Hooray for Hollywoodland

I've lived in Los Angeles (Hollywood, even) my entire life and have never been as close to the Hollywood sign as I was today. It was spectacular! Gorgeous! All 15 of us crammed into an open-top minibus (it was exactly like what I pictured the Gilbreth family driving in the "Cheaper by the Dozen" books) and took a star tours up Beechwood Canyon. After turning a few corners, the sign came into view on one side, the LA basin on the other, and the Hollywood dam, with the funky but expensive canyon homes around it, was laid out in front of me. I breathed in the smog and marveled at my beautiful city. Then I adjusted my oversized sunglasses, brushed the dirt off of my flats and wished for a tall iced-americano.

Afterwards, we meandered back down and drove through Beverly Hills where we became psuedo-paparazzi, snapping pics of the homes (okay, the gates in front of the homes) of Julia Roberts, John Travolta, Hugh Hefner and Frank Sinatra.