Dia de los muertos

It's Halloween weekend.
It's raining, raining buckets, finally.
Brentt, Myke, Bones and I are sitting in the car at the trail head trying to decide whether to wimp out or get soaked. We go for option two and start our hike up Bailey Canyon. It's gorgeous, with views onto downtown, century city and even the ocean when the sun decides to poke a weary ray through the thick carpet of clouds to reflect on the water for a second.

Thai noodles for dinner, quick snooze on the sofa for Myke and we are off to Hollywood to honor the dead in a Mexican fashion.



“… is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died…”

The venue is the Hollywood forever cemetery,
“…the final resting place to more of Hollywood’s founders and stars than anywhere else on earth. Founded in 1899, the cemetery was an integral part of the growth of early Hollywood. Paramount Studios was built on the back half of the original Hollywood Cemetery, where the studio is still in operation today.”

Getting there is a bitch because it is Hollywood. Parking there is a bigger bitch because it is Hollywood. And if you happen to be vegetarian like Myke, the biggest bitch is walking Santa Monica Blvd towards the cemetery gate because it is a Mexican holiday. As such, naturally, it calls for Hispanic street vendors, tightly packed along the side walk, one after the next, desperately trying to sell their dried up Mexican hot dogs. And if it’s not smelly hot dogs, it’s glow sticks and even pacifiers. What are rave toys doing at a grave yard party??
Anyway, the line into the cemetery is moving fast and for $5 you get to see a whole load of private, mostly very intricately build and involved altars, a bunch of latin shows on various stages throughout the park, street parades with weirdly costumed dancers and, a regular at any public event: vending, a lot of it, too.
It’s always about shopping. Shopping and eating.
Well, there is the cemetery to look at. If you go, find Johnny Ramones grave.
It is so cheesy as to reverse back to cool…