Hello from L.A.! I am sitting in a Best Western and wondering why my check-in for tomorrow's flight won't work. It worked for my travel agent but when it comes to technology every once in a while there is just something about me that makes everything SNAFU. It's irritating, but I'll just end up at the airport early tomorrow anyway, so I'm trying not to panic.
The Polish Consulate was very fast. The longest time I spent was seriously waiting while another family was being helped. The lady took all my stuff and said everything was all good. After the $76 fee for the visa and the $16 fee to FedEx everything back to Washington when they're done... they said everything looked fine. I should be getting my passport back in a week (hopefully with my other documentation; I kinda wanna frame the acceptance letter). I'm going to say it again to reassure myself because for some reason I am STILL NERVOUS... All the documents were sufficient except one.
They had me retake pictures.
This is the third time I have done this.
Once when I thought I was going in the fall, and apparently the API people didn't keep the old ones. Once for this quarter, and I got two extra just in case, and then again today because my pictures weren't acceptable.
PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU NEED BIOMETRIC PHOTOS FOR YOUR VISA IN EUROPE DO NOT TAKE IT WITH GLASSES ON.
CVS is within walking distance of the consulate, but the biometric photos there cost $13 after tax for two. Which is bullshit, I promise you. At Walgreen's it's around $7 after tax for two. RiteAid charges around $8, and idk how much Walmart charges. I know you can take and print your own and depending how many you need, it might be worth it to invest in photo paper and do that crap yourself. Or save it on a flashdrive and take it to office depotmaxstaples. The requirements are 2x2 inches white background nonsmoking and your hair can't block your face.
Keith at the Best Western in Lawndale was suuuuuuper nice and called a taxi for me. The taxi driver's name was Martìn and he was 25 minutes early for my estimate of an hour-early transport. So if he had showed up on time, I would've been late. So.
Martìn was very nice. I told him I flew in yesterday, and leave tomorrow, and he insisted that he take me to Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. I have to admit that at first I thought he was trying to get more money out of me, but then before I responded, he said "and it's on me." We agreed on the price ahead of time and he didn't ask for more or anything. I tipped him $10 coz it's all I could afford, but yeah. $55 one way and he didn't push.
We talked about history, religion, our families, and the politics of my career choice. It was really cool, and if I do come back, I will probably just stay here and use that taxi again of I can. Good business, really.
And I really have to say, it was a really very fun trip. I got to see the Pier, and the Regent Beverly Wilshire, where if you haven't been LIVING UNDER A ROCK, you know is the major setting of Pretty Woman.
I'm gonna burst your bubble- the RegBevWil (thanks, Kit DeLuca!) Sits in the middle flat part of a T intersection. Which means that when they edited the movie to make it look like Vivian was going to Rodeo Drive to shop, it was actually nonsense, because all she had to do was walk out the front entrance. There's also outdoor flame thingies that look like they would be outdoor heaters BUT IT WAS SERIOUSLY 70° OUTSIDE WHY WOULD YOU NEED HEATERS.
Also it was smaller than I thought it would be but Martìn tells me that if you look up you can see the balcony from the movie.
It's kind of pink.
I tried to take pictures but my phone died right as I clicked the "Rodeo Drive road sign/Louis Vuitton store" pic (despite being at 8%) and when I was finally able to turn it back on,the file was broken.
On the plus side, I did get some pics of Santa Monica's Pier and I'll post those later.
I'm going to sign off on this for now, because I want to make sure I have enough time to charge all my devices.
Know why?
Coz I'm spoiled and addicted.
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