As much fun as all the reunions were, the absolute best part of my week was seeing my grandson Oliver. Up until this point I have only seen Oliver at his house, but my daughter Kyrston and her husband Jeremy were kind enough to drive 12 hours from South Carolina to Ohio to spend the week with me and my Dad. It was a long car ride but Oliver was “near perfect” largely in part due to the ingenious idea Kyrston had of giving him a small “new to him” toy every hour. When they finely arrived I was overcome with joy and absolutely loved the picture he had drawn for me on the ride up. A picture is worth 1000 words and I was lucky Jeremy captured the moment.

Although my Dad’s house didn’t have alot of toys it does have lots of land and we started by exploring the house and the land around it. Oliver was thrilled to be out of the car and Jeremy and Kyrston needed a drink 🙂 So I played tour guide. It was particularly wonderful seeing Oliver in places where my kids had been when they were little and I loved grabbing pictures that matched others I have with my kids.

We also had Donato’s subs (my absolute favorite) for dinner that night and Jeremy got to try it for the first time. We actually had lots of great meals that entire week, including a beautiful chicken marsala meal Jeremy made one night, and my favorite Chinese restaurant Ding Ho. Everything felt so nostalgic in the best possible way and experiencing it with my grandbaby was awesome.

Although my Dad’s farm is fun I will say Oliver has boundless energy and he started every morning with “Grammy are you awake?” and went non stop until 8:30-9pm. My step counter was on overdrive the whole week as we entertained each other. Since we didn’t have a lot of toys it was old fashioned fun and I learned what a wonderful imagination Oliver has.

The most fun game we played was when Oliver took painters tape and tied up Papa and I while we were watching the Olympics. It was super fun and I highly recommend buying painters tape for any kids you have in this age group. It sticks but not permanently and makes a fun spiderweb.

On the third visit day though I decided more toys were in order and since his birthday was only a month away Jeremy and I went to buy him his first big boy bike. He has never been on a bike before but jumped on and rode it right away. Not knowing how to brake was a bit of a problem in the store but we managed to pick a bike and even harder a helmet. We tried on several but eventually he picked the Spiderman helmet which matched his Spiderman bike.

Along with all the fun things we had lots of people come down. Instead of dragging him around folks came to him which made for a more pleasant week. They also got their pottery gifts when they made a visit and we had lots of people come by.

It truly was a fantastic week full of nice weather, beautiful sunsets, and incredible one on one time with Oliver. The last night he said I was the best Grammy in the world and I teared up. It was truly amazing.

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes

It’s been two years since I was in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and when I realized my 40th high school reunion was coming up I thought that would be a great time to go. I was also overdue on seeing my dad and my doctor so I scheduled everything for the same week. Luckily my Grandfather really wanted to do a big family reunion and when my cousin learned I was coming for the high school reunion he scheduled the family reunion for the prior Sunday. The schedule worked out perfectly because I could fly in on Saturday and out the following Sunday and do both events with the same vacation.

First I had to get there, and losing three hours going back east does make it feel like a long flight. Plus I wanted to take a bunch of pottery with me, and although I rarely check bags this time I checked two of them. I packed pottery in three plastic containers with tons of bubble wrap and only one piece broke in transit. I also tried something new and booked just the first leg of the journey first class which gave me free luggage including the extra heavy large bag. It also codes your luggage as “priority” and both times my luggage came out of the baggage claim first, which was awesome.

To be clear, I think domestic first class is an extravagance, but I waited until a week before and only paid an extra $140 going out and $100 coming back. Since my luggage would have cost anyway it was actually a pretty good deal. Anyway I arrived at the airport and my parents in-law (who live about 10 minutes away) picked me up. They also loaned me their spare car, which was super nice, and we spent about an hour hanging in their gorgeous garden before I made the 40 minute drive down to my dad’s house.

I was pretty tired when I got to Dad’s, and the jet lag was pretty bad, but I tried to sleep because Sunday was a big day. He really wanted to take me to his church and I was happy to go and I really enjoyed the service. I also met many of his church friends and got to see my Aunt and my high school general science teacher. He remembered me fondly which was really nice since he has a ton of kids come through his classroom.

