Was that 405 or 4 or 5?

The I405 runs through the West of Los Angeles metro basically from the top to the bottom. It joins I5 both North of LA and South of LA, but runs through the populated part of the city while I5 runs, well, through the other populated part of the city on the East side. Here we are, somewhere in the San Fernando hills.

This isn't the greatest picture in the world, as it's taken through the windshield of the car (which is covered in bugs). Notice how there is no blur in the tires of the vehicles around us? That's not because we have a really good camera. No, that's because nobody is actually moving.

The local joke is not that it's the 405 (I.e. four-oh-five). Rather, it's the 4 or 5; as in the number of hours it will take you to get anywhere, on it. Thankfully, we don't have to spend a lot of time on the Interstate highways.

Welcome to California

Four weeks and counting. Of course, my first post was the previous comparison shot of Rayla with her star double. I suppose I should actually write something a little more meaningful (although, they do take their stars very seriously here).

Rayla's post regarding the journey covered the gory details so I'll try and avoid repeating them. To say we were tired as we crossed the border into the U.S. would not be entirely accurate. Exhausted, for sure, but to add to that we were also overwhelmed. At least I was. Entering California, however, and at least being in the State we would call home started to make things much more real. In a way, it made the move a lot smaller, even though we were greeted by Mount Shasta.

The picture shown here is just over the Norther California border. I was looking forward to seeing Shasta again. The last time was in 2005, as we drove North up I5. This time, however, we are on highway 97, which gave us the wonderful opportunity to drive around the mountain. This shot was taken from just about due North of the mountain (see the blue dot on the map). We then got to drive towards the mountain, and around and past it on the West.

Of course, once the mountain is in the rear-view mirror, it's interstate highway the rest of the way, but that's another post.

My Wife: The Supah-Stah

In regards to the previous post, here's a comparison. Of course a side-by-side comparison makes it easier to see the differences, but I think this shot could show how people might be confused. I got the image of Cate from imdb.com.

Where are the stars?

I came to LA with big expectations - looking for divas in the supermarket parking lots and superstars hanging out in Venice Beach. So far, no star spottings for me, just for everyone around me. That's right, all those years ago where Erin said I looked like the actress in Elizabeth and Anjali pulled out the Enquirer shot, they knew something: I look like Cate Blanchett. You know, the queen of the elves in Lord of the Rings. Turns out a few people think that. Like the guy in the store where I got my cell phone last week (do you think I'd have these credit problems if I was a movie star? I asked him), and now a guy in the supermarket, who came up to me with a tabloid in hand and asked if this picture was of me. I of course said yes, and asked to go ahead of him in line, as I was late for filming. Kidding. He did ask, but I just looked at him and he walked away. Watch for the headline - "Cate lashes out at the common people".

...and Sunday is pretty good too

We had big plans on Sunday, as it was Kinga's birthday party. Her friends Rob and Mercedes live in the 'burbs, and organized an afternoon party (also celebrating Steve's birthday earlier that week) for about 30 friends. Before the party, Kinga, her friend Aggie and I all went out for pedicures and manicures, at a place in Venice that is always packed, and apparently is the best place in town. Certainly it was a great bargain. I got all my nails done for $20 - I'll be going back for sure!

Many of the people we had met at the house party a few weeks back were at the birthday party, so we even knew some people, which was nice. It was a real celebration for Kinga, who had also been sworn in as a citizen on Friday, and Marcus got her this great cake (picture to follow). Many of the party-goers are taking dance lessons, so we were treated to a great salsa and flamenco dance demonstration. All in all, a very nice afternoon with some great people.

saturday night's alright ...

Well, actually Saturday night is all right for a lot of things, like going out for dinner with friends. We decided to take a leisurely drive down the Pacific Coast highway, winding through some beach towns before meeting Terrence and Jen in Dana Point for dinner, a town about half way between where we are in LA and they live, north of San Diego in La Jolla. This picture of a statue of a surfer was taken along the way.

Darren and I started our day looking for a car wash. The line up was more than a block long, so we decided to skip the wash and pick up cell phones. It was about 2 pm, and we thought we'd be done within the hour, giving us about 3 hours before our dinner reservation. Ha. First, we had known that having no credit in the US was a problem, but we thought that we had solved it by opening bank accounts with the US branch of a Canadian bank. Not so much. Although we will be able to get credit cards, it will still take about 3 months before we have any credit established, and even then only Darren will have a credit rating as I don't have a social security number (due to the type of visa I have, I can't get one unless I find an employer willing to sponsor me). We had spoken to a few cell phone companies, and knew that the deposit was going to be hefty, but that we'd get it back at the end of the year.

