Im sorry to have been so long away!
I am finally feeling my heart kick over almost normally in the morning these days. Grief sure is its own road, and while this incredible trip has never been far from my thoughts, I just didnt have any spark to propel the story along. After my dad passed away in May, there was an enormous tilting and shifting of the world, a theme of tears of piercing sad mixed with almost unbearable sweetness, and a feeling of learning to balance and navigate in a new landscape. My balance is improved, and the exhaustion is abating.
With my newfound spark, Im back now to dedicate the enjoyment of writing and sharing this trip report with all of you to my dad. He was a terrific writer, and loved to read. He was passionate about it, and that gave me the great permission to have my own passions, some of which we shared. Im going to sound like a greeting card now, but what I want to say is, Hug and tickle those you love. Often. Parents - know how absolutely core you are in your childrens souls, whether you are having good times or bad. Share the stuff you love.
We were last gathered in Hollywood, tucking in for our first night of the trip. I remember sleeping well. As I am not now and likely never will be a morning person I was delighted last night when Alissa had said she would take first shift in the shower in the morning. I lingered in bed until it was my turn in the bathroom, then showered and made some unconvincing coffee with the supplies provided by the hotel.
We were ready in plenty of time to meet the group a little earlier than our 7:30 call time, but when we got there I realized I didnt have my sunglasses in my bag (can you tell Im from Seattle?) I took the elevator back up to our floor, hiked down to the room, and looked all over for the sunglasses without finding them. I returned to the mezzanine and realized I had forgotten something else, and now Ive also forgotten what that something else was. ClearIy suffering from the lack of real coffee, I sprinted back to the room, found whatever it was and rushed back down. When I arrived downstairs Alissa was trailing the group, looking back over her shoulder for me as they walked off toward the exit to Hollywood.
The hotel snugs up to the Hollywood and Highland Mall which wraps around the Kodak Theater. The actual entrance to the theater is several floors above street level, and is approached on a grand entrance staircase that runs right up through the shopping mall. It was purpose built for the Oscar show, and therefore the arcades of the mall are rigged with a ceiling hanging system for giant curtains that make the shops disappear at red carpet time. Somehow the glamour will never be the same for me knowing that the Aveda store and Sunglass Hut are just steps from the walkway. The columns flanking the staircase are incised with the names and years of Best Picture winners.
After the brief tour and secrets/history lesson, Jaime had us gather on the staircase to take a group shot. The guides would shoot thousands of pictures during the trip which would be made into a slideshow and photopass account for us. When he casually said he would also use our cameras for the shot a pile of 30 cameras materialized at his feet. The giant pile of cameras was to become a familiar sight and one of our laughing points. Jaime gamely shot away, picking up camera after camera, shooting the smaller point and shoots two at a time before reaching for the SLRs.
Alissa was great with our sign:
Many minutes later we were on our way down the stairs, turning right at street level to walk the short distance to the courtyard of Graumans Chinese Theater. The streets were relatively quiet at that hour, and we had the courtyard to ourselves. Michael gave a spiel about the history of the theater, which is the old Hollywood married to the new, the footprints and hand impressions a bridge from then to now. People hunted for and took photos of their favorite stars paving stones. In addition to hands and feet, some stars created impressions of signature accessories. In Harold Lloyds case, it was his iconic glasses. Roy Rogers shared his square with his gun and Triggers hoof prints. And for Jimmy Durante? The nose, of course! Apparently Marilyn Monroe wanted a diamond in her stone, but was persuaded to accept glass to prevent a predictable series of vandalizations.
After finishing with the impressions of stars recent and long ago, we headed across the street to the Disney Soda Fountain and Studio Store for breakfast. The restaurant was filled with many tables set with green tablecloths and the first course, fruit cocktail in an ice cream sundae glass. Since Alice in Wonderland was playing at the adjoining El Capitan Theatre, the restaurant and shop were themed to the lavish flowers and gardens of the movie. A fantastical tea fountain adorned one of the tables. The Soda Fountain is not open for breakfast except for private functions, which was a good thing as we took up almost the entire place.
Breakfast featured fruit, a choice of entree (Mickey Waffle, eggs or oatmeal) and a starch (English Muffin or bagel) or yogurt. Beverage choices were coffee, tea, orange juice, milk or hot chocolate.
As CMs traversed the room taking orders, Kevin circulated among the tables, handing a Club 33 hand towel to each person, saying, We told you youd be going to breakfast at Club 33!. He had already eaten lunch there earlier in the week, so had scored prizes for all of us.
The shoppers in the group checked out the merchandise (Alice merchandise and a pin collection unique to the Soda Fountain and Store, and some general Disney goods.) I didnt see anything that I felt would compete with the shopping yet to come. There were some unique pins, but I was holding out for Imagineering and Club 33.
Michael introduced us to the manager of the El Capitan who told us he had a trivia contest for us, with a choice of topics, and a prize for the group should we be brilliantly correct. He had great presence. I felt a little bit like he should have back up singers or a gospel choir at his disposal.
He asked us to select a champion for the group. Naturally we picked Kevin, who then selected the Sherman Brothers as the topic. There was only one stumper of a question. We then proceeded to the bonus round, questions from The Princess and the Frog. These questions were more difficult and obscure, so we didnt do very well. Despite the poor performance in the second round, we were still awarded the prize, a 20% discount at the store any time that day that we wanted to shop.
Then it was time for my first Mickey waffle of the trip. It was delectable - crisp on the outside, malty and fluffy on the inside. People reported the eggs were reconstituted. The picture I have of the waffle is not appetizing at all, so were going to have to imagine a less scary version of heavenly waffleness.
When we were ready to go, the staff lined up in the opposite of a receiving line that we passed through to go next door to the El Capitan Theatre (the back of the Soda Fountain connects to the lobby of the theater). Free popcorn for dessert!
The lobby was decorated with large glass cases filled with costumes and props from Alice in Wonderland.