The Real La La Land - Day 4
Thursday morning, Tina and I headed out for some breakfast and went to one of my favourite spots, The Griddle Cafe on Sunset. This popular cafe is always full to the rafters and indeed when we arrived there was a queue to get in! But after around 20 minutes we bagged
ourselves a couple of seats at the counter and attempted to read their huge 90 choice menu (not including sides and drinks!). The Griddle is famous for it's pancakes which are around one and a half times the size of my head; and you get three of them. It was great to spend some time with Tina as I often don't get time with her by myself so we had a great natter over huge breakfasts!
We wandered back down to Tina's house and once again I started the ritual of getting my things together ready for the next house! This time I was headed about 45 minutes West out of the main hub of LA and into the suburban area of Woodland Hills. My buddy Josh picked me up and drove me out there to stay with our friend Connie who played the famous 'New Girl' in 'Twin Peaks'. Connie Woods and I met last year in LA and have stayed in touch ever since. She's a super smart lady with a real warmth and I thoroughly enjoy her company, so when she asked me to stay with her it was a no brainer!
Connie wanted to take me somewhere she thought I would really enjoy. She wasn't wrong. She drove through the stunning Santa Monica Mountains until we reached Topanga, a
mountain village with just over 8000 residents. I loved this place. It's open, the air is clear and pretty much everything is wooden and has character...it was a bit like walking into a jolly western film set! Connie was very excited to show me the eclectic vintage store Hidden Treasures. There was no doubt, this place was very very cool.
We spent a good hour in this little haven sifting through all the 60's and 70's clothing; I swear I saw a tan suede jacket that my Dad used to wear many moons ago! There were obscure trinkets and ornaments, slightly freakish mannequins, bamboo changing rooms and a green tiled serving counter that looked like it was straight out of 'Return to Oz', just waiting for Fairuza Balk to turn it into one of her friends! It short, it was wonderfully bonkers with surprises around every corner, and right up my street.
We headed back to Connie's and did a quick change as it was time to head off and meet more friends for dinner. We were having dinner with a couple more actors from 'Twin Peaks'; Sheryl Lee and Gary Hershberger. Sheryl and I have been friends for a few years now (she was a guest at my festival in 2014) and I adore her company. She is one of the sweetest people I know and looks for the good in everyone, and just occasionally, she flashes a Laura Palmer smile that puts me back to being 14 years old when I first saw her face on screen. This would be the first time I met Gary, despite having a 3 year email conversation with him! So off we went along with Connie's lovely daughter Blue, her boyfriend, and our pal Josh Eisenstadt for a fun night out. Kudos to Josh for arranging this get together!
We ended up at Pizza Cookery in Woodland Hills, a great place with sawdust on the
floors just to make you feel rural! Sheryl was there when we arrived and we enjoyed the biggest of hugs having not physically seen each other in 2 years - thank god for email! I love that feeling when it's been forever but you feel like you saw that person yesterday. After an epic drive to meet us, Gary came into the restaurant, bringing an energy with him that just lit up the room. We talked for ages about his work and mine, and his enthusiasm and support is very clear for you to see. I look forward to the day he visits the Twin Peaks UK Festival as the fans will adore him.
In London we often joke that everyone has a project on the go, it's no different here. Gary and Sheryl have been working on a project together for a while now, Josh is a film director working on a new piece and Connie is developing software as well as getting funding together for a documentary she is wanting to make. This is why I love being around creatives. People's minds fascinate me. Whether they are doing it for the art or for a cause they believe in (I would say money but it's common knowledge people in the Arts have none!), their passion and commitment stands out. And shouldn't that be what life is about, experiences and passion? And even if you fail, knowing that you tried.
After a wonderful night filled with lots of laughter we said our goodbyes and headed back to Connie's where we were greeted by her gorgeous dog Puppers, whose zest for life is bigger than mine! He's my new bff!
And so off to bed in beautiful Woodland Hills to the sounds of the owls...
Lins x