We thought we'd try one more time to get phones without a deposit. After spending about 20 minutes with a nice guy at the Cingular (the new AT&T) store, we had picked out phones, settled on colours, and Darren had selected a new wireless headset. Then we went to go set up the accounts. When the credit department told the store manager how much they wanted for a deposit, even he was taken by surprise. Turns out they wanted $500 for each line. As Darren and I debated whether we should just get one phone now and wait 3 months to get the other, or whether to take a pay-as-you-go plan, Melvin, the store manager, kept trying to convince the credit department that they only needed to take one deposit, to no avail. Finally, he gave us a deal on the phones (no charge, waiving the $100 fee), no activation fees (saving another $60), and a discount on the headset. It took us almost 2 hours to sort out all of the details, and we left the store nearly 2 hours after we got there, after paying the hefty deposit, and consoling ourselves that at least we now had accounts that would help us establish credit.

We headed for Dana Point, passing through Long Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach. Lots of people out enjoying the surf and sun, although it was only about 68F. So many people out, as a matter of fact, that it took us nearly 2 more hours to travel the 60 miles. We made it to the restaurant with 5 minutes to spare. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Terrence and Jen, and are looking forward to seeing more of them over the summer.

Friday, May 18

It has taken me a few days, but we have located the photo cables and I have finally published the blog I wrote earlier this week with pictures. I am hoping that Darren will add to it when he gets some free time, as he can add some colour to the travelogue I have started. He will also remember more of the stories with humour that I am still suppressing. Once the scars have faded, I might be able to add more.

Feels like the trip we're on ....

Now that we have furniture to sit on, we can finally update this site with some stories of our trip down to California.

Thursday, April 26, 2007 - Today, finally, is moving day. Our driver, Dean and his brother Troy (sorry for calling him Tony all day), showed up at about 9:00am to load the truck. After expressing joy that they didn't have to move any appliances, the guys packed our entire house into a few cubic feet on a very long truck. Darren and I packed a few final boxes, took a final load of recyclables and donations to their appropriate spots (thanks again for lending us the truck Chris), and by 6:00pm we were out in Langdon to spend a final night with Rhonda and Mike before hitting the road. Thanks for the hospitality guys, and for taking all the last minute things we couldn't pack!

Friday, April 27 - We left Calgary this morning with mixed feelings: Darren anxious about crossing the border; me very over tired and wondering how I would stay awake over the next 3 days. I did not sleep much in the few weeks between our decision and the actual move date, usually no more than 5 hours a night. For those of you who know me well, that is not enough for me to function. It did allow me to get up bright and early and take this pic of the sunrise.


We stopped for lunch in B.C. before crossing the border at Eastport; just in case we were detained for awhile we didn't want to be hungry. Turns out our fretting was all for naught. Other than asking us twice if we were carrying alcohol or firearms, the border guards had no questions for us. We had to do nothing more than show our passports and visas, and we were through. After crossing through Idaho (no, you da ho), we drove the next couple of hours to Spokane looking very forward to a good night's rest.

This was the fourth time we have stayed in Spokane in three years. The nicest hotel we have stayed at is the Ridpath, which is right downtown, although the places along Riverfront Park look much nicer. Darren and I went for a walk through the park, watching the Spokane Falls, which were running rapidly through the town this time of year. Too bad we forgot the camera in the room. We then went for supper at our favourite seafood restaurant, Milford's. We highly recommend this establishment if you are ever in Spokane. Most of the menu changes based on what Chef selects from the fish market that morning, the salad dressings and soups are all made from scratch, and the bar tender has an uncle from Calgary so he will try to find you a hockey game on the TV.

We settled into a hotel right beside the interstate, which I had booked online as a "new" hotel in Spokane. Turns out a chain just took over the sight from another chain, and there was nothing new about the place. Fortunately, even though it was right beside the interstate, we did not hear any traffic noise. What we did hear was the woman down the hall waking up the people in the room next to us. It was 7:00am, so we got up to hit the road.

Saturday, April 28th - Today we are headed to Klamath Falls, Oregon, one of the stops we made on our trip down to Reno last year with Chris and Rhonda. This time we drove west along the south side of the Columbia River. Spectacular scenery, combined with a good sleep, made the drive very enjoyable. We were unfortunately still too early in the year to visit Crater Lake, which is blocked by snow until early July. The crater was formed after a volcano erupted on the site, leaving a lake which is now nearly 2000ft deep. We headed down highway 97, and reached Klamath before 7:00pm. If you travel this way and get here earlier in the day, Klamath Lake is very pretty, and there are hiking paths around the edge of town. It also is the largest freshwater lake in the state. Yes, I spent a lot of time reading our AAA guides while Darren was driving to try and stay awake.

