Where it all went down for Whitney Houston

I was here, so I had to do it. Before I left the Beverly Hilton for my morning walk, I took the elevator to the fourth floor and walked all the way down to the end of the hall to suite 434. That’s where, last February, Whitney Houston was found dead, the end of a life of extremes: fortune, fame, drug addition, and bad decisions. 

I have to admit – my heart was racing a bit as I walked down the hallway. I didn’t want to get caught taking this photo or be accused of being sensationalistic. But I wanted to see where it happened. Love her or hate her, it’s hard to dispute the fact that Whitney Houston had a gift. Yes, she could be screechy and over-the-top, but I was always a fan of that voice. And maybe because she was the same age as me, it made me very sad to learn of her untimely death. 

We were actually here in Los Angeles the day it happened. In fact, we had driven by the Hilton that afternoon, during a tour of the city before getting on a plane that night to leave for our trip to New Zealand. Right before we got on our 12-hour flight to Auckland, I checked the news online and read about the tragedy.

We’re all born to a life with promise and hope and opportunities. But our paths are all different. I think that every choice we make – big or little - can lead us down different roads. We all make bad decisions sometimes. But by all accounts, Whitney’s unfortunate choices compounded over time and for her, there was no escape. Very sad. RIP.

A walk around Beverly Hills

I actually had a good night's sleep. That usually doesn't happen when I travel to the West Coast, given the three hour time difference. But I was up early, so I grabbed an extra large cup of Starbucks coffee from the bar downstairs and headed out to enjoy the early morning air. I strolled up and down the streets in the section of Beverly Hills near the hotel. A few impressions:

Given that it was early on a Saturday morning, I understand that it's going to be quiet. But it was really, REALLY quiet. Occasionally, I 'd hear the whir of a lawn sprinkler or the gurgle of a fountain, hidden from public view, or a few birds singing. It was lovely but a little odd. I'm guessing this is not a neighborhood given to a lot of noise.

Most homes in this neighborhood are big, many look like fortresses, surrounded by fences or high garden walls. And many homes are shut up tight and have bars across the front-facing doors and windows. Signs promoting the many security systems that in place dot front lawns and fences.

I love the tall palm trees and the tropical gardens. One home had dozens of multi-colored rose bushes in its front yard; I could smell their sweet perfume way down the street.

Arrival in Beverly Hills

It was a long flight but I have finally arrived in Los Angeles. Only to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffiic from LAX to my hotel. Was getting out of my cab at the Beverly Hills Hilton and pretty much ran smack dab into Candy Spelling. At least I am pretty sure it was her...

Winging my way west

I am about to board a flight to Los Angeles (via JFK) that will take me the land of movie stars and swimming pools. And there's an off-chance that I'll be rubbing elbows with Betty White and Joey Lawrence (yes, that dude from "Blossom"). Do stay tuned...

Man's best friend, indeed

While we were away in Annapolis, Otis was at MaryLynne and Ian's house, where he was no doubt pampered, played with, proudly walked, and showered with plenty of genuine love. Today, MaryLynne snapped these two photos of Otis, after she told him that Peter was going to pick him up. Perhaps he recognized the sound of Peter's name, or his internal clock told him it was time to be heading home, or just maybe, he completely understood MaryLynne's statement and was preparing for the big reunion. In any case, Otis waited at the top of the staircase, first standing, then finally relaxing near the top stop, but never taking his eyes off the front door where magically, one of his people would finally appear. Love these photos, MaryLynne. Thanks for sharing them with us -- and thanks so much for taking care of our best friend while we were away.

A weekend in Annapolis

We are just back from a long weekend trip to Annapolis, Maryland. It's an easy flight from Boston (thanks, Jet Blue!) - and despite forecasts that called for lots of rainy weather, we couldn't have asked for a sunnier, beautiful autumn weekend. Peter's sister and brother-in-law (Bridie and Dan) picked us up at the Baltimore airport on their drive in from their home in New Jersey. And just a short 18 mile drive separated us from our good friend's home that we borrowed for our visit. Her home sits on a quiet, sloping street that dead-ends into Spa Creek. We understand that there are actually a couple of kayaks under the home's front porch that we could have borrowed, but between relaxing in the gorgeous backyard, walking into town, or planning our next meal, we ran out of time. We will plan on hitting the water next time!

On Friday afternoon, we took in all of the fun shops along Main Street, a ten minute walk from our home.

My new kicks. You like?

We ended up a Chick & Ruth's Delly for a late lunch. This place is on everyone's "must see" Annapolis destinations - it's a classic, family-run establishment that features huge portions of really delicious options. They start by putting out a deep plastic container of sliced half-sour pickles in the middle of the table ("Finish those up and I'll bring you more," promised our waitress, Nancy.)

After paging through the dozens of choices in the menu, both Peter and I settled on the crab cake sandwiches; they were awesome -- filled with sweet crab meat and none of those nasty fillers. And if your appetite is huge, Chick & Ruth's offers up several "Great Challenge" menu items, including their "Super Colossal Sandwich", which features three pounds of meat, their "Super Duper Colossal Burger", which includes three pounds of hamburger and cheese, or their "Colossal Milk Shake" which contains six pounds of ice cream.

Dan and the pickles.

Greenery around Church Circle.

On Friday evening, Bridie and Dan's son, Peter, joined us, after driving from Richmond, VA. He arrived in time for a late dinner, but had missed our backyard cocktail hour, a cut-throat game of Password (where we decided that cheating was OK if it made everyone laugh), a dinner of steaks on the grill and baked potatoes, followed by Bridie's amazingly dense carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

Everyone slept in on Saturday morning, and after a hearty breakfast of ham and eggs (thanks, Peter) and a few slices of homemade Irish brown bread (thanks, Bridie), we awaiting the arrival of my dear friend Laurie. I met Laurie during the first few days of my freshman year at college (State University of New York at Geneseo) and we were fast friends. After graduation, she lived for a few years in Hawaii, where I was lucky enough to visit her twice. She met her husband-to-be in Hawaii and then started traveling and moving to so many different cities that I lost count. About six years ago, Laurie and her family, which now includes a daughter and a son, ended up in Annapolis. So I was thrilled to reconnect with Laurie and we made plans to get-together for a walk around the nearby U.S. Naval Academy.

My friend Laurie joined us for the afternoon.

It was wonderful to see Laurie -- and even after all those years apart, she hasn't changed a bit. We spent a few hours at the Academy, touring the chapel, the underground crypt that houses the remains of John Paul ("I have not yet begun to fight!") Jones. and the museum, which houses an amazing collection of model ships, including one gallery of ships made of bones and ivory.

After a lovely outdoor lunch at the Reynolds Tavern on Church Circle, Laurie drove us back home, but we persuaded her to "sit a spell" in the backyard so we could catch up.

On Saturday night, we ended up at Cantler's Riverside Inn, a recommendation from our hostess, for an outdoor crab feast. It was a perfect last night in Annapolis - and we did that "when in Rome" thing, ordering up a dozen large Maryland Blue crabs sprinkled in Old Bay seasons, spreading them out on brown paper, and whacking them with a wooden mallet to get at the sweet meat inside. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun and definitely worth the sticky fingers.

Peter, Bridie and Dan at Cantler's Riverside Inn, a beautiful setting for a blue crab dinner.

Another online news story I won't be clicking on today

Barney Frank Talks About What Happened When He Ate A Pot Brownie