Robert's Updates: Trip to LA (part 1)

Over Labor Day weekend, Laura and I flew out to Los Angeles to visit her brother, James. While we were there we did a ton of stuff. There was very little time to relax because every second was packed with funtivities. Our first stop after getting picked up from the airport was the local food trucks near James's apartment. We got sliders at "The Greasy Wiener", korean BBQ tacos, and delicious lamb pitas. We were three for three on the food trucks. It would be nice if there was an army of food trucks around atlanta, or even better, North Fulton.

After lunch we zipped over to Burbank to get in line to see the live taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. We waited about an hour and half to get in, but get in we did. The guests on the show were Louis CK, Bristol Palin, and Sarah Bourelis (not sure on the spelling, and not sure I care). The Tonight Show band was spectacular. Also, Jay came out before hand to talk to the crowd and was surprisingly funny. He, by himself without queue cards, is much funnier than what you see on TV. Once the show started, it was like you were watching it on TV. It took the same amount of time because it was live to tape. Overall, a great experience.

After Jay Leno we dropped our stuff off at the Intercontinental Hotel and got ready for dinner at Lawry's. Lawry's is well known for their delicious primerib, so when it came to ordering we didnt mess around and just ordered the primerib....medium rare of course. There we celebrated James's graduation (a year and some months late, but hey, it got us a free piece of cake).

Delicious primeribs ripe for the cutting

James with his cake, of which I ate most of.

Laura and I in the lobby of the hotel.

The next day we roamed around Disneyland and California Adventure (equivalent of MGM studios in disneyworld). We followed the typical protocol of doing as many rides as fast as possible with no regard for human life. We bounced all over the parks getting fast passes and waiting in short lines and riding rides. It was crazy! We were lucky that the crowd was very light so we accomplished everything by 4 o'clock. After that I was exhausted.

That evening we went to see one of James's improv shows at IO West, a comedy club in LA. It was very funny and enjoyable. Following James's group was a more seasoned crew that was assisted by Tim Meadows. He's the Lady's Man from Saturday Night Live. So we stayed for that show and really enjoyed it. It was nice to peek into James's world because it's so much different than mine. My work involves keyboards, whiteboards, and being bored. His involves funny jokes, comedy clubs, and the Lady's man.

The next day (sunday) we met my buddy Craig for breakfast at "The Griddle". This place was named by Yahoo (authoritative body on most subjects) as one of the best pancakes places in the country. They weren't kidding! I got banana carmel pancakes, Laura got french toast with cheesecake stuff on top, and James got Red Velvet pancakes. I think Laura and I could have split one order because I could barely eat half of my stack.