We went out for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, then went back to settle into our quiet little room in this quiet little town. We were wrong.

The person in the room next to us had the TV on, fairly loud. As it was only 8:30 or 9, we turned on our TV and watched a movie. By 11:00pm, his TV was still on, so we watched another show. We turned off our lights at midnight and tried to fall asleep, to no avail. I finally called the office, who tried calling the guest, and knocking on the door. No answer. The receptionist surmised that the person must be out at the bar, and had just left their TV on, but not to worry as the bars closed at 2:00 and the guest should be back shortly after that. I explained that I did not want to wait until 2:00am for a drunk (the TV had been on since before we went for supper) to come stumbling back to his room, and we wanted a room change. Well, the first room key opened the door to the room on the other side of us. Unfortunately, we think someone was staying in that room. Thankfully, they weren't in it when we opened the door in the middle of the night. We got a different room key, for a suite down the hall. This one was unoccupied, quiet, and very dark. We slept like logs until the morning.

Sunday, April 29 - We had decided to stop in Klamath rather than continuing on to California both because Darren was concerned about the road conditions traveling around Mount Shasta, and because I couldn't find information on hotels in the small towns dotting the highway in the travel guides I had. Turns out there was no need to fear either. There are tons of small motels along the way, which shouldn't be surprising given that this is a major trucking route, and the roads were clear of snow. The fortunate part about driving this way during the day is that we were treated to the spectacular scenery. There is nothing comparable to the sights you see driving in the mountains, and northern California has a lot of mountains.

As it was a Sunday, traffic was fairly light, and we took our time, stopping to see the sights, and having a picnic lunch. Traffic really picked up around Sacramento, and was heavy all the way to Fresno, our final stop before reaching Marina del Rey.

Monday, April 30 - The drive into LA was interesting. You don't have to be very far north of the city to find farm land, oil rigs and grape growers, all right beside the Ikea west coast distribution center. Then, all of a sudden, it is traffic. While the roads were crowded all the way from Santa Clarita to the Marina, we were at the apartment by 1:00pm. We had arrived! We unpacked the few things we had brought in the car (some kitchenwares, suitcases, etc.), and then headed out to the grocery store.

People moving to the US are not allowed to import any type of food or beverage without declaring it, and paying the necessary duties. Our moving company recommended that we transport no food, not even unopened cans or spices, to avoid delays in receiving our shipment. We complied, meaning that the only edible items we brought with us were some snacks and water we had in the car. Okay, and the pepper grinder and some looseleaf teas, but that's it. Since we had not brought a lot of cookware, we bought just a few food items to begin with - bread, cereal, milk, orange juice - until our belongings arrived.

With basics taken care of, we set out Monday night for Kinga's and Marcus' apartment, friends we met on our trip to Mexico, to pick up the air mattress we would use until our own bed arrived. Kinga and Marcus have been extremely helpful to us in the move. First, while on the cruise, they talked to us a lot about LA, and what we could expect professionally and personally. They toured us around neighborhoods, advised on what management companies to stay away from, and invited us to keep in touch. When we went back to LA a week later, we went for dinner together, Kinga and I went shopping and to a museum, and we had supper at their place a couple of times. We kept in touch by email once I got back to Calgary, and it was nice to arrive in LA and have someone expecting us. That first Monday, Kinga again made us supper, despite just recovering from a nasty cold, and we started to settle in.

Tuesday, May 1 - day 2 in the apartment, and what better way to start it off than to pay rent? I also went to the gym, did some shopping with Kinga, and Darren and I went for a walk around the grounds. There isn't a lot to do yet, as our apartment is pretty empty. We lived in fairly, er, sparse, conditions until our belongings caught up to us. No word from the moving company on when our stuff will arrive. Tried calling the driver directly to find out when he crossed the border, but only got his answering service.


Wednesday, May 2 - day 3 is much like day 2. We did head out to the Social Security office, as Darren has not yet received his card. We need it for things like getting a credit card, cell phone, and oh yeah, Darren getting paid. Turns out it was put in the mail a week ago, so he is now officially allowed to work in the US. Talked to the moving company. They could tell me exactly how much the shipment would cost, as it had been weighed, but couldn't tell me where it was, or when it would arrive. Got a promise that they would contact the driver.

Thursday, May 3 - This apartment complex has some common rooms, like a library and a big room with a fireplace and comfy sofas. That is very good, as I am getting a sore ass from sitting on the floor in the apartment. I did some laundry today, back to the gym, and spent a lot of time reading. Called the movers again, who still haven't heard from the driver, but did promise to get a hold of him and call me back. They didn't.

