La La Land

Marla and I attended my cousin Nancy's baby shower in Los Angeles.  It was thrown by her sister, Leah (on the left), and located inside a small banquet room at Maggiano's Little Italy.  What a great place to have a baby shower, good food and no stress about the clean up.  

We decorated onesies, wrote messages on diapers, and played a 'guess the powder' game (nope... one of the answers was not cocaine).  

Nancy is due at the end of August.  It really puts our last trip to Japan in perspective considering she discovered that she was pregnant while we were there.

After the baby shower Marla and I set off to explore.  First thing on the list was the Hollywood sign.  

I know we are far away but it is still hard to believe that each of these letters are 45 feet tall.  

Next up- Rodeo Drive.  

It is amazing to see how the other half lives (well, more like the other 1%).  

Ice cream at Sprinkles is incredible, to say the least.  I have to take Fred here now.  When I told him about the cupcake ATM he almost had a heart attack.  He said it is a good thing that there are no cupcake ATMS near us, but was incredulous that more businesses are not on board with the idea.

Investors in the Cookie Diet business must feel duped that it was unsuccessful.  

How could they have possibly known they were throwing their money away!?

We ended the evening at a gourmet Chinese restaurant, Xi'an, with vermicelli, vegetable dumplings, and signature martinis.  It was delicious.  And its reputation is so good that a homeless lady periodically walked by asking diners on the patio if they would buy her dinner.  

I spent many years of my life watching Beverly Hills 90210 but this was my first time experiencing it.  

Even homeless people are spoiled here.