Grove City is a small town, and although it drove me crazy as a teenager it’s nice running into people you know when you go places. After church we briefly went back to his house and then headed towards the family reunion. The reunion was for my mother’s side of the family, and since my parents divorce wasn’t great Dad wasn’t sure if he would go. My Mom’s dad reached out to him and personally invited him and I was glad that he decided to come with me. Both of my parents were the oldest children of oldest children and since I was also the oldest I really know my grandparents well. Grandpa Charlie is the only one still living, but he is doing great and living with his younger brother. Uncle Larry had three kids my age so I actually went to high school with two of my cousins. Suffice it to say everyone knows everyone in this town, and it was a really nice event. It was held at a nice clubhouse and the food was really great. Plus we got some nice family pictures.

Along with the family reunion I also got to see people I hadn’t seen in awhile. I didn’t get a picture but one of my favorites was seeing my cousin Kelly who has lived in Houston for the last 30 years and just moved back into town to be closer to her Mom. Her Mom and my Dad are together a lot and it was wonderful seeing her. I also got to see my daughter Kyrston’s good friend Eden and her wife Kim. I have known Eden since she was 7 years old and it was great seeing her.

My absolute favorite visit though was to visit our best friend’s daughter Marissa, who just had a baby boy. Some of you may remember that Mike’s early death to esophageal cancer 12 years ago was a big reason we went on the road, and we have tried to keep an eye on his kids from afar. I was worried I would be sad when I held his first grandchild but I was really happy that his legacy would continue. Mike was one of my favorite people on the planet and I have known his daughter since she was 2 years old. Special bonus I got to see his stepson Derek and his wife and it was a really special moment. When they were kids we all hung out together and we would throw the kids into a pile, let them play till they dropped, and sort them out at the end. It was a really special time in my life.

My last big reunion though was my 40th high school reunion. I was a little nervous to be honest, changing my clothes three times, but I finally went with what I felt comfortable in. We had a nice turn out (about 100 people in a class of 440) and I was super happy to see people I hadn’t seen in years. I actually got a $25 gift card for traveling the farthest from California and when people asked me why this year I said because folks are starting to die. Morbid but true, because we are all getting older and our class Facebook group keeps us up to date with who has passed away. I had a great time and was so happy that I had a chance to go.

I will say most of the women I could recognize but the guys looked very different and I wasn’t the only one having that issue. Our guidance counselor was also there and he wrote each of us a lovely note which was very nice. To be honest my high school experience was not the greatest since I didn’t really fit in any of the groups. But if nothing else it’s nice to see your peers and being a fulltime RVer and living in Los Angeles really upped my “cool factor” at this age. Several people asked about RVing and a few even read my blog which was nice.

After the reunion I called Lee and told him I thought our life was really great. Yes, it’s not without its challenges but overall I am very happy for the choices we have made.

Stay tuned for more on Columbus in the next post!

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes

I have started to write this post multiple times but the situation has been somewhat fluid and it’s always harder for me to write about what Lee is experiencing when I am not there. But because it matters to the overall story of our full timing, I am going to give it a shot, please just keep in mind that although he will review this post prior to it going out, the words are largely mine.

Let me start by backing up a little bit. In December 2022 we arrived in Los Angeles with the goal of spending a couple of months here sightseeing and doing touristy things, such as Disneyland, and some studio tours, and then moving on with our travel. Instead, Lee fell head over heels in love with LA, and decided he wanted to take me up on my long time offer of staying here for a while and trying to make a career in the television and movie industry. This was always Lee’s childhood dream, when other kids were playing ball, he was making movies with his friends. He actually got his first job to make money to buy film. That job is where we met each other, in fact, and he talked me into being a scantily clad villain’s girlfriend in a spy movie. He made his own films with those same friends, and me, all the way up until our third child was born, and he got his first real job doing “adjacent” work, which sort of fulfilled that creative need. Anyway, dragging a young family out to Hollywood on a dream wasn’t realistic when we were in our early twenties, but as soon as the last kid left the nest it was one of the things we talked about before deciding to full time.

