The Beverly Halls

Being from New York originally, Mrs. Hall found the vegetation on the West Coast a little on the fantastic side. Even though they had traveled around the southwest two years ago, she still was fascinated with the spiky nature of the lawn decor. "All this time, I thought Dr. Suess was wildly imaginative when he drew all those fabulous trees and bushes; now it turns out he was just drawing what he saw." commented Mrs. H. "And I'm really surprized at some of the different state ordinances- apparently California has a strictly enforced local leash law for either yard decorations and/or tortoises." Mr. Hall pretended to ignore her as he recalibrated the GPS.
Leaving San Luis Obispo behind, the Halls continued down Highways 101 and 154. Passing through the Los Padres National Park was positively breathtaking. The roads were good and the traffic light, so in no time at all, they managed to pull into Beverly Hills and headed straight for Rodeo Drive.
"Ooh, ooh- look at that car! And that one! Ooh, ooh- !!" Mrs. Hall could hardly be contained. Mr. Hall was sure he was going to have a problem on his hands with the luxury boutiques, but it seemed Mrs. H. only had eyes for the fancy wheels. There seemed to be a Rolls-Royce at least every other block. They hopped out to hit the streets and mingle with the beautiful people. All the big designers had boutiques on the street and after years of just reading about them in Vogue and W, it was a delight for Mrs. Hall to finally see so many together all at once.
"Six thousand dollars for that?!?" gasped Mr. Hall. Mrs. Hall had just pointed out a small leather bag that caught her eye in Hermes. "Actually, I really think it's only three or four thousand," she corrected, as she examined the inside of the handbag. "Three thousand dollars for that?!?" continued Mr. H. until it became clear to Mrs. Hall that they would either have to exit the premises or begin CPR. "Breathe. It's all right. I wasn't really expecting to find anything we could get here anyway." She was trying to be conciliatory but Mr. Hall still felt like a piker. Then his face brightened as he came up with an idea. "Come over here, my dear- you may have whatever you would like. Pick it out and it's yours." Mrs. H. beamed brightly, and chose the strawberry sundae bar.
The little rental was parked right in front of one of the Halls' favorite hotels, the Peninsula, so they stopped in to check out the lounge. Offering a cool respite from the heat of the afternoon, they decided to have a little something. The Halls had a chat with the bartender, who turned out to be all alone that day. He brought out some munchies and a lovely cognac, and after a little while the day seemed to perk right up.
There were a few other spots Mrs. Hall had hoped to see there before they left.-utilizing Mr. Hall's ipad and the GPS, and a little research, they were soon driving by the former residence of Mr. Ronald Colman, past star of the silver screen and a favorite of Mrs. Hall. That, and the famous Hollywood sign on the hill, which they spotted on their way out of town, and she finally felt she could leave the town a happy woman. Mr. Hall was only too pleased to oblige.
As they slid into their hotel in Santa Ana that night, Mr. H. asked her, "Of all the cars on Rodeo Drive, which one was your favorite?", but he knew the answer already. "A little bottle-green gem with the tan leather seats named Winston, waiting patiently for us at home." she said as she curled up in the bed. Next episode; family ties. Stay tuned!