Marcel & Pnina have set up shop in Los Angeles, or more precisely West Hollywood in December 2019 and will be here until January 19 2020. This trip is one more chapter in the growing adventure of staying connected not only with Tal and Sarah but now Leia and Leon (all of the names are in chronological order for those who follow this stuff.)

Sarah and Leia have arrived from Okinawa a couple of days ago and are currently wrestling with the 17 hours jet lag from Japan to Los Angeles. Hideki arrives in 4 days.

At this time the scene is rather quiet. We are scuttling back and forth with Uber, since it appears to be the only dependable means of transport.

A few days ago, I went to the Christmas part at Shields for Families, a social service agency with about 15 locations in Los Angeles county. As official photographer, I had the occasion to see hundreds of local family join the party, eat pizza and tacos, receive presents for all ages. Photos to follow.

Today is Christmas day in LA and all is quiet. More news and excitement to come.

Marcel

It is now New Year's day in LaLa Land. Last night we (Piki and I, Sara, Hideki and Leia) went over to Tal and Mary and Leon to celebrate and party.  On came the TV and the usual broadcast from Time Sq New York. Out came the champagne, sushi, home made pizza and cupcakes. Mary's parents and Sister-in-law (another Sarah) and daughter as well as the eminent chef,Scott. Another traditional NYE meal.

And here are Sarah, Leon, Leia, Kira (the other Sarah daughter) dancing toward the New Year.

As we soon discovered, celebrating is so much easier. There is no more struggle to keep the body and mind awake as we wait for the countdown. We were all wide awake, singing and dancing at midnight Montreal time. Here it was only 9 pm and we were still working on the cup cakes. Yes, I did have to loosen the belt buckle by one notch (but only one).

So there it is, no struggle and we lasted until 1:30am (Montreal time).

Los Angeles is very much an Uber city. The longest I had to wait was 4 minutes and was greeted by a pleasant driver in a well kept car. Most of the vehicles were Prius' as is usual with taxis most anywhere globally. New Year's eve was particularly surprising with a 1 minute wait and no premium pricing. This is the best way to get around here. Taxis are almost non-existant, except at the airport. In fact, as I track my Uber charges, I find it so much cheaper and easier than renting. Here in LA I am a convert.

Over the next day (about 36 hours), Piki and I will enjoy the time with the 2 families and grandkids. I truly appreciate the effort that Hideki made to be here since he could only stay 4 days. Tomorrow the Okinawa crowd heads back and settle back with a bit less chaos.

Stay tuned for more news about my Photo project with Shields for Families as I get a drive around there various projects and sites over 2 days. I am uncertain as to what I am getting into but it will be an adventure for me.

Health and happiness to all in 2020.

Marcel

Restaurants in Los Angeles have not impressed me although I have tried more than a few since Tal and Mary moved out here. There are a few theories behind this thought. Have I been so spoiled by those we have tried in Montreal (which has more than its share of excellence) or those in other cities of excellence such as Paris, Lyons, New York, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and the others which I cannot remember for the moment. However, it is now time to state the obvious. I have just been to the wrong places.

Matsumoto is a wonderous and tiny sushi restaurant, hiding out in a strip mall at the corner of Beverly and Orlando, in the heart of West Hollywood. To get to the front door presents a small challenge. First you pass the tents pitched by the local homeless, past the light bulb store and tucked into the corner of the strip you see the hanging flags of the restaurant. The aficionados have already taken the best seats at the bar so we take a table at the back wall. The place is tiny with about ten tables. Therefore what is so special about this place. For a start, the fish arrives daily from Tokyo. Piki and I go over for our ritual visit about 3 or 4 times a week (lunch or supper). Beyond the super fresh sashimi and sushi, there is exquisite beef tongue and softshell crab. Piki also gets to practise her Japanese. This place is a gem.


Carlito Gardel is a short walk from our home on Willoughby. In fact, the first few times we walked by we barely noticed its existence. Some had scratched off the "Monday -", so we thought that they were only open Friday to Sunday. It was the Michelin 2019 sticker in the window which caught our attention. It was open on Friday lunch so we walked over and sat down as the only guests. In fact, this is the only lunch of the week as the kitchen staff has to prepare for the weekend. As we learned, reservations are recommended for this place. Apparently, the celebs come here. With a limited number of tables and cool zen-like music, we felt that we had stumbled on an oasis. No thump-thump music to interrupt our conversation. This is an Argentine steak restaurant and we tried the filet mignon (rare which arrived blue) with a side of garlic fries which could feed a small village. My only disappointment was that the host's mother, who is the pastry chef, had not yet delivered her specialty dessert, mascarpone and strawberry coulis. Did we overeat? Yes. But no regrets.

If we come across more and interesting restaurants, I may just try to update my writing skills to "food critic".

A bientôt

9 January 2020
Downtown LA is going through a tremendous revival. Although Skid Row is around the corner, the old buildings are being restored and many are flocking to the 'hood. The good news is that the crowds are not simply the young and affluent, but the less than wealthy and young families. Are moving in. Piki and I went on an Arts Walk through Gallery row checking out the eclectic, contemporary and the simply off the wall. Depending on the gallery, the works ranged from $100 to $100,000 for a 1/3 print. Many of the expensive ones were sold or someone simply stuck on the magic red dot.

 There are many cool coffee shops just about every 50 metres or yards for my LA friends. On the corner of Spring and 6th Street is the Last Book Store. It is an enormous place with books both new and old with corners for every interest. Simply wandering the shelves is an adventure in which you can easily get lost. On the mezzanine, in addition to a rabbit's warren of shelves, rooms and  small galleries catering to all tastes, even birthday cards. Did I mention the major Vinyl section with new and old music, and no particular preference.

However, certain things are not as easily changed as loft apartments. We are minutes from Skid Row and you can still see the street people, of differing degrees of distress, some just hanging out with their bags or some, like the man in the photo, in a different world all together.

19 January 2020
We are back home and bringing to a conclusion our stay in Los Angeles. Being away for a month presents a challenge in returning to what we consider a normal life. On the other hand, our time away is filled with experiences which will remain.

Leon is now 30 da