Ten years ago he thought that that ship had probably sailed, but then we arrived here and he truly fell in love with this place. Things like weather, traffic, too many people, all of which drove him crazy in other places didn’t matter at all here, because he loved the history and the culture. Every time he came home from some errand or drive he would be full of excitement because he had seen something in person he had only ever seen in a movie, or stood where Chaplin, or Hitchcock, or DeMille stood. He was giddy to be in a place where names like Harry Cohn, William Fox, Carl Laemmle, Louis B. Mayer, Jack and Harry Warner, and Adolph Zucker weren’t just ink on paper in a book, but actual giants of history. He drove around town looking for places from 100 years ago and was amazed at how much of it was still there, right where it always was, just waiting for him to get here. For the first time in his entire life, he felt comfortable and at home. He walked into Chateau Marmont like he had been there a thousand times before, and was just popping in for a nightcap with Douglas Fairbanks before driving up to Griffith Park to look down at the carpet of twinkling lights.

This was his dream place AND it was living up to his expectations, which is a rare combination for anyone. I, of course, hated it, but I love my husband so I was determined to give it a chance.

So, how DO you break into the entertainment industry at this level? Well, it’s not easy. Most people who come here with big dreams wash out in the first year, and even the ones that stay end up working in “adjacent” industries. But Lee decided to go for the gold, to dream big, and so far has stuck with that plan. The beginning for him was complicated by two main things. First things had slowed down to a trickle in anticipation of a massive strike by both the writers and the actors. Lee made his decision in early April, and the writers strike began May 2. Then the actors went on strike on July 14. The writers strike ended September 27, but the actors strike didn’t end until November 9, making it one of the longest Hollywood work stoppage in history. Second, he got some bad advice from folks he knew who worked out here.

It turns out this is a company town, and just like any company, who you know or are related to matters, unfortunately a lot more than it should. There are lots of people working in the industry who only have their job because of a relative and it is VERY hard for outsiders to break in no matter what their talent level. Especially in the camera department, which we later learned is the most cliquish of a very clannish industry. None of the tips and tricks he was being given were getting him anywhere at all, and after many months of waiting and trying to get hired on the precious few projects that were happening during the strike, Lee spoke with a good friend of a good friend of his who gave him the best advice he had gotten so far. After that meeting he talked to me about volunteering for experience, credits and networking.

You have to build a reputation here and it’s all about your show credits. That shows that you are serious and have experience working in the unique environment here and no amount of outside experience matches having credits shot on films or TV shows in LA. Also most of those are union and you can’t get into the union without X amount of credits established so you see the chicken/egg problem. How do you get around that? You work for free.

When Lee first came to talk to me about this tactic I was all for it. First it would get him out of the house and secondly it would help build his network. I thought of it like an unpaid internship and it really changed things. First, he has been working steadily almost nonstop for nearly three months, and I will call it work because these are 10-12 hour days, on your feet, and the work he is doing is no less because he is volunteering. He has also met quite a few people in the industry which has led to one paid job on a commercial and one pilot shoot on spec. On spec by the way means you don’t get paid unless the pilot gets picked up. It’s unlikely this pilot will get picked up but it was a very good experience for him. He’s also learning a LOT of things. He already knew a lot, but the gaps are getting filled in fast.

Of the eight films he’s worked on, half of them have been for the American Film Institute (AFI) Master’s thesis films. These are shorts that have a base budget of $50K and the students are mostly from other countries. One of the films was in Hindi, and another was in Spanish, and he doesn’t speak either of those languages. The crews are made up of other students, but also industry people from every level, and even one very advanced high school student! (One of the things he has learned is that even long time industry pros need to meet new people and so they “give back” on these shorts to meet those new up and comers.) Lee’s initial “in” on his first AFI film was that he can (and is willing to) drive a box truck. He has a lot of experience driving these trucks and since there have been too many instances when inexperienced students drive them and have accidents they are always looking for drivers. The first person he met was a visual effects supervisor for Marvel movies who was the husband of the producer who “hired” him for that project and he was helping out his wife on her thesis, for free, just like everyone else.

Initially driving the truck was all they wanted him for, but Lee held firm and told them that if they wanted a truck driver he had to be given another role as well, and he felt his overall widely varied experience and knowledge would be useful on set. This was actually really great because it gave him an opportunity to work as a Prop Master, Unit Stills (take pictures of the set and behind the scenes), camera department utility (sort of like an intern for the camera department), and Second assistant camera (2nd AC). What was absolutely awesome abut this is with less pressure he could learn about what roles he likes and doesn’t like and in the end he decided his favorite was 2nd AC.

