a weekend in los angeles

last weekend i went to los angeles to meet up with eric and i gotta say that it was about time i went down there and had a proper introduction to the city.

it was only fitting that my first night in a city of image and extravagance was accompanied by a “performance” unlike anything i have ever seen before: britney spears and the so called "circus". i was in immediate shock at all of the attendees that arrived in stretch limos and wore their best prom outfits for the experience. i tried to count how many had driven past me, but i lost count and assumed that there was no way of knowing. it was like every bret easton ellis novel had come to life, only instead of the glitterati from the 1980s in los angeles it was their children, continuing the routine of cultural decay and economic ignorance.

*let the record show that I had no intention of traveling down to los angeles to catch the show, but my host for the weekend had tickets and had a spare.*

to be blunt: the performance was awful. the interchangeable go-go dancers, also known as the pussycat dolls, and the flock of britney's back up dancers gave better performances than the woman herself. they all gave the audience as much energy as they paid for. not only did britney not sing, but she barely did much dancing. for someone who is considered to be a pop culture icon and an a-list entertainer, i was kind of expecting a performance for the history books. alas, the teenage, bleached blond trophy wives in training throughout the audience were singing louder than britney. in fact, all that britney really said was, “hey los angeles. how y’all feelin’ tonight? wooo!” and then “thank’s l.a. i love you, y'all.” she flicked her wrists a lot, i will give her that. she walked in tempo. they never did quite show her face singing on the big screens, probably because it would have been obvious how little Britney was really “feelin’” the concert herself.

granted, she did have two children and the dancers were all probably at their peak age for performing such demanding material, but isn’t madonna fifty? doesn’t she still gyrate all over the place after two kids? i have never seen her live before, again because i do not condone these types of performances and singers, but who knows what other crazy dates i’ll be taken on in the future. i will obviously never know as i really never thought i would sit through a britney spears concert.

i couldn't help but stare at the audience members in this packed stadium that voluntarily spent money to come and experience the hyped superstar. were they all just pawns, playing into the ideas of “celebrity” and “larger than life”? at one point in the evening, the cheering was less rambunctious than earlier, before britney actually took to the stage. it’s quite possible that those precious little bell air ballerinas grew up a little that night. they very well could have realized that their lives are not the dream worlds that they had envisioned , poisoned by a lackluster performance by their once beloved icon who is clearly going through the motions of a performance that should be done by a pop star, but alas, is only done through the body of a broken, bleached blond dreamer.

the rest of my weekend was nothing in comparison to that event. in fact, the rest of the evening was quite enjoyable. the remaining hours consisted of good food, handsome company and great exploration.

some highlights of the weekend included a trip to eric's favorite spot in los angeles for a bit of clarity - the cascading fountain of 1928







i had to. it's history!

i also got to go to the observatory and get a view of los angeles at night, and it was quite breathtaking. to show you would have taken a panoramic snapshot, because the lights stretched on for miles. i tried to ignore the ‘hollywood’ sign and the hollywood hills, now infamously tainted by a teenaged drama series of the same name, and focused on the skylines and the company. it was the most beautiful cityscape that i had ever seen. strange that it would come from a city when at daytime has a delicious shade of smog hovering overhead.









i ended my mini vacation with a trip to the beach, where eric and i took in 97 degree sunlight and super low flying airplanes.





we each had our baywatch moment, a sort of tribute to the entertainment industry.





i flew home, slightly singed from the sun, dazed from three days of sensations galore and stared at the ceiling, thankful that I had finally seen los angeles properly, but more thankful to have called san francisco my home.



love and loyalty... except for britney spears... she has to earn it