The Rodeo Residency: Cruising Down the Avenue

Initially, I would get to Beverly Hills too early to go in to work. So I walked to Rodeo Drive, a street of high end shops famous for celebrity clientele.

It was around 7:15 AM when I glimpsed a gray haired man getting his hair cut. Surreal.

On Rodeo Drive itself, the store displays are not particularly unusual or spectacular. While the clothes on the storefront mannequins are changed roughly every two weeks, the accompanying props are in for the long haul. At the Coach Store, there's a street sign of the intersection of 5^th and Madison Avenues. You can take the store out of New York, but you can't take the New York out of the store.

Mont Blanc, the purveyor of fine writing instruments, caught my attention. Despite being in Beverly Hills, their window displays are empty when the store is closed.

I saw this bit of quaintness one crisp cool morning

Upon further exploration, I discovered Tiffany's house

I believe Versace's a neighbor, across the way. At its end (or entrance) are marble steps, a fountain (not pictured), and a sign to tell you where you are.

  

Via Rodeo

On my lunch breaks, I visited the three major department stores of the area: Barney's New York, Saks 5^th Avenue, and Neiman Marcus.

I'd never been to Barney's, which may be why it felt the posh-est to me. Or it may have been the pair of sandals with the unusual ankle strap. The holes and buckle of the strap were hidden behind another layer of leather. Incroyable!

Saks actually is actually split into two – the main store, and The 5^th Man men's store. It's the most like a typical department store - <whisper> they had sales racks in the shoe section.

The 5^th Man also has the Bridal department and corporate offices. I read Bridal and thought dishes and silverware (I'm in a fine china phase). Au contraire, mon frère. Bridal means Wedding Dresses.

Question for the gallery: Why are all modern wedding dresses sleeveless?

Neiman's fine china section is in the basement, where there is also a collection of fine art in the hallway on the way to the bathrooms. For me, Neiman's posh-er than Saks, but not near Barney's.

There are other stores in the area, of course. Boutiques I have never heard of. Stores I'd only seen at Westfield San Francisco (i.e., the mall at the Powell Street BART station). My macron store, 'lette. And to my shock, a Cheesecake Factory.

One day, I noticed an interesting tower in the distance. It looked to be only a block past Beverly; surely I could examine it during my lunch hour.

As I rounded the corner, I glimpsed an art deco style building. C'est tres belle! This first building turned out to be

Beverly Hills Civic Center

But it was not the building I came to see. No, I was interested in the building next door, the one with the tower

  

Wow. What is this place?

What?!

<sigh> 

That's right. I'm in Beverly Hills.

The Rodeo Residency: A Temp Assignment

The good news: I did not have to get onto the 405. Even leaving Woodland Hills at 6:30 AM, taking 405 S would have been a nightmare.

Instead, I took Coldwater Canyon, twisting and turning my way through the hills. When I moved to my current (temporary) location in Sherman Oaks, I didn't even need to get onto the freeway.

There was still traffic, of course. Because,

1. I'm in Los Angeles County,

2. There is major construction on Coldwater from Moorpark to Ventura, right before the climb into the hills,

3. There is a high school at the base of the ascent, and

4. There are two stoplights for the folks going to Mulholland Drive. It wasn't unusual to be stopped on the incline, in the midst of a curve.

When I came out of Coldwater onto Beverly Drive, I passed a park which includes, to my left,

Alphabet Man

Actually Endless V by Juame Pensa, 2012 

Alien Tulips

Actually Hymn of Life: Tulips by Yayoi Kusama, 2007

or Why Isn't This a Cool Playground?

Possibly because only the sidewalk separates it from uber-busy Santa Monica Blvd

Or it reminds one too many people of Men in Black 2

To my right,

Artsy Bugs Bunny

Actually The Drummer by Barry Flanagan, 1989-90

And,

That's right. My temp assignment is in Beverly Hills.

For the first two weeks, I used the Valet-Only Visitor parking (with company validation, fortunately). It wasn't long before I was comfortable with the concept. Every morning I left my door open, keys in the ignition, engine idling as I greeted the valet and took my ticket.

There were actually two parts to the assignment. The first was updating the global address book, a data entry project well suited to my abilities and personality. I sat with the IT guys (some of my favorite folks in a company), plugging away.

I then moved to uploading documents to a database. I relocated to a desk near the Office Manager, got into a groove, and did my thang. Because organization + databases is one of my thangs.