The 2nd AC is always in the middle of the action. They stand right next to the camera, with the director and the cinematographer, which he loves. He does everything from swapping out $80k lenses, swapping out filters, managing the power for the camera, moving and mounting the camera, maintaining detailed records of each shot and take for the editors, assisting the operator for handheld shots, assisting the Steadicam operator if needed, placing marks for actors, measuring the distance from actors to the film gate to snapping the slate at the beginning of each take. (He’s fond of saying he’s in every scene in the movie but his best stuff ends up on the cutting room floor) He also makes sure the DP and/or operator and 1st AC has everything they need. It is an insanely fast paced, intense job requiring tons of focus and the ability to track many details simultaneously while thinking ahead. Not surprisingly he is pretty good at it. The bad news though is the camera departments like to work with people they have worked with before, because anticipation of needs is important and only comes with time. That being said he has learned a great deal from these opportunities not just about what he likes to do but the general culture on the set.

Despite having nearly 40 years of solid experience in “adjacent” fields, Hollywood is like going from the minors to the majors. There are certain things that just aren’t done that an outsider wouldn’t know. For example, Lee wore a shirt one day that said “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it in post” which is an industry inside joke that essentially means we’ll let the editors figure it out. People were NOT amused. His DP quietly told him to never wear that shirt on his set again. When he came home that night the shirt went right into the trash can and he ordered one that said “We’ll fix it on set” for the next time he worked with that DP. As a general rule everyone loves his industry specific T-shirts but that one was not well received. Weird right? Well, culture is culture, which is another reason I think of it as an internship.

And physically he has learned he can take it. No one cares about how old he is, which he was worried about, but it is a very physical job and you have to be able to keep up. Thankfully Lee still has it, and another nice side benefit of all this work is he is down three holes on his belt. And on his first late night shoot all the young folks were staggering around like zombies at 2am and he was wide awake and bright eyed and full of zip, without even having any coffee. All those long days and late nights working for Mills James and at big concerts is still in there somewhere.

All in all he has learned a ton and the time was incredibly well spent. Plus, just look at him. Look at his face. He is energized in a way I haven’t seen for a long time.

Each project has led to the next. If people like you, and want to work with you, they ask for you. That part is working out exactly as it was described to him by others.

One of the other cool things about these projects is they use props from the major studios and prop houses at a deeply discounted rate. As a driver Lee has gotten to spend tons of time in a couple of prop houses along with other industry specific equipment providers. He loves the tech and has a blast those days just seeing what only insiders can see. Here are some pictures from one of his prop house visits. He was most excited about the long aisles of fake food. Gotta say it’s all very impressive.

Along with the prop houses he has gotten to go into some really cool locations. Three movie ranches, a couple of gorgeous homes in the Hollywood hills, and a neat cave. The locations have been very fun for him as well and with a different “office” everyday he is loving the variety and the challenges. This is where his age and life experience can really be a huge advantage. Several times he’s been able to step in to “MacGyver” a solution in one of the locations after nobody else could figure it out, and impressing the hell out of other people on the crew. I like those stories because it shows the difference between our generation and the younger ones, plus I always like when he comes up with unique solutions to problems. One DP told him she loved that he never came to her to tell her about a problem, he only told her what the solution was and that he had already taken care of it.

In any event he has been super busy but the school season is over and we both agree it is time to start trying to morph more towards paying gigs or at least non school related volunteer work. He has some ideas about that and we will see how that goes, but for now I am glad he is taking a break. Not only have I missed him but I have quite the long “honey do” list going 🙂 Seriously though, the last couple of months he has been happier than I have seen him in a very long time, and that is really great to see.

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes

It’s been eight years since we have had a second vehicle, and for us it was a decision made after lots of thought and discussion. Initially we went on the road with a second vehicle (I had a company car at the time) but after several months of travel I ultimately turned in my company car and we have been a solo truck family every since.

