The last two weekends I’ve managed to spend at least one night away from my own bed—in one case, away from any bed at all—and both evenings were monumental enough to turn into stories; both of them for GOOD.
First up, the weekend spent at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, where I was so totally delighted by all the sustainability features (and they fact they didn’t hit me over the head with them) that it made me think differently about the role of a hotel. I talk all about it in the story “Radically Reclaimed Relaxation.” This story is made extra-special because it’s illustrated with drawings by one Keith Scharwath, who actually drew everything you see in 111-degree heat, including the image you see above. Here’s another one of my favorites, of the pool scene, complete with sunshades made from repurposed army tents:
Story #2: You’ll remember that long walk I was headed on last weekend, THE BIG PARADE. For two days I strolled the stairs, but the highlight had to be camping in a city park (actually just a few blocks from my house, but still), where I slept under the stars—and yes, I saw stars in the middle of Los Angeles. I talk about the experience in my piece “Walking for Walking in Los Angeles,” and you can see all my photos at Flickr. I leave you with three of the most interesting images from the walk:
A baby impaled on a fence.
An amazing shot of Echo Park that truly captures the kind of incredible walk this was.
And it wouldn’t be a walk without gelato! Some of the best gelato I’ve ever had, at Fix in Echo Park. They import their gelato from Michigan so they had the flavor Mackinac Island Fudge. If you’ve ever been to Michigan, you know.
