And Baby Makes Three

Friday, June 26: Day Two of my getaway vacation. This was the day we had a lot planned to do, and we managed to fit it all in, and still have plenty of time to relax afterwards.

• 7:15 a.m. – Lindsay and I left her apartment bright and early, to make sure we would make it to WB Studios on time for our tour (we had reserved tickets). We didn’t have any major traffic, so it only took us like 45 minutes to get there.
• 8:20-10:30 a.m. – Since we arrived at Warner Bros. so early, we got on an earlier tour, which worked out nicely, since it gave us more flexibility the rest of the day. The studio tour was very fun and interesting. Being the tv buffs that we are, we strategically sat immediately behind our tour guide, as he drove us around the studio backlots and soundstages, so we could ask him plenty of questions and lobby for a peek at our favorite shows’ sets. We needn’t have worried, since the only time that anyone else on our tour (there were only like 8 of us) spoke up was when he asked if anyone is a fan of Two and a Half Men. One previously silent woman exuberantly yelled: “YES! YES! I LOVE that show!” And so, much to our chagrin, our guide led us to the Two and a Half Men soundstage. (In case you don’t know, our opinion is that this show is an example of the lowest form of comedy.) On the way into the soundstage, I attempted to persuade our guide to take us next door, where The Big Bang Theory is filmed, but he muttered something about it being under construction, and Lindsay and I had to settle for our least favorite of the studio’s shows instead. Not to worry, though. things picked up soon after, when we got a glimpse into the studios props department, which was full of elaborate furniture, strange statues, and anything else you could think of. Our guide also took us to a room that is an exact replica of the Central Perk set from Friends. They basically took everything from that set, including all the furniture, wall hangings, lamps, etc., and rebuilt the set. You really feel like you are in the Central Perk, and that was fun. Other highlights of the tour: driving past a swampy, jungle area and Merlotte’s bar (both filming locations for the HBO show True Blood), touring the remnants of the town of Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) – now being used for a new show called Eastwick, and browsing props and costumes from the Harry Potter movies at the studio museum. Also at the museum we saw Christian Bale and Heath Ledger’s Batman and Joker costumes, and several life-size wax replicas of Mr. Smith from The Matrix, which were used when filming the scenes where Neo battled all the Mr. Smiths at once. Our tour was an illuminating look into the behind the scenes workings and history of the studio.
• 11:00-11:10 a.m. – We made our way from WB Studios to the Hollywood area, specifically an outdoor shopping mall called The Grove. When we went to check on the movie times, we saw that Away We Go was playing at 11:15, which meant we had to make a quick decision of whether to see the movie and then eat lunch, or eat lunch and entertain ourselves for 3 hours until the 2:30 showing, which is when we’d originally planned to go. We wisely chose to see the movie at 11:15.
• 11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – As is usually the case with morning matinees, there were only about six people in the theater, and so we enjoyed our movie and buttered popcorn in an utterly distraction free environment. The movie stars Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski, who play a couple expecting their first child who take a cross country road trip in search of the perfect place to start their new life as parents. They travel everywhere from Phoenix to Montreal to Miami, and encounter some of the quirkiest characters you’ll ever see in a movie. It’s a bittersweet, but often hilarious movie about family dysfunction, parenting, and what makes a place “home.” It also has a great soundtrack!
• 1:15-2:30 p.m. – After the movie we wandered over to the adjacent Farmer’s Market, where after much deliberation, we chose a French crepe stand for lunch. We sat at the counter, where Lindsay enjoyed a panini and I had a crepe filled with cheddar cheese, avocado, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Right across from us was a pastry stand, which displayed scrumptious looking treats, but we resisted them. Next we walked through the market area, then back over to The Grove, where we leisurely browsed through the books at Barnes & Noble.
• 3:00-4:00 p.m. – Since we had walked off some of the calories from our lunch, we then drove to another area of town to Pane e Vino, an Italian restaurant known for its inviting, relaxing patio. We had a lovely experience eating dessert on the nearly empty patio. However, there was also some exciting celebrity spotting. As we walked in to find the hostess, we passed a table where an older black man was seated, and I immediately recognized him as Quincy Jones, the legendary music producer. What gave it away, you ask? Well, the tinted glasses, the large chain and medallion around his neck, and the shirt unbuttoned to his chest (not typical for most 76 year olds) were my first hints. He was there eating with what appeared to be his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. When they left, Quincy was hand in hand with his grandson, who must have been about two years old and was very cute. Quincy was also wearing all black, perhaps because he’s in mourning over the death of his friend Michael Jackson. Anyway, I was glad that I spotted at least one celebrity on my trip. (My first celeb spotting in L.A. happened a couple of years ago, when I made eye contact with James Denton, the plumber from Desperate Housewives, as we passed each other at LAX.) Once Quincy and his family left the restaurant, we happily focused on our delicious desserts. Lindsay had caramel cream flan, and I had tiramasu and a cappuccino. I must say, it was the best tiramasu I’ve ever had. Pane e Vino really had great atmosphere, and on a day when the sky was blue and temps were in the low 70s, it was a perfect place to enjoy the afternoon.
• Before I move on, let me share some interesting facts that we learned about Quincy Jones, when we looked him up on Wikipedia after encountering him at the restaurant: his middle name is Delight, he produced Thriller, he produced and conducted “We Are the World,” he composed the musical score for the 1967 film In Cold Blood, and he’s never learned to drive. He’s a very interesting person with many accomplishments!
• 4:30-10:30 – General hanging out and relaxing at the apartment, followed by a dinner of baked potatoes. We rounded out the evening by watching the Liam Neeson movie Taken. I will reserve my full opinions of it for a post on Eclaire Fare, but let me just say that the movie’s first mistake was not only casting Maggie Grace (Shannon on Lost) as a 17 year old, but in making her character behave like a ten year old, which was very awkward. Despite this major flaw, the movie was entertaining and had an intriguing premise. It was a nice way to wind down from the busy day.

Now enjoy these pictures of our day: