The two hour drive from Palm Springs to Hollywood would have been easy-breezy, except for the loss of the passenger side window. In a classic case of “Driving Miss Lazy,” Melissa sat in the backseat with Willis to avoid the constant blast of hot air from said missing window. We left mid-morning; I noticed as we got closer to our destination that the temperature outside was slowly rising. By the time we got Los Angeles, it was over 90 degrees. It was safe to say that although it wasn’t voiced, nobody in the car was in a happy place. However, the show must go on, so we continued with our list of film location visits, with the first one being the “Mildred Pierce” (1945) house in Glendale, which was first covered here. Snap snap and it was back in the car to visit Rizzo and Danny who were talking about “sloppy seconds” at Frenchie’s house from “Grease” (1978).
I don’t know about sloppy, but we were definitely hot and sweaty by this point.
And yet… we carried on. Next stop: Jane Hudson’s house from “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”(1962):
While the exterior of the house was used for a number of scenes, the film crew also built a replica of it on the soundstage at Warner Brothers. Note in this publicity still you can see the door AND the interior of the set on the far right.
Temperatures continued to rise as patience plummeted, so I made an executive decision: time for lunch. Mauro Cafe at Fred Segal on Melrose Avenue was the perfect place to get cool in the shade, hydrate, and enjoy a delicious meal. This has to be one of my favorite spots in Hollywood; the staff is super friendly and the food is tasty.
The tart lemon slush is a favorite of mine.
My chicken parmesan sandwich hit the spot:
And yes, the carrot cake was every bit as decadent as it looked.
Once I dropped Melissa off at her hotel I headed toward the Chateau Marmont, where I finally felt like I could relax and breathe…until I realized I’d left my camera back at Mauro Cafe. Willis and I piled back in the car and quickly retrieved it. Yes, that caused a few moments of panic.
My room (39) was one I had never been in before and it was lovely.
Willis was happy to be at his home-away-from-home.
What a great view of the patio and Sunset Boulevard from my window:
Willis and I crashed and then went downstairs for a late dinner. There was a piano player! What a fantastic touch.
The roasted chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes were delish.
Yes, Willis had some of the chicken. How could you resist this face?!?
No, he didn’t get any of my Coconut Panna Cotta dessert.
We slept well that night. Almost too well; Willis was not happy when I tried to get him up for his morning walk.
I love strolling through the nearby West Hollywood neighborhoods, as there are so many cool historic homes and apartment buildings, like The Andalusia from 1926:
I want those garage doors!
The Mi Casa apartments on Havenhurst were used in the 1974 film “Chinatown.”
This is where Detective Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) snapped clandestine shots of Hollis Mulwray with a young woman he was supposedly having an affair with.
It’s a gated building, so I couldn’t get in to see the courtyard where the scene was filmed.
It’s the details that draw me in:
Afterwards, it was time for my morning swim and for Willis to relax. Please, no pictures.
Next up: Sid Krofft at the Chateau!
See more photos at my main website.
