California Dreamin' Part 1 - Getting There

If you should randomly discover this blog, I should preface it with an explanation. A lot of this is going to be about Craig Ferguson and is written with all my fellow Robot Skeletons in mind. :-)

It's been over twenty years since I've visited California, and my brother. It's not like I don't love the place. When I was in my twenties I lived in San Francisco and LA and in a little town north of LA called Frazier Park. I was born in LA, then made the cross-country trip to Louisville (Louavull) when I was still a baby. My Dad has told me stories about growing up in La Crescenta and the Hollywood Hills my whole life.  In high school I wanted to go to USC or UCLA. My high school yearbook song was California Dreamin'! - So of course seeing Craig Ferguson sing it, with the harmonies, in The Big Tease is a funny and really sweet moment for me. I had been hoping for some inspiration, something or someone to give me a little push to make this trip. It all started with a tweet on January 7th...

Craig Ferguson ‏ @CraigyFerg

“@Freundlydude: My goal this year is to have @BenFolds@IamStevenT or @CraigyFerg to RT one of my tweets #goals” Jeez. Aim higher.

I had a response to that, even though it was not directed at me...

Nancy Herman ‏ @NancyinTampa

@CraigyFerg Good afternoon!2012 goal-time to visit brother in Sonoma & attend a LLS taping.Dream- west coast standup show too!#toohigh ? :)

Then things started to happen. One month later, new standup dates were announced. And there it was - the Uptown Theatre in Napa - 20 minutes from my brother's house! All the components were there - visit my brother, see Craig live, then drive to LA for a Late Late Show taping.  I was already thanking Craig for making this the perfect California visit!

Thanks to Craig joining Twitter and creating his Robot Skeleton Army, I have made some great friends. As soon as the Napa show was announced, I heard from Melody (@cozyhobo),  who lives nearby in Novato.  She offered to drive over to the Uptown Theatre and purchase a membership so that we could later find good seats for the show. We could split the cost and it would be totally worth it. This is not unusual for the #RSA! We hadn't even met yet and this is what we were doing. When the tickets became available, the seats Melody came up with were second row center! Off to an amazing start, not really expecting any more than that. When tickets opened up to the general public on Valentine's Day, I was online right away and bought fourth row seats for my brother and sister-in-law.  After learning more about the Uptown Theatre, I was really looking forward to the whole experience. It is a beautiful place.
http://twitpic.com/9hvrzt

I knew when I started this that I had to fill some time between arriving in LA and leaving the day after the LLS taping. I would have a few days with my family, but they had to work while I was playing tourist. I also wanted to see friends if I could manage it. When the San Diego and San Luis Obispo shows were announced I hoped to meet with #RSA friends @Diane4mail and @sarieswick. I started filling up the days with Craig's standup shows, and my visit blossomed into a full tour of California! Eventually this became the plan:

4-21-Arrive Saturday afternoon in LA, check into hotel, drive to Lancaster. See Craig the first night in California. (I really liked that!:))
4-22- Back in LA, leave for San Diego. Arrive mid-afternoon, have dinner and then see Craig at Humphrey's. Stay at Humphrey's.
4-23 - Free day. Spend it in Santa Barbara.
4-24- Drive to hotel in Pismo Beach. Join Diane and Sara for dinner at the Apple Farm in SLO, then see Craig at Harmon Hall.
4-25- Drive to Napa, check into hotel, meet brother, sister-in-law and Melody for dinner, then see Craig at the Uptown Theatre.
4-26 & 27 - Tour northern California, visit friends and family.
4-28 - Drive to San Francisco, dinner with family
4-29 Drive back to LA.
4-30 Go to Late Late Show taping.
5-1 Fly back to Tampa.

That seemed like plenty! But there was one more thing. Eric Idle appeared on Craig's show and talked about his production of "What About Dick?", scheduled to be at the Orpheum in LA April 26-29.  The cast was beyond anyone's wildest dreams! Eric, Eddie Izzard, Billy Connolly, Russell Brand, Tim Curry, Tracey Ullman, Jane Leeves, Jim Piddick and Sophie Winkleman. So Sunday night suddenly had a destination.