A Day in L.A.

Went to the big city yesterday. Niece Carolyn picked me up at 1:00 and we drove to L.A. She had asked if I minded stopping elsewhere before we met Dave and Polly and of course, I was happy to. Unfortunately, where we went was to the UCLA Hospital. A dear college friend of Carolyn's, only 52, had been taken off life support and she wanted to see him one last time.
The traffic and parking situation in L.A. is just incredible. We drove around and around for blocks and were about to drive into a lot with signage that said the fee was ten dollars for each 30 minutes--damn! However, we got a spot on the street that we honestly thought was available...
We were greeted by a friend of Carolyn's and Phil's and they went upstairs while I went to the cafeteria and had a salmon lunch. I went in the gift shop after, then was content to sit in the lobby and watch the passing scene. Carolyn came down, glad she had been able to say goodbye to her friend, and we went off to the car...
To find a ticket for $64 on the windshield--damn! There was a sign that said you could park there at certain hours and certain days and I guess we both misinterpreted it. Anyway, great wailing and gnashing of teeth from both of us, but off we went.
Carolyn has a GPS on her phone, of course, but Greg had told us Obama was in town; some streets would be blocked and there's be fearful traffic on others. He showed C. a different route, but what with one thing and another, we got somewhat lost. The Hilton where Dave and Polly were staying, was only 12 miles away, but it took us a good hour to get there.
We finally did, and went up to the lounge on the 16th floor to where D. and P. were having wine. We were poured some Chardonnay, got some nibbles from the spread, and settled in to catch up. Steve came in after that, having dropped Dexter off with Robyn; this was about 5:00 and he said he had been on the road since 2:30.
Of course, after that, great conversation ensued, everybody catching up with everyone else. Polly brought up the idea of a family reunion--in New Zealand, where her daughter lives (that'll never happen) and we found that Dave and she would be at his new assignment (for the foreign service) in Guatemala in two weeks. After an hour or more, we went to the restaurant downstairs and had dinner. I wasn't at all hungry, so just had an appetizer and a German ale.
By this time, it was well after 9:00 and Dave and Polly had to get up at 4:30 for their 6:00 am flight back east, so we said goodbye. We drove home with no problem and much lighter traffic and I got in about 10:30, very late for me. Washed off my makeup, read a bit, and slept soundly--or, as what often comes to mind, "slept the sleep of the just."