When The Corona Virus Invaded Los Angeles

"Production is shut down due to Corona Virus!" said the assistant director. "Everyone head back to base camp to sign out and then go home."

Everyone had spent two hours going through hair and makeup and getting dressed in our period costumes when that happened.

That was my last day of work as a background actor before Hollywood shutdown on March 13.

March 12 was the last time I saw my mom; the last time I ate out.

March 13 my son's school said  they would close for 3 weeks.

March 14 my gym closed.

March 15 my jobs on the 16, 17, and 18 were cancelled.

The value of my 401k collapsed over the course of three weeks

That was the bad news.

The good:
•I finally have emergency supplies for the next big earthquake
•not having to fight with my son over homework
•taking walks with my wife daily through our empty neighborhood streets
•having something to discuss with my teenagers that they are actually interested in
•amazing signs of community
•learning to adapt to a new reality

I will post every two days what interesting (and hopefully uplifting) things I have heard or seen regarding the Covid-19, how it affects me me, my family, and my fellow background actors, and how I and/or we have adapted.

I hope that you find it interesting and look forward to your comments and questions.

Take care everyone.

Summer Coffee in Los Angeles' "Towns"

My coffee house visits this summer had me exploring numerous "towns" in Los Angeles. For example, I never knew there was a Japantown in LA aside from Little Tokyo. See below:

Japantown

Balconi Coffee Company

11301 Olympic Blvd. #124

Los Angeles, CA 90064

Balconi is a small quaint coffee shop in the revitalized Sawtelle Japantown area. Just off the 405, this 4-block stretch on Sawtelle near Olympic has numerous Japanese and Korean restaurants and stores. I enjoyed a delicious Almond Essence Latte. They sell almost equal amounts of coffees and teas as well as a small selection of pastries. There is plenty of free parking on the side streets of the 1- to 2-hour variety. Just make sure you check the street signs as those time limits are strictly enforced. Both when I left my car and when I came back, I saw parking enforcement officers patrolling the neighborhood.

Beantown

45 N.  Baldwin Ave.

Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Beantown has a laid-back community atmosphere with lots of coffee choices as well as smoothies, ice cream, and an array of sandwiches - everything one needs to spend a day getting work done. Lots of space. On the record hot day I came here, their iced cherry latte really hit the spot.

Koreatown

LaB Coffee & Roasters

429 N. Western Ave. #5

Los Angeles, CA 90004

My mocha had a very strong coffee flavor that would keep me humming for the next few hours. The diverse crowd was comprised of a few Koreans, a few Latinos and a couple of Caucasians. The current demographics of the neighborhood. Bags of coffee beans were used as décor and plaques on the wall discussed the sourcing of their coffee beans. LaB Roasters was a nice find. Having been born and raised in Koreatown, before it was known as Koreatown, it was nice to see a legitimate coffeehouse open in my old neighborhood.  It is small, but large enough for a number of tables, including communal tables with people working on laptops.

Tinseltown

Coffee + Food

5630 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

From the few tables out front you can see the world sitting atop Paramount Studios and iconic Astro Burgers. Quite a few people who work at or want to work at the studios come by here. One woman getting out of her old beat up car had headshots in hand. Drinking my mocha, I had a really good lunch while people watching.

Religion, Vegans, and Macs: LA Coffee Shops March

Religion, vegans, and Macs were what I found during my March coffee shop excursions. I am constantly surprised by the uniqueness of the Los Angeles coffee scene. See below:

Holy Grounds Coffee and Tea

Serenity Now

Holy Grounds Coffee and Tea

5371 Alhambra Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90032

Serenity. This coffeehouse has a very Zen-like courtyard with a large stone fountain and hummingbirds buzzing around the flowers. Religious icons were placed throughout the courtyard including statues of Mother Mary, a golden Buddha, and a fertility goddess. There was even an area for tarot card and tea leaf readers. Very tranquil. Oh, and they also serve a good mocha and pastries from local bakeries. They also have a small lunch menu. Good place to work.

No Animals Harmed Here

The Butcher's Daughter

The Butcher's Daughter

1205 Abbott Kinney Blvd.

Venice, CA 90291

This place surprised me as the daughter is a butcher of vegetables - a total vegan establishment.  Inside was bright and airy with a central island where baristas worked and patrons sat around eating their butchered veggies and/or drank excellent coffee. They also have another counter for to go orders in case you want to take your beverage with you as you stroll along the shops on Abbott Kinney. Definitely a unique establishment.  I listed it under my coffee house visits as that is why I came - for the coffee, but it is more of a café with wait staff and reservations for the tables, so not necessarily a place to sit and write all day.

Groundwork Coffee

Hollywood Grab and Go

Groundwork Coffee Tea Community

1501 N. Cahuenga  Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

Across the street from CNN headquarters and cat a corner to Amoeba Records, Groundwork Coffee is at the gateway to Hollywood. It is only two blocks south of Hollywood Boulevard and is very busy with people coming and going. It is a good place to grab a coffee and head out to visit the local sites or have a quick lunch. The plates from the brunch menu looked very good as did the big cinnamon rolls.  All of the street parking, even on the small side streets, is metered at $1.00 per hour.

Mac Life

Found Coffee

1355 Colorado Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90041

Nice clean open coffeehouse. Chill jazzy music was playing low. The crowd was predominantly Occidental College students. And anyone on a laptop, was on a Mac. There was not a single PC in the place. Considering the décor was predominantly white with blue seats, I wondered if there was a connection. For food, they sold a number of pastries.

Found Coffee

Great Hollywood Hike

Runyon Canyon is a 2.5-mile popular hike in Hollywood with great views of the city that will get your blood pumping with its steep inclines.

Me and Rosemary - view from Cloud's Rest. Western trail in distance.

Runyon Canyon has magnificent views of the Hollywood sign, the observatory, downtown Los Angeles and the sea. At various outlooks the city installed benches to take a breather and feel the wind blow across your face as you gaze across the Los Angeles basin below. If you don't stop to take in the views, you can easily complete this hike in an hour.  One couple said they completed it in half an hour.

Downtown Los Angeles

The trail on the eastern side of the canyon is dirt and steeper than the paved the western side. There's an option to double the length of your hike by taking the far western route that branches off the western trail that will lead you all the way back to Mulholland Drive.  

Steps on eastern trail

It was definitely a Hollywood crowd with most people sporting mirrored sunglasses, yoga outfits and great bodies. Many people had dogs. 

A block south of the park's entrance is a man selling custom ordered fresh fruit cups. Very refreshing after the shadeless hike.

Fruit stand

Only street parking is available but fortunately no permits are required. That being said, always check the street signs wherever you park as parking rules constantly change in L.A. We parked on Fuller Street and walked 3 blocks to the park's entrance.

To wrap up our day in Hollywood, we ate a late lunch at the historic 101 Coffee Shop on Franklin. I had good carne asada tacos and my wife had a great portobello mushroom sandwich.  We topped off our meal with a decadent, although cherryless, hot fudge sundae.

A great day out in Hollywood.

Great inspirational sign on trail!