For me this was a huge transition, but rarely one I regretted especially when we were traveling a lot. It wasn’t the cost, we have had friends do studies on this and the savings in gas mainly make the second car costs a wash, but rather the fun of traveling together in the same vehicle from place to place. The times I did miss it were definitely when we were in one place for a length of time. For those times we tried to purchase Ebikes as an alternative but to be honest I have never been really comfortable bike riding in any place that has significant traffic.

Oh and I probably should mention I have had a second car fund just sitting since the beginning which was just enough (with some bonus money) to purchase a second vehicle. Still, we waited and it wasn’t until Lee started picking up some work here in LA that I thought I really need to do this. Yes I can Uber anywhere I want, but paying $18 (one way) to go to pottery every time was really bugging me, and I found myself going less often. I know, it’s actually less money in the long run, but what can I say I have a thrifty midwestern soul. That hasn’t changed!

As things often go for us once the decision was actually made things happened very quickly. Initially I thought I wanted to buy the vehicle in Florida and drive it here. I was going to fly to my Mom’s, test drive, buy and register it then drive it out. My Mom was totally on board with that plan and I found a dealership near her with the make/models I wanted (Hyundai Venue SEL) and started making calls.

Turns out even if you know exactly what you want, dealing with the dealership over the phone isn’t great and after talking to 6 different people on Day 1 (none of whom could answer my direct questions) I finally asked my Mom to go in person and see what they had on the lot. She went the very next morning and sat in the car I had picked (she really liked it) and put me in contact with a salesperson Manny from New York who understood the ins and outs of buying a car and getting it to another state.

I had gotten a quote from a third party vehicle shipper ($1350) and had decided that shipping would be much easier than driving five full days alone cross country. I wouldn’t have minded the drive so much but I would have to take vacation to do it and I wasn’t interested in that. When I asked the dealership about shipping I got multiple answers from “we don’t do it” to “it will cost $2K” and pretty quickly realized the shipping would be on me. That would be OK though because Mom was going to go pick up the car for me and take it to her place until the shipping company came.

The next and most important question then became about registration. When I say we couldn’t get a straight answer I mean that. I was fine with flying in and staying through the registration process but needed to know how long it would take so I could book my flight. I got answers ranging from “we do it all” you drive off the lot with real tags to “I have no idea” and after two calls to the DMV and looking at websites it still wasn’t super clear. Heck I am still not sure to be honest I got so many competing answers.

Still I was ready to make this all work especially after Manny verified there was one vehicle on the lot in my chosen color and make. This mattered to me because only the middle tier SEL has a sun roof and the top tier Limited had features I just wouldn’t need or want. So we found the car and I received the first quote via text. All the nonsense in the quote for additional fees didn’t bother me nearly as much as they quoted me $2K over sticker. Look, I am old school. I was not trying to negotiate some fabulous deal here, but I certainly was not going to pay more than sticker. That’s just dumb. Oh and did I mention the price jumped from $23,850 to $30K with all the extras? Seriously.

So I am super annoyed and trying to do all this around conference calls, but I redlined it and said I absolutely wouldn’t pay above sticker and after some nonsense about how the salesperson called in a special favor because he liked my Mom I got this quote back.

This quote was in my price range and although I knew I was still getting screwed I was like fine I will go test drive one here just to be double sure and then I will put down a deposit. Oh, I forgot to mention that the dealership will take your deposit to “hold” hold the car but was very honest about the fact that if anyone walked in they would sell it out from under you. Why the deposit then? Well they would move it off the main lot but if anyone wanted that specific car they were selling it. OK then well what was the point of flying in? And all the extra fees you see above were supposedly the cost of doing the entire transaction remotely. Since it would save me $700 or so on a flight I thought it was a wash but it still bugged me especially after the over sticker price initial quote. Basically I had no trust in their pricing, but at least it was in the ballpark.

I was committed to driving the car one more time though before pulling the trigger and if I couldn’t drive the exact vehicle I wanted to drive one just like it. I also wanted to see the colors in person before finalizing because some colors don’t look the same in person. So Lee found the exact make and model down in Long Beach which was an hour drive but worth it in my opinion. This experience was MUCH better. Lee chose that particular dealership because of the 10 he contacted, it was the only one willing to tell him if they had the car we wanted on the lot, and/or what the final “out the door” cash price was.

