Today it seems that I am adjusting to the time zone change and the fact that I went from a city of millions yesterday to a town of 20,000 today. It is a bit of a culture change. My mother went home to her town of 3,000 and I can imagine that she is now adjusting to country life again.

Some friends asked how it was to drive in LA. It is actually just like driving in Houston. The freeways are massive and crowded.

The best meal I had in LA was at Bar Pintxo in Santa Monica. We went to visit the 3rd Street Promenade. Unfortunately it rained while we were promenading so we cut that visit short. But the Bar Pintxo was excellent even though I still have not figured out how to pronounce their name. Their food is Spanish tapas and we loved it. All those cute little trays of delicacies arriving at our table every few minutes cheered us up despite the rain.

The best person we met in a service capacity was the front desk clerk at our hotel. He was gracious and kind in a city that can often be overwhelming. I recommend staying at the Culver Hotel so you can experience their great hospitality.

We discovered another restaurant that bears mentioning here: the S & W Country Diner at 9748 Washington Blvd in Culver City. It was a gem of a place that harkens back to the diners of yore. And not in a fake way. This was the real McCoy. Vinyl booths. Good, hearty breakfasts. One of those bars with bar stools that face the area where the waitstaff works.

We took one of those tours of Hollywood. We were busy snapping pictures of the stars on sidewalks and trying to avoid the people dressed up as movie characters. At one point we saw Spiderman, Darth Vader, and that Super Mario character talking to each other on the sidewalk and giving each other tips about the best way to pose for pictures with tourists. While we were strolling along, one of those tour operators offered us a limo ride tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills and before you could say Paris Hilton, we were off on a tour.

First we passed Bob Barker's house, then we went to a scenic overlook of the Hollywood sign, then we got in a fuss with some dude (it turned out to be a shared limo tour :( ). The dude was sitting at the back where the air-conditioning controls were located and he kept turning the air off. We were sweltering hot! His girlfriend fell asleep or passed out. The three ladies from Wisconsin were strangely quiet. I got carsick and had to ride in the front with the driver. And Toot fell asleep and sleep with her head on my mom's lap and missed the majority of the tour which included Elvis's old house and the Playboy mansion. All in all, that was mostly a waste of money.

Oh, and we visited the La Brea tarpits. That was really cool. But stinky. Toot found some erasers for her collection in the gift shop there.

And that was the trip to LA. Quick.