This is the (somewhat rushed, loosely formatted) story of RowanofRohan and Limulus, a mother and daughter who traveled to LA for a Long Expected Party... Pre-Party Silliness We arrived in L.A. on Thursday afternoon, and took the cab to our hotel, the Ramada West Hollywood. This hotel is extremely well-situated and a has good rates. It is a decent neighborhood, with a Trader Joe's nearby, and most importantly, a Starbucks. The first order of business was to get something to eat, so we headed over to the nearby Barney's Beanery. This is the last place that Janis Joplin went before her tragic overdose, and was a favorite Route 66 hangout for many famous music people back in the day. The food was good and cheap, and the awesome pear cider they recommended had us both laughing and doing stupid poses in no time (the stupid poses were my idea, but mom gets me back for that later). Barney's is right next to the Hollywood Stock Exchange, which did list Sean Bean, and I believe his stock was up a buck or so (hsx.com if you want to check). On Friday, we went to the Farmer's Market, which is sort of a combination of fruit stands, gift shops, and great little food areas. (Hot Sauce, anyone?) We had Greek food, then headed over to The Grove Mall, which has a trolley in case you are carrying too many expensive purchases to walk back to your car. We had neither a car nor expensive purchases, so that wasn't a problem. On Saturday, we went to breakfast at the Newsroom cafe, where you are supposed to always, always see a celebrity or two. We very well may have, too, for all I know, but this much is certain: the lavendar limeade was the shizznit! Soon after that, we headed off to the moot, where we met some very nice people including Sevilodorf. It was good to have met a few people, since we had not arrived knowing anybody. After the moot, we returned to our hotel room and pay-per-viewed Two Towers. It seemed like the right thing to do. Sunday, the BIG DAY! To take our mind off things, we headed off to visit the La Brea Tarpits. They had a neat display of La Brea Dire Wolves. You know, wargs. But then we saw something that no one back home will believe! We returned to the hotel and paced around alot. Around 3 PM we started getting ready. The cab was called. I must admit I was wigging out about going down to the lobby, just the two of us, dressed in our finery, but once we got in the cab I relaxed, and once we saw the line of other people dressed in their finery, it instantly became FUN! So here are my contributions to the photo pool. I didn't try to take too many pictures of the cast, as I could see that about 1100 other people were taking what would probably be better shots. Here's what I did capture: Sevilodorf, ever our friend and ally! *waves* A neat fact about the Hollywood Athletic Club I didn't know. Me and Mom trying to remember the password... Rohan, the place to go for good eats! Posing in front of the black rider, as little Frodo looks on Golden Gandalf, I presume? Who will guide us through the Dead Marshes? Galadriel. What more is there to say? Everybody Loves Lurtz (remember when I said Mom gets me back on stupid poses?) The Bar in the Dead Marshes, which used to be the swimming pool at the Club. Whatever Gimli is saying, Saruman and Grima don't like it one bit! Bilbo and Frodo. Yeah, that's right. My cats. What of it? The party was unforgettable. 'nuff said. When we got back to the hotel it was about 1 AM, and we were going to have to leave for the airport by 8 AM. So we pay-per-viewed Two Towers again. It seemed the right thing to do. E-mail Limulus