The young man we worked with was very nice and gave us a quote which was beautiful in its clarity.

Even though the taxes were a little more expensive the lack of a million other fees more than made up for it. At this point I jettisoned the idea of getting it from Florida and instead we started to explore just getting the vehicle registered here. Part of that was the Florida dealership refused to go below $27K and part of it was these folks were much nicer to deal with. I have been buying Hyundai’s since 2000 and like most of their dealerships and this was a good one.

This is where things started to get a little weird though and instead of working against us the dealer and his team worked with us and spoiler alert it all worked out. Let me walk you through it though. Basically we had two choices. We could drive the car off the lot and then remotely register it in Florida. Since the tax in California was slightly higher (7.25% CA versus 7% FL) we would not need to pay tax again and we would just need to wait until we received the title and then get a Sheriff or dealer to validate the VIN and register remotely, or we could register in CA.

Since we are getting closer to becoming CA residents we ultimately decided to go that route, but then we needed an address to send the title and tags to. That was a problem because our RV park doesn’t allow regular US mail sent to it (in order to stop us from declaring residency here) so we could use a PO box but needed any CA address on the form. They don’t validate the address so we could use any place but I was surprised that in a place that has so many homeless an address was a firm requirement.

Secondly we had to have insurance of course, and I thought this might be an issue but it turns out Progressive at least makes it easier to have a car insured in a separate zip code from your main. I also did some research on establishing residency and because of remote work husbands and wives can establish separate state residency because it follows the individual and not the couple. So essentially we decided to have Lee start the process of establishing residency for himself (and we put the car in his name) and I would maintain my separate residency until such time as we move into an apartment. The whole thing is a little goofy but I think we will be OK long-term.

The other weird thing was that even though we paid cash we had to get a credit check, which they called an “identity check” and fill out the full contract just like we were getting a loan. That slowed things down considerably but I sort of get why they needed to validate the money was coming from a clean source. Anyway 3.5 hours later we were done and started the loooong drive back with the new car. It took 2-1/2 hours to get back which is the worst traffic we have been in since coming here (5pm on a Thursday) but I now have a beautiful brand new car!!

Quick note for you car enthusiasts who are curious what you get for $26K. The car is their middle tier trim for this model, and has a sunroof which oddly the top tier does not. It also has lane notification which beeps if you are crossing close to someone (which I like) but not driver assist which moves the steering wheel, which is fine. I hate that, it freaks me out. It has a light on the mirrors when you are changing lanes and someone is too close which is great and key assist program where as long as the keys are on you you can lock or unlock doors simply which I love.

All this stuff is new to me because our truck is 2014 so its pretty cool but I didn’t want or need too many bells and whistles. The seat does have a manual way to make higher (good for me) but the seat adjuster is manual as well but again not a big deal. The back seat goes down in a 60/40 split (which I care about) and a backup camera. Anyways its done and I am excited especially the gas mileage which is 29 city and 31 freeway…hooray!!! Since it costs about $200 a tankful in the truck here that savings will add up fast!

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes

It’s no secret that I wasn’t very excited about an extended stay in LA but the one thing I was excited about was the food. For over 15 years I have been watching food shows (Top Chef Primarily) and hearing about the fantastic food scene in Los Angeles. When so many experts say the same thing over and over I believe it and combine that with Michelin Stars and other Food ranking systems and LA seemed like a target rich environment to try some great chef meals.

I knew enough about myself to know I wasn’t going to like all the kinds of food the city has to offer, but after extensive research I have a very long list of restaurants that were run by people I had seen on TV. When I say research I mean research. I went back and looked up every contestant who ever appeared on Top Chef and then tracked down the restaurant they were currently working at. Since lot of restaurants closed during COVID this wasn’t that easy of a task but after several hours I had my first pass. Then I looked at the menus to make sure I felt the food wasn’t to far outside of my personal. One of my favorite chefs for example is running a vegan noodle restaurant and although I appreciate where he is going the food isn’t my jam. Certainly not Lee’s!!

Lastly I looked at the restaurants seating and hours of operation. Many restaurants are open limited hours and the additional seating areas are outside which makes them a bit weather dependent. After adding up all of these factors, I had a smaller but still healthy list and we started knocking these out one at a time. Keep in mind that most of these meals were $200 or more plus parking but that was ok because I wanted to experience what I thought was the Pinnacle of culinary experience.

