Hollywood cruise

                     11/26/06 - As I said on the previous adventure page, my goal this Sunday is to
       cruise solo all day and to simply let the road take me where it will. No plans, no schedules, no
    deadlines, no pressure... 100% pure relaxing cruising day. I have left the Roaster cafe car meet behind and enjoy cruising down Ventura Blvd, heading towards Hollywood. It is a partly cloudy Sunday and the temps have suddenly plummeted, so I throw a little blanky on my legs and promise myself that next time I will wear pants. My pencil skirt looks lovely but not so lovely as to distract me adequately from the freeze bite my legs are currently feeling >8[. But nothing a little heating can't fix. Yes sir, Hiboy does have a heater. One might wonder why, since as soon as the heat comes out from under the dash, it "POOOOF" vanishes into thin (cold) air. LOL Maybe it is simply an illusion, but I can swear it actually does keep my feet warm, under the blanket. I hook a right turn on Sepulveda and start climbing the windy Pass. I decide to turn left on a small residential street and to check out the "neighborhood" and views. Not bad, not bad at all... Back to Sepulveda, up the hill and zoooooo, under the tunnel (VRROOOOOM VROOOM). I like this tunnel, it's fun to rev it up while you're in there, makes my rod sound HUGE hehehehe... As I emerge on the other side, the corner of my eye catches glimpse of a private road and a sign that says "Cultural Institute something something" - sorry I drive too fast to read LOL). I decide to check it out. A quick, last second right turn later, I drive up that hill and nested up there, I find a fine example of modern architecture. So I stop to snap a few cool roadster shots (see photo below). I pretty much have the whole place to myself, as it seems deserted, so after checking it out I leave and stroll down

Sepulveda to Wilshire Blvd. Wilshire looked mighty inviting with its beautiful, tall buildings. I hook a leftie and cruise down to the heart of Beverly Hills; Rodeo Drive :).

Hiboy and I made a triumphant entrance as we slowly drove up and down the famous drive. There were many tourists and shoppers there and all stopped dead in their tracks, quickly firing up their cameras so to be able to snap a shot of us as we drove on by... I could swear Hiboy puffed up is engine compartment a little LOL. We both were real proud and a magnificent addition to the Haute Couture studded street (oooooo La La). No, there were no shopping on Rodeo Drive for us. Not now, not ever. We are poor remember? We are hotrod owners. ;). Besides I'd much rather get a Posie Super Slide leaf spring then a Cartier useless necklace, so there! I've said it all. From Rodeo we drove down to Melrose, which is where I sometimes shop. This must be my lucky day cause I just found a parking space right in front of Maya (my fav silver jewelry shop). Local shop owners came out of their stores to check Hiboy out. Passer by drilled me with questions: "What is it? How much? Do you want to sell it?" "A 32 roadster, between 30K and 60K and NO".

Check this out! One store owner offered me $20 to take him around the block in my hotrod LOL. I declined, but since he was very nice and kept an eye on my car while I was having lunch further down the street, I did take him for a quick (free) ride. I think I have earned a lifetime 20% off special VIP discount at his store LOL! After that I drove up La Brea with the intent to cruise down Hollywood Blvd and stop by the Chinese theater for a second (maybe even have Hiboy leave his tire marks in the cement right in front LOL). But fate had decided otherwise. THE BOULEVARD WAS SHUT DOWN! Just my luck. The one day a year I decide to drive Hollywood Blvd, is the one day they shut it down because of some Christmas parade GRRRR. But wait. This was not the only thing that was about to shut down that day. Stopped in heavy traffic on La Brea, waiting to be rerouted AWAY from my destination (boohoohoo) Hiboy suddenly got really pissed off and out of the blue

DIED !

Died as in D.E.A.D. Everything dead, engine, stereo, heater, radiator fan... Everything. The light has now turned green and I am left stranded in the middle of La Brea, blocking my entire lane. Yikes! But nothing a cool hotrod Gal can't handle. I quickly check my ignition switch, which I had installed myself a few weeks earlier and find that one of the wire just fell off (nice job FAITH!). Not my fault really, it's just that the vibrations from the roadster loosened the tiny bolt and it just fell off. I jump out of my rod, open the trunk, pull out my faithful toolbox, jump back in, pull the screwdriver out and a few twist of the wrist later I am back on the road. hehehehe... Pretty impressive I thought.

I hook up left on Sunset and cruise all the way back to Beverly Hills, where I stop for tea and pastry at Claffouti, my favorite French cafe there. People sitting at tables near me ask me about the car and one nice gentleman even offers to snap some shots of me, as I am getting ready to leave. Thank God, cause I don't think I have a single shot of me today. When he emails them to me, I'll add them here.

Meanwhile, it is now getting dark so I bundle up and head out without further delays or detours. Everything is going smoothly (or so I thought). I am now at Topanga Canyon and Burbank, only a few minutes away from home! When suddenly, a lovely scent of fleshly brewed electrical wires fills the air... What? is it MEEE? or another car? Hard to tell, cause in a topless roadster you can smell EVERYTHING for miles....

Nops, it's ME. I am VERY SURE. And you know why I am very sure? Because Hiboy just went

D.E.A.D !!!! (Oh Noooooo, not AGAIN??? >8[ This is becoming a habit!))

I am afraid this time it is for good. Dead as can be. Dead as in: In the middle of the gosh darn road blocking EVERYONE ELSE and getting honked at left and right. And these are NOT honks of support and admiration, no sir, these are DEATH WISH honks. Oh what's the big deal! I've only been here for 2 minutes! I try to trouble shoot but I can already tell this is not going to be a quick patch job. I obviously have a bad short and wherever it is, it has short-circuited my electrical system and that's that. No more cruising for you tonight little Missie. I eyeball an SUV behind me and requisition 2 little Asian men to push me out of the freakin' way LOL. They do a good job, of course the roadster PLUS me (even filled with tea and pastry) only weigh 2000 Lbs. A few pushes later I am now safely parked in a gas station. Boy I'm glad I a)- am so close to home b)- have a cell phone c)- have a friend who will come to help me make it home d)- didn't break down in the middle of Rodeo drive (imagine the sheer humiliation ;) LOL) !

A phone call later Sean, my friend, is on his way. Meanwhile I check all my fuses and some of my ignition wiring, but all seem fine... As the roadster cools down, I am able to fire it up but the Alternator is not charging. We decide to make a super fast run for the house, hopefully we will make it before the battery gives up the ghost! And the ghost it did give up, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE GARAGE DOOR. Yes my friends, there is a GOD for young, green hotrod girls like me. And he is obviously watching over me :). Well... that was fun! My FIRST breakdown!! And I am sure not the last. I have made it home and for now that's all that matters. Hiboy is in a coma but I'll summon a doctor for him tomorrow and hopefully we'll resuscitate him cause by now I already know that I just can't live without him! Sweet dreams my love... And thank you for taking me - almost - all the way back home.