With a title which is a take on the 80s movie, Beverly Hills Cop. I am feeling nostalgic for the 80s.
Well, I woke up today with too little sleep and enormous bags under my eyes. I was looking for excuses not to drive to Beverly Hills, but at the same time, I was telling myself, if not now, when? I had the reservation to go to the Greystone Mansion, and they might not let me make another reservation if I don't keep this one. Plus, I wanted to try a different place, I am getting tired of gardens, I want beautiful buildings and serene surroundings, and this one is beautiful, even if they say that the place is haunted because the scion of the Doheny Oil Baron family, Ned Doheny, was murdered there. All the more reason to go there.
So, I forced myself to get ready and, by 9:15 a.m., I was out the door and on the freeway. It was supposed to be a one hour and 15 minute drive and, for a moment, it looked as if I might arrive precisely on time, but then the traffic in LA got miserable. As usual, this is no surprise to me, I was driving around Los Angeles all the time from 1987-1994. Things stay the same or they fall apart, and traffic is definitely getting just as bad if not worse.
The freeways were clogged as I reached Los Angeles. My phone app said that there was a 7 minute delay on the 10 (they wanted me to drive to La Cienaga), and I didn't want to put up with that, so I made the mistake of getting on the 101, and the drive was worse. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, so to speak. Traffic is miserable, miserable, miserable, and I wanted to turn back but I said I had put so much effort into getting to that point already, I might as well suffer a little more and return with a reward. I stuck with it, but I was really considering just turning back.
After getting off the freeway and following the instructions on the app, I got to the Greystone Mansion. I could tell as I was going up the driveway to reach the parking lot that this was going to be special. There were no regrets, the stress was gone, this was definitely worth it. The views were magical, and I was so happy I arrived.
There were very few guests there, mostly Asians and a few elderly Anglos. There were also a few Latinos there but, guess what, they were the janitors and gardeners. I was there, though, with my trusty Fuji GW690ii and my cellphone. I left my 6x17 camera at home because I was afraid they would see that monster camera and tell me to put away all my cameras, but no, no rangers were even visible except in the entryways. They left us completely alone, and I should have brought that camera.
It was an enjoyable trip. I was there from 10:45 a.m. to about 1:30. It took a long time to drive back. My explorations were very enjoyable, I felt as if I had the place mostly to myself. I exposed three rolls of infrared and I have two of those rolls drying in the bathroom right now. I also took a roll of Acros. No color, though, which I might regret, but with any luck, I will return in a few months. This one is definitely worth it.
Here are a few cellphone photos:
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