I am not going to list every experience out here but I will say that so far I would only return to one restaurant. They were all overpriced, which everything is in LA, but the food itself was supremely disappointing in almost every case. The sole exception to the food was the deserts were really good in every restaurant, but for me at least the starters and mains were supremely disappointing and in some cases not food I was willing to eat. I can count on one hand the amount of times I pushed food away in a restaurant but I have done that too many times here.

I should say the food is absolutely beautiful, delicately plated and a visual spectacle and the service that provides it is outstanding and consistently the best of anyplace I have been, but the food itself is either incredibly bland or over spiced to the point that you can’t taste the food itself. Let me give you an example. Recently we out to a Michelin star rated restaurant run by an Icon n the LA food scene. The chef herself was there that night and the first course was a Red Belgian Endive Caesar. It was gorgeous. A lovely tower or greens with a very good Caesar dressing and two (yes that’s right) lovely croutons. The problem was the bitterness of the Endive was so overwhelming that unless it was coated in sauce (which there wasn’t enough of) I couldn’t eat it. Ultimately I had like three pieces and pushed it away. Since this was a $19 salad I was obviously disappointed.

Now you could say, and it’s probably true, that I have an uneducated palette and there was nothing wrong with that salad but like all art you either like something or you don’t. In this case I didn’t and I don’t think I should have to apologize for that. By the way Lee ate his but wasn’t interested in eating the rest of mine. The next course Lee got was a braised pork shank. Again it looked absolutely beautiful and it was cooked perfectly, but it was incredibly bland and only had the slightest taste of apricot. When we asked for one of the side sauces, the chef herself we were told whipped up a tamarind sauce which was also extremely bland.

I should be clear here, the food is always perfectly cooked. If you ask for medium rare that’s what you get and the individual components are always at the right texture and temperature, but the seasonings are always off and since what you are paying for in a high end restaurant is the expertise in seasoning (at least I am) that’s incredibly disappointing. The one exception to this was Playa de Provisions where the seasoning was fantastic and each bite was a surprise and a little explosion to my taste buds. THAT is what a $150 meal (per person) should taste like and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect something close to that.

Most importantly I find myself asking why? Is it me? Is it them? I know I am making myself crazy but it’s a good question. It’s not like I am super picky. I grew up in Columbus which had great restaurants and every meal I have ever eaten in Chicago has been fantastic. So maybe it’s just my Midwestern palate. One of the coolest things about the LA scene is they have every cuisine in the world and I do mean everything. But I am not going to Ethiopian or Bhutanese restaurants (yes they have them) but restaurants where I think there are things I would like are on the menu.

So what is it? Well on the cruise we learned something interesting from the ships tour that I think might be part of the problem. The tour guide stated that all of the food had to come from the US on the cruise leaving from an American port but the European port cruises’ food was much better because the raw materials were better. According to him so much of the American food was genetically modified and you could really taste the difference.

That was interesting to me and I started thinking about how California cuisine had always relied on relatively simple preparation with the freshest of ingredients to create wonderful taste. It was a true movement starting in the 70’s and the idea was to let the food shine through. As a person who has had the opportunity to eat many meals with locally grown food I was all for that and indeed prefer this way of eating. We have had local herd beef in Texas, fresh seafood from the gulf coast, and crab legs in Alaska that have led to extraordinary meals in our travels. We have also of course had many mediocre meals but they didn’t advertise themselves as being the best of the best.

So maybe it truly is the raw materials (personally I have found the produce in the stores to be much worse than from Texas here. And I would say the same for the meat as well. Which is surprising because 40% of the nations fruits and vegetables come from California but maybe its all mass production. Restaurants in other parts of the country that don’t have access to the freshest understand they must do other things to elevate the food which may be the difference. Maybe the chefs buy into their own marketing and have lost the ability to be objective about their own food.

Or maybe it’s me. Either way I am going to stop with the high end restaurants for awhile and go back to what I really like which is small “hole in the wall” restaurants. Even if they are disappointing at least its easier on the wallet and who knows I might end up finding some nice surprises along the way. m

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