Friday, May 4 - Started the day by calling the movers. We have a "move co-ordinator", so I am speaking to the same person every time. When I explained to her that I didn't think she was co-ordinating very much if she couldn't even tell me where the truck was, or give me some idea when it would arrive, she was somewhat defensive, but she did finally look into the timelines and called me back to let me know the truck was still in Red Deer (isn't that north of Calgary? Aren't we now south of Calgary?), and we would likely get our things on Wednesday or Thursday.

Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6- Darren spent his first weekend in LA at the mall and the box stores. I know where the closest Home Dept, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond are located. Costco is just down the street. We were looking for patio furniture, which we need for our balcony. I thought that if we picked it up now, we would then at least have some chairs and a table to use until the rest of our furniture arrived. Unfortunately, nothing we liked would fit in the back of the Murano, so we ended up borrowing some furniture from Kinga and Marcus, and buying a zero gravity lounger.

We were invited to a house party Saturday night, and met a lot of Marcus and Kinga's friends. They are also all transplants to LA, from all over the globe. The group meets at the beach on Sundays to play volleyball, and we'll join them once we are settled. We went to the Santa Monica farmer's market on Sunday, and wondered around checking out our new neighbourhood. Looks like we are going to have to get beach cruisers (bicycles) - especially since there is valet parking for bicycles at the market!

Monday, May 7 - Wednesday, May 9 - Darren is working very hard, which means I am left to my own devices most days. Kinga, an interior designer and student, is great to hang out with. I have gone with her to lighting stores, plant shopping (for her, I am waiting until I have furniture before I load up with plants), for groceries, and out for long walks. Everyday I wait for a message from the movers, as they will call us 24 hours before the truck arrives, to no avail.

Thursday, May 10 - Darren finally gets the call: the truck will arrive tomorrow! To say we are excited is an understatement. Although it was fine for awhile, we are getting sore sleeping on the air mattress, and Darren's lap is not the most comfortable place for his laptop. He is getting desperate for a desk to work on, and I want to get settled in.

Friday, May 11 - Driver Dean calls at 8:30 to tell us he won't be here until 11:00. At 11:30, the truck finally arrives. I have a tense moment when the security guard tells me that the truck is too big and they won't let it on the property (our stuff has already been moved from the very large truck onto a smaller shuttle), but the movers work it out, and proceed to unload. The way that the complex is configured, the elevator is actually part of the building beside us, and we have no stairs directly to our place. Gus and Christian (Dean wasn't there at all) certainly earned their paychecks carting all our boxes to the apartment. Some items had to be carried up the 2 flights of stairs, as they wouldn't fit in the elevator. The guys did a great job, and had it all unloaded by about 4:00.

Darren and I then proceeded to unpack almost everything. We had sold or given away a lot of things before we left Calgary, but were still amazed at the number of items we brought. When we looked at the collection of boxes, we initially thought there was no way it would all fit in the apartment. (Note to self - sarcasm does not work well when the person you are speaking does not speak English as a first language - when Darren joked with the movers that all these boxes couldn't possibly be ours, they started to check the numbers on the boxes to make sure they weren't giving us someone else's stuff). We unpacked until about 11:00pm, organizing enough furniture so that the cable guy could come in the morning to hook up a satellite connection, and so we could sleep. By bedtime we had a functional living room and bedroom, although the rest of the apartment was chaos. Of all the boxes we opened, we had only 2 broken glasses, and a couple of broken soup bowls and salad bowls. Not bad at all. We slept like kings, on a real mattress in a large bed for the first time in weeks.

Saturday, May 12 - I didn't want to get out of bed, but the guy was coming for the TV hook-up at 8:00am. We had a bunch of plastic, paper and boxes blocking the door, and Darren had only completed 2 trips to the recycle bins before Eric showed up. Eric and Darren had a wonderful morning discussing satellite service in the US vs Canada, the benefits and problems with the new Apple phone, and other interesting topics, while I unpacked the remaining boxes in the kitchen. After lunch, Darren and I headed out to buy a new TV. Thank you Terrence for the advice on what to buy, we are quite happy with it.

Sunday, May 13 - Happy Mother's Day! We spent it unpacking, and watching hockey. We have missed a lot of playoff hockey over the last 3 weeks, but are looking forward to a final between Anaheim and Ottawa. Go Ducks!! (I still can't cheer for an Eastern team).

Monday, May 14 - A lazy day for me. Darren is busy working, and I am getting caught up on all of my email correspondence.

Tuesday, May 15 - that takes us to today! I must go to the gym, where I haven't been since last Thursday, and I have a lot of laundry to do. Hope you have enjoyed catching up on our travels to date, I'll post more as exciting things happen.