A Week Of Adventures & More – Day 1
The lure of a road trip? You bet!
Several months ago, I received an invitation to join a good friend on an adventure to explore some places and meet some folks, while gathering stories to share along the way. Getting some details squared away, making a few arrangements, and sure! Why not set off and see what lay in store?
Over the years I have been online, I have been extremely fortunate to have shared a wide variety of experiences with some wonderful individuals. One of those is Leo Holzer, who for many years was a professional journalist with a Northern California newspaper, the Vacaville Reporter. Together, we continue to have a shared interest in the Walt Disney Company; including it’s history, impact on popular culture on a worldwide basis, and the many people who to this day, more than 100 years later, still bring a very special brand of magic to life every day around this planet.
Leo Holzer, at the Petersen Automotive Museum in the lobby with an electric SMART Car prototype.
So, when Leo first approached me with the concept of this week of adventures, I knew it was going to be a memorable one. What I did not expect is how fully immersive and unexpected much of it was to have ahead for us in Southern California. Thanks to some wonderful people, this trip would turn into an eye opening one.
Now, many fans of the various pieces of the Walt Disney story are familiar with how Walt boarded the Santa Fe’s California Limited in Kansas City in July of 1923 and headed west to join his brother Roy in Los Angeles. And that has a direct connection to our first experiences on our trip this past week.
Leo and I drove down Interstate 5 from the San Francisco Bay Area. While it is a trip I have made many times either by myself or with other friends for various events, this was our first time doing so together. Along the way, we took the opportunity to discuss some of what lay ahead of us as well as think about some other things we might consider worth investigating.
Arriving into Burbank, we checked into our base camp for the week. The Safari Inn, on West Olive Street. It’s well located, close to the various studios and other points of interest that we would visit. Recently renovated, the rooms offer a variety of accommodations to meet the needs of guests. And it’s classic mid-century modern decor is noteworthy as well.
The classic neon sign identifies the Safari Inn in beautiful downtown Burbank.
After getting settled in to our rooms, we went off in search of dinner somewhere nearby. But not seeing anything that particularly interested us, I recalled that there was a location that was close to a spot of interest that we would visit later on in the week. Which led to the drive from Burbank, past both the Walt Disney and Warner Brothers studio’s, up and over the hills into Los Feliz area for a fine introductory meal at The House of Pies. We both enjoyed a hearty meal but not pie… saving that for later on in the adventure.
It’s always a wonderful day for pie.
So… that’s day 1! More to come.