Well, I’m nearly ready for my Cali adventure. I’m tying up lots of loose ends at work, got my clothing figured out, I have a relaxing massage tonight, and have wrapped my head around the trip.
I think.
As much of a homebody as I am, I think I need an adventure. Something new. A change of scenery. Even if it’s only for a little while.
Oddly enough, the one thing I’m least worried about is the main reason I’m going out there: to sing I Am Harvey Milk.
I’m excited to perform it again (and to meet Andrew Lippa, the composer). I can sing the piece in my sleep, so that won’t be an issue. And I’m confident that I’ll do the TCGMC proud.
What I’m most nervous about is getting around the city. I don’t like visiting cities where they don’t have a well designed and efficient public transit system. Basically I’m cheap and don’t want to take Uber everywhere.
Plus LA isn’t known as a “walkable” city.
Furthermore, there’s really nothing in LA that I want to see from a tourist perspective. Literally nothing. It’s a city of manufactured culture that has had me rolling my eyes for about a decade now.
Ok– maybe seeing the ocean would be cool. But that seems like an inordinately long (and expensive!!) journey from downtown, and I do have rehearsals and concerts to contend with.
One way or another, it’s going to be an adventure. I promise lots of pictures and at least one good blog post.
Mangina Monologues 
Thank goodness you’re on your way, I thought you’d never shut-up about your preperation(s) for this trip. 😉
have a great trip and a good time! and take pix of some dee-lish LA menz!
The Metro lines work well. From downtown, the Blue Line can get you to Long Beach.
Or if you are close to Union Station, look into the Coaster or Surfliner for the outlying beaches.
Yup – I love my east coast cities. NYC, Providence and Boston. All very walkable while NYC and Boston have pretty damned good transit systems, Providence so-so.
i went a few years ago and yes there was lots of driving. luckily we’d rented a car. the pier and ocean/beach are worth seeing. the only thing i will caution you about is getting a taxi. if you go out to a bar or club or something you can’t just hail a cab on the street. make sure you have a way to call one! i walked for almost an hour before someone would stop for me. not the best at 2am. have fun!!
Okay, I’m a native Losangelino. I can promise you haven’t been “following it.” If you can get to the Getty Center, do it. The culture in Los Angeles hasn’t been manufactured. It’s been purchased. Just like in New York City and, dare I say it, Minneapolis. (There’s a reason it’s called the “Walker” Art Center.) The Getty is worth it just for the place, though the exhibits will rock you. The emphasis at the Getty Center is preservation and restoration. Lotsa cool shit. LACMA is now a world class museum and the Contemporary is amazing. And the LA Phil, the Venezuelan wunderkind Gustavo Dudamel is bringing it back to the American top five. Los Angeles is one of the hubs of American culture. It’s called “The Industry” for a reason. Wanna groove on the car culture? The Peterson is catty corner to LACMA. And that’s just the old school shit. There’s thriving art and fashion scene. And architecture, Frank Gehry lives there and you probably haven’t heard of SCIARC but it’s the real thing. And just to make it real, if you can tour or even just see the Disney Concert Hall, do it. Yeah it’s a Gehry building but it is amazing. Where are you guys singing by the way.
I’m sure it was great and I can’t wait to read your stories!