Whimventure Recap Los Angeles 2025

What a drag it is getting old

As I said in a previous post my brothers went out to visit my dad in December. He had been told (as it was conveyed to us) that he should start getting his affairs in order. He’s 83 and has had some health issues from years of smoking and a “somewhat” sedentary lifestyle. I had felt that everyone descending upon him at once might be a bit much so I postponed my trip.

In the past I’ve always visited with the only purpose being to see my parents. Since my mother’s passing, I’ve kept with the same idea until this go around. I felt that I should go a visit the place I grew up as a tourist for at least a day or two maybe even touching base with some old friends who I haven’t seen in over 40 years. That quickly got scrapped due to the wildfires.

Now before anyone gets concerned, my father lives a goodly distance south and west of the fires, so he and my stepmother are safe. I know some people impacted by the fires and knew they had more important things to do than lunch with me. So I figured I would just go back to my old ways and spend quality time with my Dad.

With their schedule and me being on Eastern time I had some time in the morning to explore a bit before showing up at their apartment. I took this time to go back and visit some old haunts and see how things had changed over the decades. I also did some of the Adventure Labs and a couple of caches in the area. Growing up I really didn’t explore Los Angeles that much. I stuck to around home and maybe a trip to Westwood. I spent a lot of time working so didn’t have much free time anyway.

Tourist Time was Sunday. Not being a church goer (I was raised before my parents rediscovered God) I headed off to the Petersen Automotive Museum with high hopes that I would see some of the collection. My happy thought was on Sunday street parking was free! I parked and walked around before the museum opened taking in the Adventure Lab at the nearby LaBrea Tar Pits, and had breakfast at the Petersen’s cafe. Then it was off to the museum.

Cecil's adventures around the neighborhood before entering the Museum

Look Another Car!

I’m a Mini Cooper Guy, I do like other cars, but the quirkiness of the MINI/Mini has always had a soft spot in my heart. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but… while nice, for me it was kinda '“meh.” They have a great collection and I’m not quite sure what I was expecting but there weren’t that many cars on exhibit that made me go “Wow!” I know they have too many cars to display them all at the same time, but I guess I set my expectations higher than I should.

What did catch my eye was the art exhibit by “Mr. Brainwash” a pop artist who had his art on display in a gallery space in the museum. This was what really caught my attention. Then again I’m finding as I embrace retirement that some things I’ve been really passionate about aren’t as much of a focus as they once were. Art seems to still be one of those things - not specifically high class “Art” but weird stuff.

As you can tell by the interplay between light and dark, it speaks of Man's loss of his humanity to the corporate machine as represented by the concrete floor and the... whatever

You Can’t Go Home Again

I learned this a long time ago. Then again people always ask me how I could leave “Sunny Southern California” for Indiana. I just roll my eyes and say, you’ve never lived there. Then again, I really can’t say I “lived” there either.

I spent some time going back to places I recall from my youth and some places my Dad wanted me to visit… Some of them I appreciate his pushing, others…🙄

Cecil visits some places from my sordid past- my first teaching job, my middle school, my elementary school, and some other nefarious places around where I grew up.

So after a week at home and back to frigid winter weather I’m happy to be back to normality, although I still have a bunch of catching up to do.

The Adventure Labs Cecil was able to complete during this trip... Sadly the only other one in the area was sequential and we were at the wrong place to start it.