A photograph of me and my adopted brother, Stay Puft. Hollywood and Highland,
Los Angeles. August 2013.
Apart from getting to watch WWE Summerslam 2013, part of my US escapade last from August of last year was a chance to actually "take in" LA.
One thing I love the US in general is shopping. There is a lot of the usual "Made in China' fare, but honestly, there is a lot of stuff you just don't see back home in the Philippines, or in Asia, for that matter. During my last morning/afternoon in the City of Angels, I got around to spending time at Hollywood and Highland, a mecca for tourists in search of the best view of the "HOLLYWOOD" sign, and some overpriced souvenirs to take home to Ma, Pa, and Little Jimmy and Jane. \
First, there was Hot Topic. First impression was that, well, there were a lot of odd looking fellows in there with piercings and all that jazz, but, I was there for something else- WWE T-Shirts. Two days prior to my hot topic visit, I was at the Staples Center for Summerslam 2013. For those who are US-based, this might not seem like a huge deal, but, to this Filipino lad, travelling halfway around the world to witness a pro-wrestling spectacle in person is pretty darn significant. WWE Summerslam Axcess made Miguel's inner kid go bananas too. I got to meet some of the current crop of wrestling stars (Yoshi Tatsu was extra friendly), and got a truckload of shirts. $25-$30 a shirt? Quite steep, yes. But for someone from my neck of the woods, I said, "What the heck, right?". So I whipped out my greenbacks and bought, bought, bought.
Hot Topic sold the shirts for $15-$20 less. Did I lose sleep over the dollar duping? Not really, but here's a note to all tourists- don't think like when when you need to make souvenir purchases. I've usually adhered to this philosophy. So I slipped once. Not the biggest tragedy.
Photo Courtesy of Elirose Borja.
Los Angeles where Hollywood is after all, and so, celebrity sightings are not unusual, whether you're strolling around near the Nokia Theater, or, having a Cappuccino in an LA suburb. Broadcaster Larry King has always been known to be Professional Wrestling fan, so, it was no surprise seeing him at WWE Summerslam Axcess 2013. The great thing was that I got to "tail" him for a little bit. As seen in the photo above, I got to snap a few shots of one of the most renowned talk show personalities in the world. I really was on full tourist mode in LA, eh?
Chilling at the Staples Center with my new friend, Phil Reyes.
Photo courtesy of Tin Franco/Rose Borja
When seen purely from the standpoint of a wide-eyed fan, being at the Staples Center was an amazing experience. I have never been a Clippers nor a Lakers fan, but having been able to go into a building with so much NBA history tied to it, was breathtaking. Put on top of that, the fact that I had gotten to watch some of the best wrestlers ever- upstarts, and vets - go at it on a Pay-Per-View stage/level, and what you get is an awestruck Migi.
Man, Brock Lesnar was HUGE, but cat-quick. Daniel Bryan was a dynamo in the ring, and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Dolph Ziggler's athleticism did not fail to captivate, and one can only wonder why he hasn't been pushed more as of late. Kane was, well, Kane. Bray Wyatt, in his first Pay-Per-View contest, shone like few others before him.
It always has amazed me how "hardcore" wrestling fans can be. Signs, chants, t-shirts, you name it. Wrestling fans will always think of ways to express their views, negative or positive, much to the delight of those in charge of Marketing for wrestlers and the promotions they represent. At the end of Summerslam, there I sat, voice strained (from all the shouting and chanting), and with a full stomach (the buffet at the VIP suite was quite good). I even got a WWE Action Figure, and a Summerslam Cap, courtesy of one of WWE's PR guys. Indeed, the weekend was any wrestling fan's dream.
As rambling as this entry seems, it does prove something about amazing travel experiences. Sometimes, all that remains after a few months, or a few years, are the salient points, the key events. My trip to Los Angeles in 2013 was one that left me with a choc full of memories, so much so that I can't help but ramble about them in little bits. It's tough to know where to begin when an entire week for you was sensory overload from start to finish.
If tossing fish bits in a bucket is what it will take for me to tell people more about certain travel experiences I've had which are tough to share via a perfectly flowing narrative, then so be it. It's not a knock on the writer as a writer. It's more of, the natural shape of the experience as shared by one who wants to work according to it, and not against it, or with the purpose of reinventing it.
Just the same, you could view it as a cop out and dump a bucket of noodles over my head. Either way, if it makes for good entertainment, I'm all for it.
More stuff soon.
MC
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