Poetic Shutterbug

These photos were taken in Hollywood, CA back in July 2013. This particular photo is one of the doors to the TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.  Formerly known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Door to the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. I am participating in THEME THURSDAY .

Photo courtesy of sonyholland.blogspot.com Vocalist Sony Holland will be in concert with the Theo Saunders Quartet on January 29th and February 5th. I had the pleasure of seeing Sony perform with the Theo Saunders quartet in October. They are stellar musicians and celebrities in their own right backing some of the best singers performing today. Click here for the link to my review of the Theo Saunders Quartet on Jo's Music Cafe blog. Visit the Sony Holland blog. Theo Saunders photo courtesy of sonyholland.blogspot.com For more information on the Theo Saunders Quartet including some background on each player click Meet Theo Saunders and his Quartet Video Below - Sony Holland & the Theo Saunders Quartet in concert at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. Concert Venue and Information Fri. Jan. 29, 2010 SONY HOLLAND / THEO SAUNDERS QUARTET (Theo Saunders, piano: Larry Koonse, guitar: John B. Williams, bass: Tony Austin, drums) 2 Shows: 7:30 & 9:30pm - No Cover Charge!...

The Flyaway Bus While I'm not the sort of person who normally enjoys proving people wrong, I am going to do just that here. When planning my trip to Los Angeles I was told by EVERYONE that I needed a car. I have to admit I panicked a bit because I don't drive and would not have a car and needed to be able to get to the places I wanted to see by public transportation. So, I Googled, I checked out Virtual Tourist etc... What did I find? Los Angeles has the third largest public transportation system in the country . Not only would I be able to get around the downtown LA and Hollywood areas, I would also be able to get to Van Nuys , Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica and even San Diego (with transfers) etc... I think because their transportation system is so new and developing and expanding at such a rapid rate, that people just don't know about it. There are Super Shuttles and of course taxi and Limo services to get you from LAX to Union Station which is the ...

El Capitan Theatre Billboard Marquee Hollywood El Capitan Theatre Hollywood Downtown Los Angeles Skyscrapers View From Pershing Square Station The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show Hollywood Boulevard Wax Museum Hollywood .

Click photos to enlarge. Home to the Oscars and various major events in Hollywood, the Kodak Theatre sits along Hollywood Boulevard and is an extension of the Hollywood and Highland Center of which I will be blogging about later this week. These photos do not do justice to this theatre complex. When you walk in the complex you are surrounded by high end retail such as Louis Vuitton , Giordano etc... With the lighting and white and gold columns and adornments, this theatre center is truly a star studded event in it's own right. It's difficult to see in the third photo, so click to enlarge but the stairs are actually covered in red velvet with tiny gold star lights. When you walk up the stairs you come to the entrance of the Kodak Theatre box office which you can see in the second photo. Above you is a huge white and gold dome. I did snap a photo of that but because of the lighting and time of day it did not come out well. As you can see in the first photo this is a major ...

Before leaving Los Angeles, Sony and I decided to have lunch at a little spot in downtown LA's fashion district called Cole's that is famous for it's French Dip sandwich which originated in 1908. The restaurant is very charming, comfortable and cozy. It reminds me somewhat of John's Grill in San Francisco for it's ambiance and flavor. It is located within a historical landmark building and also houses a speakeasy in the back room. We wanted to get a glimpse of the room while there but they were so busy that afternoon that we just did not get a chance to see it. The waitstaff was friendly and got our food to us very quickly. Because I was going to be flying back home to San Francisco shortly after our lunch I did not want to have a big meal. I don't like flying whether it be 45 minutes or 14 hours and I never like flying on a full stomach. So, we decided to split our order. We had the Beef french dip sandwich, a side of bacon potato salad and a basket of ...

Click Photo To Enlarge. For more information visit Ripley's Believe It Or Not Hollywood.

