A visit to Los Angeles and the L.A. Art Show with Suzanne McNeill

Suzanne was here for her annual visit to the Craft and Hobby Show.

We usually get together with her after the show. This time we went to L.A. for the L.A. Art Show. What a treat! We did so much more than just the show.

We started out with lunch at Phillipe's, famous for french dip sandwiches.
It's a saw-dust on the floor- sit with your neighbors kind of place.
 

I had a pickled egg, which they're also known for.

It made a nice pink stain on the plate which I couldn't resist "tangling".

It's right across the street from Olvera Street. Suzanne had never been there so we we took a quick tour.

We stayed in downtown L.A. at the Sheraton Hotel. We wandered through some of the lobbies of the beautiful old buildings.

Another L.A. street scene-

Before the Art show we went to the Natural History Museum to see the Silk Road exhibit which was very interesting and then to a lecture that night on the Tea Horse Road. We had just been talking about Lisa See who writes wonderful books about China. And there she was sitting a few rows in front of us.

We also saw the exhibits that the museum is famous for. This is just a small sample of the wonderful  dioramas.

Then on to the L.A. Art Show at the Convention Center.

There was so much art we got sensory overload. Some of them were by very famous artists like this one by Andy Warhol.

Here's another by Andy. It's not a painting. It's just a printed piece from a Campbells' Soup ad.

He's scribbled in some writing on it and the gallery was selling it for several thousand dollars.

And I mean several. I forget how much but I think it was about 20-30,000.

Don't we look like part of the painting? 

Penny Raile, Nancy, me, and Suzanne. 

Penny met us at the show. She lives in a great loft in the Arts Section of L.A. which we visited the last time we were in L.A. with Suzanne. (It made me jealous. I'd love to live in a loft in L.A.)

Robert Sommers from The Blue Heron Gallery in Fallbrook had a booth with a lot of wonderful paintings. Here he is charming some customers. It looks like they've got their wallets out.

Robert was kind enough to get us tickets to the show. (Thanks, Robert!)

Nancy and Suzanne with a very Zentangled- looking piece of sculpture.

The next day we were leaving our hotel which adjoins a mall with Macy's. There had been a Guatemalan exhibit at the show and these guys must have been staying at our hotel. We saw them going up the escalator. We knew by their costumes they were from Chichicastenango. They were so surprised that we knew that and that we had been there. 

We had such a great time and packed so much into 2 1/2 days.
It's always so much fun to be with Suzanne.