I have, in the past, made many trips to LA. Most were business trips for various companies for which I toiled, prior to going into acting some thirteen years ago. As all of you know who have traveled on business, you see the airport, your hotel, your client or prospect or convention, a few restaurants and the freeways, and that's about it. As I used to tell people, business travel is like flying to another city so you can get up at 6:00 AM and go to work.
Now that I live in the greater sprawl called LA, it's like seeing it for the first time. Most cities have one, maybe two famous landmarks (The Space Needle, The Alamo, The Golden Gate Bridge, and so forth). LA, on the other hand, has a multitude of them, which you pass in your everyday travels around the area.
On the way to my acting lesson in Hollywood this past Wednesday, I passed the famous circular Capitol Records building, The distributor of records (and then CDs) for Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton (for you jazz fans) and many other great musical artists.
Besides the famous Hollywood sign above Hollywood, there are Warner Brothers Studios, The NBC studios, Disney Studios, Paramount Studios, Universal Studios, Disneyland, the Santa Monica Pier, The Venice Ocean front walk, Mulholland Drive (with fantastic views), The Rose Bowl, all manner of museums and art galleries, The Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many, many more.
I mentioned in earlier entries that while I must never forget the reason I'm here, or my goal, one has to take some time to see and enjoy the many sights and activities available in LA. A little relaxation is good for the soul and keeps you balanced. So next week I am going to the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where some 160 plus Hollywood celebrities have left foot prints, hand prints, hoof prints (Gene Autry's horse) and other assorted prints. Oh yes, they also show first run films. It should be easy to find as it is on Hollywood Blvd., less than a mile from my acting coach's studio, which by the way, I can now find without using my GPS.
In my acting lesson last Wednesday I was far less rusty than I was in the one before, and it went pretty well. My acting coach puts each lesson on a DVD for you, and watching it later makes a great review of what you did in the lesson (both right and wrong).
No matter the training, experience, or level of talent an actor had before coming to LA, they must push it up a level or two in order to be competitive in this marketplace. There is an old adage which says "What was good enough to get you where you are today, may not necessarily be good enough to keep you there." That is quite true of the acting scene in LA. While there is tons of work for actors in LA, there are multitudes of good actors vying for that work. For every role you will be competing with the best. It's a challenge which I welcome, and my acting coach is helping me to move towards meeting that challenge.
Well, I've rambled on long enough for one day. Saturday chores await, and then maybe I'll get out and about some, and discover more about LA.
Later...............
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