For Your Viewing Pleasure - Earlier this week my boy C-los and I made a last minute trip to Cali in hopes of making it in time for the Laker Parade. Although we got lost three quarters of the way there and ended up somewhere deep in the heart of Hollywood, or in other words LOST, we found ourselves at a friendly gas station that proved to be not so friendly after all. After failing to get directions time and time again by the store clerks, we decided to turn around. By the time we made it to our destination (granny's house) in the wee hours of the night (4:00a.m.) we had enough time to take a 4 hour nap in preparation for the big day. After those 4 hours of sleep were cut short due to my father's ridiculously loud snoring that kept us up a majority of the time, we were off to Tinseltown. Other than its palm trees, sandy beaches, and celebrities of coarse, Los Angeles is notorious for it's traffic. With that in mind, we took the scenic route along the coast and found ourselves in Malibu. As for the parade itself, we made perfect timing...At least we thought.
Less than a mile away from Staples Center where the Parade was set to begin, we were some 45-minutes early before the scheduled starting time of 11 o'clock. However, it would be another 40-minutes until the parade actually kicked off resulting in sun burnt skin and aching ears due to the countless fog horns that were blown inches away from my ears. Once the hundreds of police officers approached the perimeter and readied themselves with their heavy duty riot guard equipment, the anticipation finally set in and it all fell into place. After talks of fantasizing and one day hoping to attend a championship parade, it was then that I realized we were actually there. As Los Angeles Fire Department trucks kicked off the parade with the Laker girls riding atop of them, the big moment slowly began to inch closer.
Finally the out-stretched semi with '2010 NBA Champions' written across it approached us. NBA Hall of Famer Ervin 'Magic' Johnson, Josh Powell and Derek Fisher were all visible, but no Kobe. Then finally out came Pao Gasol who looked directly at us and began hoisting the trophy as they drove past. But once again, still no sight of The Black Mamba. Driving several hundred miles in hopes of seeing your favorite NBA player of all-time and coming up short was quite the buzz kill. But knowing the fact that we were still there was quite the rush. Never in my life have I been surrounded by so many people that share the same interest and love in a team as I do. The 60-second moment that we all waiting hours for, was over in a blink of an eye. After making our way back to the car as soon as possible, hoping to avoid the dreadful L.A. traffic, we were front and center of some good 'ol L.A. vandalism as seen here:
After beating traffic and stopping for gas, we drove back towards Malibu where we kicked back and had a couple of beers. The rest of the trip was spent relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Cali weather. Also taking up a majority of our time away from home, was some of the bomb eateries we dined at which included The Habit which specializes in burgers similar to that of In-N-Out, El Pollo Norteno which is similar to El Pollo Loco and my personal favorite Japanese Cuisine, Maki Yaki! Aside from a few Laker items to add to my collection, the only souvenir I came home with was the aforementioned sunburn I received while at the parade. Something I don't understand considering I'm yet to receive a sunburn here in Vegas where the weather is some 30-degrees warmer. All in all the trip was fun and well worth it. But as usual, the stay wasn't long enough. Oh how I miss you already Cali, I promise to be back soon.
Some other photos that didn't make the cut:
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