Click Photos To Enlarge The Graumans Egyptian Theatre is located on Hollywood Boulevard and has a fascinating and rich history. It is also considered a major Hollywood landmark. To see the outside plaza in person is to feel as if you are actually in Egypt. The artwork is spectacular. My next visit I will make sure to tour the inside of the theatre as well. Click here for more detailed information on Graumans Egyptian Theatre. Enjoy!

Sony Holland Quartet: Theo Saunders , piano: Steve Cotter , guitar: John B. Williams , bass: Tony Austin , drums: Special guest appearance by Jerry Holland , guitar. I am so happy I flew to Hollywood to see this concert at the Catalina Jazz Club . It was one of those experiences that I will never forget. Seeing Sony Holland in concert is always something I look forward to and she never disappoints. This concert was nothing less than magical. Her quartet which consisted of the players listed above are in a league all their own. The piano player, Theo Saunders, played those keys to heights of which I have never heard. He was smooth as silk and fire on ice depending on the melody and tempo of the tune. A stellar class act. Steve Cotter on guitar had those strings singing along with drummer Tony Austin who had dancing drums at his feet. These two as a duo would be fantastic. Now I have to admit that I had never heard any bassist of whom I really enjoyed. I've always...

I made a special trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles to attend the Sony Holland concert at the Catalina Jazz Club . I had never been to the Catalina so I had no idea what to expect. I arrived the morning of the concert and decided to take a walk along Sunset Blvd. to get a feel for the area. The club is actually located inside an office building. Their marquee is mounted outside the building with flashing lights displaying the club and artist names. It was exciting to see Sony's name in lights. Since I had never been there I decided to arrive early at 7:00 p.m. when the doors opened. The person cleaning the outside area of the building buzzed me in the front door of the building and the club was identifiable by a simple sign on a door located on the first floor of the building. I walked in the door and was pleasantly surprised. The host was so friendly and welcoming that I felt as if I had walked onto the set of "Cheers." The club had that distinct feeling al...

The wax celebrity figures here look so real in person that you feel like they are actually there. For more information visit Madame Tussauds

Click Photos To Enlarge. One of the things I wanted to do while in Hollywood was to get a photo of Michael Jackson's star which you can see below. I also took a few shots of some of my favorite entertainers which are also shown below. The stars are located along a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard with some of the major stars located in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Right in front of the theatre are autographs and footprints along with notes, artwork etc... by some stars etched into the cement. I didn't take any photos of those because of the lighting situation. I have to say it was fun seeing these stars until I found Michael Jackson's star and something just clicked. I stood there looking at his star deeply saddened that especially on this particular day, October 28 th - the day his "This Is It" was opening in theatres across the country, his star lay etched into the ground, alone and with people just mindlessly walking over it oblivious to...

Me and my Superhero :) Click photos to enlarge the image The cast of characters roaming Hollywood Boulevard is really quite a novelty. I first thought that maybe these people were just dressed up for Halloween but when talking to my superhero in the above photo, I found out that these people are actually out there on a daily basis and make their living taking photos with and receiving tips from tourists. Some are more popular than others and some are also more aggressive than others. Elvis was one of those aggressive ones. When I snapped the photo of him which you'll see below, he came over to me, put his arm through mine and asked some guy to take our photo with my camera. While I love Elvis, I did not like his particular aggressive nature and pulled away. However, superman was much more sweet, charming, young and flirty, not to mention those huge muscles so of course I posed with him and slipped him a few bucks. From then on I tried to be sly getting photos without having t...

Photo courtesy of tripadvisor .com I wanted to let all of you know that I am off to Hollywood to see Sony and her quartet perform this week. Since it's been so long that I've visited Hollywood I decided to stay for a bit and have a mini vacation while there. I plan to do some sightseeing and will hopefully have many photos to share with you when I return. Since I'm considering this a short vacation, I will not be online again until Friday at the earliest. So, I will be visiting all of you again at the end of this week. Have a wonderful week everyone. Jo