make adjustments to give him more. Sorry if that’s on the vague side but I spend a lot of time worrying about him but largely he seems fine lol
Oh and yes he stays alone in the RV but we limit it to 8 hour shifts same as if we worked outside the home
Thanks so much for replying.