Do you feel the earth move?

 Our first proper day in California included an earthquake.

We were sitting in the Starbucks at Warner Brothers curing the h-anger that seems to manifest as confusion and an ability to park when you are nearly sixty, when people stopped, looked at each other, nodded and said, “Earthquake!”

The Long Suffering Husband paused, ham and cheese toasty midair and said, “Earthquake.”

I put my crispy grilled cheese down and said, “Earthquake?”

“That’s what he said, didn’t you feel it?”

I hadn’t but didn’t like to confess just in case it’s a sign of something. Often, when I’m  tired I find the earth jolts a little.  Besides, the couple next to us were muttering something in Spanish about God. 

Obviously, I did what any self respecting citizen does in those circumstances and checked Twitter. Sure enough, a 4.8 had just happened in the Pasadena  area of LA, just 10 miles from where we were. Enough to rattle a few plates, which had happened in the staff canteen. 

It didn’t spoil our day. 

Griffith observatory followed by a walk up a big hill to get a look at the whole of smog-bound LA was the perfect start. The LSH was amazed at my ability to make him climb a mountain on any holiday. Driving around LA is a nightmare but the air conditioning makes it worth it if you take a hike first. 

We were a little disappointed with the Warner Brothers studio tour but would still recommend it.  There’s so much more detail in the UK Harry Potter version but I suspect that it would be different not in the school holidays. After our little walk it was relaxing to be driven round in a cart, looking at elephant doors, a jungle, whole streets that are redesigned for any film that needs them. They have a rule that anything a production company brings in they must take with them but no one told the bamboo! Most shows were on hiatus but it was exciting to see people in hospital gowns stumbling around outside one of the sound stages and I know I will watch any new medical drama. Jack Warner’s motto was, “Anything for the picture,” and the photos you get do look amazing. 

The walk of fame is horrible. It would be bearable if the driving and parking wasn’t such a nightmare and there wasn’t a premier at the Chinese theatre. LA sprawls on massive 5 lane roads, 38 miles across and 44 miles deep without a decent public transport system and so popping back when it is less busy is not an option. You can’t do everything when it is less busy. 

An evening back at Marina Del Rey, where we are staying led to confusion from the restaurant staff. 

“You walked?”

“You haven’t got the car?”

“Where are you from?”

“Oh England.”

In California, you are allowed to hike but you must never walk.

I had a pulled pork dish that included something we hadn’t heard of. The LSH asked.

“What are hush puppies?”

“They’re potatoes. Sort of. Oh I don’t know how to describe them. But they’re potatoes. They’re nice.”

“The only hush puppies I’ve heard of before are shoes.”

The waitress nearly wet herself, “I’ve never heard of that before.”

Hush Puppies at home are comfortable shoes for the over sixties but in SoCal they are little round overcooked croquets with spring onion and jalapeños in the mash part. They were nice, we told the waitress, who left our table singsonging, “Noice! Noice!” as she went.