{baby} westhoff: california

I flew to California in July to visit my friend Jason (jasonforbach.com) - who played "Rapunzel's Prince" in the Sacramento Music Circus' production of Into The Woods (he was sooooooo goooooood!!). It was a quick little weekend getaway, but so much fun to see Jason in another show. That kid is ridiculous.

And if you don't believe me, check this out:

A quick stop in LA:

My sweet rental:

Blue skies and palm trees:

Cool, graphic, Music Circus posters (they've been around since 1950):

Jason's digs (the Clarion Hotel...right across the street from the theater):

The view from Jason's room:

We walked around town for a bit, drinking our iced lattes and catching up on gossip. Periodically, we took pictures of stuff:

The inside of a pretty church (no iced lattes allowed):

My idea of a roof-top restaurant (p.s. California makes Kansas look...ummm...really sucky):

The State Capital Building (which looks a lot like the one in Topeka - if Topeka resembled Monaco):

A statue of Queen Isabella and Columbus, commemorating the moment when she decided to fund his voyage to the New World. (not pictured: the moment when Queen Isabella realized she gave her money to a big liar):

A photo very similar to 15 others I have from the vacation my family took to Disney World when I was 8. Stopped at EVERY state capital from Oklahoma to Florida. My dad's version of "awesome":

Our search for Governor Schwarzenegger begins:

Jason and I found a bear in the hallway. He seemed nice:

Eureka! I found the bathrooms:

The seal of the State of California - and a little bit of my left toe:

If you didn't know this about me, I enjoy architecture. A lot. I have a lot of pictures of buildings. Especially when I appreciate the mix of materials. Like this - glass with wood on a curve. And cool plants. I like cool plants:

Ma Jong's delivery vehicle:

Ma Jong's sweet outdoor patio:

Hoping to see Tom Cruise lurking around. No dice:

We ate lunch and then pretended to shop for lofts:

Cool, jellyfish-shaped wall sconces:

Exposed brick walls and concrete floors. I was in pretend loft-buying heaven:

A toilet from the future:

Original beams. More exposed brick. Stainless steel appliances. Cool twirly staircase. I kind of didn't want to leave:

Later that day, Jason and I got massages at a little place called Spa Bloom (awkward little moment when we had to explain this was not a couple's massage) then we got ready for the show. Jason had to go early, so I hung out in the courtyard for a while, trying not to brag about how I know a guy in the show and he's crazy talented and we've been friends since 5th grade and his dad is my chiropractor and...

The fountain in the courtyard:

The Main Stage...obviously:

The stage:

Jack's cow:

We were not allowed to take pictures during the show, so these were (totally not) stolen from another website. This is Jason (on the right) as Rapunzel's Prince (and some other guy who played Cinderella's Prince - totally not as cute):

Here's Jason as The Wolf and Little Red (who was hilarious):

After the show - beaming with pride:

The entire cast was starving, but everything was closed. We all went back to the Clarion bar and ordered pizza. This guy played The Baker. He was fantastic. The Baker's Wife was played by Vikki Lewis (from TV's News Radio). She was awesome too: