Glowing in Neon

I've been wanting to take the Museum of Neon Art's Neon Tour for a long time. One of those things in my To-Do folder that I have now done. My husband made the arrangements for us and even with the threatening rain we were up for it. It was a windless night though a bit damp, and through the open topped double decker bus ride through downtown to Hollywood we never got rained on. With wine, cheese and crackers at the museum, as well as wonderful stops at Philippe's and Cantor's, sporting their own neonage, I snuggled with my husband, a cup a joe on my hands, as we shared a classic Black n' White cookie from Cantor's.

All along the way our host and his megaphone pointed out neon, lit and unlit, some I was familiar with and some I had never noticed before. He peppered this with Los Angeles history and anecdotes, keeping it lively and very interesting. He was prone to spontaneous chats with various pedestrians, and people leaning out of their apartment windows waving as we rolled by.We took an unexpected turn down a side street in Hancock Park where, from our elevated seats, we were treated with grand glimpses beyond the ivy covered walls that I usually see driving by in my Honda, into the park-like yards and lighted windows of these beautiful old homes. In addition to the neon our host also pointed out the vintage street lamps and all-over-the-map architecture of this fair city.It was a very enjoyable event. I'm so glad we got to do this and the dampness in the air with the skybeams hitting the bottom of big billowy clouds added an extra element of uniqueness to it.