One day in LA. 

Phew it is hot. The heat in Southern California never seems to let up. This February is unseasonably warm, which translated, means just like summer. During the week we drove to Los Angeles. I like this town. It is terribly snobby, but it beats with positive and creative energy.
                  
From Newport Beach to Santa Monica (Los Angeles) the route by car usually takes about an hour, we were able to make it to the nearest Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in just over 40 minutes. 

For sure we went faster as we used the less crowded carpool lane - reserved for cars with a minimum of two passengers. Look at all those cars with just one person driving!

A visit to the Polish very elegant office passed without any problems, and in over one month I should get my new passport by mail.                          

                             

A few months ago, I spotted on the Discover LA Instagram page a property that took my breath away. I really wanted to see it with my own eyes. I succeeded:                      

The Stahl House is located in Hollywood Hills. Buck Stahl wasn't anybody famous. The house itself does not involve any Hollywood story. It just happened that one day in 1954 Stahl bought land on the hills and decided to build a home on it.

With the help of architect Pierre Koenig, the Stahl House was transformed into amazing and unique estate.  The Koenig work featured in the Case Study House Program. It was a practical manifesto of a large group of designers, whose aim was to show the modern, post-war and functional architecture.

The concept used the beautiful skyline, visible from any interior. The house itself is built mostly of glass and steel. The Stahl House was entered the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Our only regret was that we did not stay until sunset, and we could not cool off in the pool.

Here is a link to the Stahl House gallery of recent magazine and commercial photoshoots: 
http://www.stahlhouse.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=115  

                                    

In the afternoon, in a different area of LA, we found time to catch up with friends. 

 We also traveled through the famous district of Beverly Hills.

When we left hot Los Angeles, we had to stop for a little shopping.

I recently read the book Driving the Saudis - by American author Jayne Larson.  She mainly describes the experience of working for the lavish Saudi Royal family, but you can also learn about the city of Angels itself. I recommend it. :)

Along the way, we checked if we were lucky winning the mega lottery Powerball. The prize was $500 million! We were close, but still very far away.

Three right numbers, including the key powerball number, got us to win $ 7! Almost enough for a delicious lemon cheesecake from a well-known Cheesecake Factory restaurant, which we bought at the mall. 

                                                  

                                                       

                           

We came back little tired but in good spirits, and we are already planning our next visit to magical LA.

H.                             

  

It's time for Super Bowl!

Last Sunday the 49th American football championship was played.

This time, the Seattle Seahawks did not win the Super Bowl (see my blog posts from January and February 2014).  The New England Patriots are the 2015 champions.  The same team who is involved in the so called Deflate-gate.  Allegedly the Boston team used under-inflated balls, which might make them easier to catch.

I still do not quite understand the rules of American football. This time it occurred to me that the whole team does not play simultaneously. Each is divided into three smaller teams, and are accordingly active on the field depending on the time of the game.

I did notice that Sunday's match was full of emotional ups and downs. And in the end, to my surprise, the Seattle Seahawks players got into a fight with the Patriots! One of the players received a $ 25,000 fine. Of course when one earns a million of dollars per year, this amount is not much noticeable. 

Dean loves to talk about sports, particularly about football. He often discusses the games on the phone with his Dad.  He also obsessively checks the internet for the newest scores.

For me, the halftime show was exciting enough. This year, live from the stadium in Arizona, Katy Perry gave an entertaining performance. Just like the one we went to last year in Tacoma.  And just like last time I had a great time listening to her popular hits.

Surely you know how important and costly advertising time during the Super Bowl is. 

I particularly liked these newest commercials:

                                                 

                        

And you? 

Here is a link to all of them :

http://graphics.wsj.com/superbowlads2015/8CCCBA4B-235B-424F-A79E-7121EBA740F0 

One must notice that American economy has to be getting on the right track. It seemed to me that most of Super Bowl commercials showed brand new car models.

Stay tuned for next post from Southern California:)
                                                                         

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