The Life Chronicler
Project

Los Angeles, the city of the stars! Like New York, I had never been to LA. After spending my first night at an Airbnb in Calabasas, I first headed towards Hollywood, where I took the obligatory stroll on the Walk of Fame. I also walked into the Hollywood Bowl for a few pictures, including one with the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in the background.

Later in the week, I toured the beautiful campuses of the University of Southern California and the University of California at Los Angeles. Many buildings’ names read like a Who’s Who from the business, entertainment, and sports world. I dropped into the Slavic Studies building at USC to have them interpret a document my friend in St. Petersburg, Russia, sent me without an explanation. It was his draft notice, one he intends to ignore. I walked into a building I have always wanted to visit at UCLA since I learned about the famous UCLA basketball program in Nova Scotia as a kid. Pauley Pavilion is a Mecca for college basketball. I got a great picture and serendipitously met a fellow Maritimer, Mark. He is a professor at UCLA and its former hockey coach. My old college roommate at Acadia, the former NHL head coach, got him started in California while coaching the Kings. Small world. I keep discovering these Canadian Maritimes/California connections. What’s up with that?

I also had the privilege of giving a speech to the Wilshire Rotary Club of Los Angeles. It was a great group of people, and after the meeting, a gentleman approached me with his business card and told me to contact him. His Wikipedia page lists author, professor, producer (including film), literary manager, and editor. I will definitely be following up with him in 2023.

I conducted two interviews in Los Angeles and had two in the queue upon my departure. A great city for me. And the driving was not as bad as I feared.