Hi there,

My partner and I are planning an overseas trip; she has a four day conference in mid June on Tourism Disaster Management and Recovery in (where else?) Jamaica. To make the trip worth-while we're going to spend a week or two in L.A. (and California in general). We're returning back to places Antipodean on the 3rd of July.

Naturally, my thoughts turned to the empeggers I believe liberally pepper the Californian coast. Is there anyone willing to meet up with Kate and I? Go out to dinner? Even, dare I ask, have us over for a night? On the other hand, what would you recommend seeing? I have no need of Disneyland and Hollywood, but I'd love to see some nice scenery, go hiking and/or go on good rollercoaster rides. Any good ideas?

Reply publically, via personal message, or by email to paulway@mabula.net.

Thanks in advance,

Paul

Well, I guess I count as one of the peppery types, then.

So, to answer all your questions, in order (sticking mostly local to LA):

1) I wouldn't have a clue about where else. I suppose Jamaica is as good a place as any.

2) Yes.

3) Yes. Unless you only eat at McDonalds. What do you like? Sushi? Italian? Vietnamese? California Fusion? Thai? Mexican? Indian?

4) Yes, unless you're allergic to cats. Of course, if you're allergic to cats, you're still welcome, you'll just need to bring some meds with you. Heck, stay the whole two weeks, if you want -- it's the least I can offer in return for so many hours of your mixes.

5) Well, I suppose it all depends on what you're into. There are, of course, all kinds of live shows. If you like art on a wall, then there's a variety of museums, including the Getty, and LACMA. If you're a Bugs Bunny fan, then there's the La Brea tar pits museum, too (though there's no mention of the Bunny there). (Edit: I forgot to mention, Huntington Gardens is supposed to be spectacular, as well.) The best place for roller coasters near-by is Six Flags, which is about 45 minutes north of LAX. Scenery, I'm not so certain of... ordinarily, it would be pretty brown by the end of June, but we've got a lot of green now, so scenery should still be had (and the mountains don't go anywhere, anyway). There are tons of hikes in the area, from the Santa Monica mountains, which are about 20 minutes away from LAX, to the Southern Sierras, which are a 3 hour drive (which is worth it, IMHO). If you go that far, you can add a whitewater rafting (or kayaking) trip to the itinerary, as well. In between the two, there's a whole bunch of other stuff, as well. I do have a book on SoCal waterfalls (it's no Costa Rica, but we have a few). Heading east will get you to Vegas (of course), or you can stop at Joshua Tree (in the Mohave Desert) for more hiking, and rock climbing, if you're more Lordly inclined. The highest (Mt. Whitney) and lowest (Death Valley) points in the country are about a 5 hour drive from LA, as well. If you actually want to go backpacking, you can rent gear locally, as well. There's the Mt. Wilson observatory near Pasadena, which is open to the public, I think. Of course, with the amount of time you'll be here, you could easily go up the coast -- the drive up PCH from LA to San Francisco is gorgeous -- to check out the scene up there (I believe giant redwoods would count as scenery...). I can also drum up an ice-rink or two, if you want to skate.

6) See above -- if any of those sound like good ideas, feel free to PM.

PS... you'll want a car rental -- public transportation in LA is nearly non-existant, and cabs are insanely expensive.

I used to go to Magic Mountain frequently before I moved away from southern California 1989. Magic Mountain was a blast even back then. I'd love to go again.

EDIT: In fact, the Goldrusher was my first roller coaster ever, followed quickly by the Revolution.

Me too.

Remember watching the movie "Rollercoaster" and recognizing everything?

Or do I have the wrong age range?

A little too early for me -- born in early '78. But I could swear Magic Mountain was featured in the intro song for the bad '90s sitcom "Step by Step." They can't fool me with that fake ocean at the foot of the Colossus!

Thanks for that!

One thing that I should have thought of and Kate suggested is to have a kind of empeg mini-meet. This would mean that I could meet a whole bunch of empeggers in one easy session at a restaurant or similar venue. Who would want to do something like that?

Have fun,

Paul

P.S. I hope no-one feels that I've been asking to be hosted, or that I wouldn't repay the cost of such hosting.

Bad news,

Under Australian Law, if Kate takes recreation leave for longer than her conference goes, we have to pay full Fringe Benefits tax. Which is about a third of the airfare - about $1000AUD - or we keep our non-conference time to four days or less. This has really put a spoke in our wheels and we now debating whether to stay in L.A. at all. We may just stay in Kingston and live it up for a bit; my preferred option would be to visit other friends in Portland, Oregon; maybe we just get in a campervan and go visit Yosemite and Joshua Tree. We still have to decide.

I don't know what we'll decide yet, but all bets are off at this point.

Meanwhile, have some mixes I made at Linux Conf Au 2005. Something for everyone!

Have fun,

Paul