When I think about going to Hollywood, I forget to imagine the pressure and the masses; the constant flow of people; the steady sound of traffic; the ease with which someone will lay on his car horn at 6:45am; the look and feel of dirt and grime that is part of lower income city life. No one scrubs the sidewalks and catches the spills as they happen.

But all those things take a back seat to the flowers everywhere and the view of the Griffith Park Observatory from the top floor of the apartment on Edgemont; the full moon above the palm trees; the golden sunsets blazing toward the east on Sunset Boulevard; the panorama from Barnsdall Park; the interesting array of ethnic food at Jon's; the buzz of the Los Feliz neighborhood; standing on the Santa Monica Pier waiting for that Asian guy to start his act; walking around Union Station and the downtown area.

Ashes and Snow exhibit in a temporary museum in the Pier parking lot.

Great trip.