Claim to Fame in Hollywood

 

Today on TV seeing Hollywood on fire reminds me two times I visited there.

The first time was in 1967.  My Naval Reserve unit spent two weeks in Yuma, Arizona, at a Marine Base  On Friday there was a plane or helicopter, I forgot which, going to the LA area of California.  The ride there was free but we had to find our own rides back Sunday.

A bunch of us took advantage of the free ride.   The Naval Air Base there was across the highway from DISNEYLAND.  As I hitchhiked there I could here the music and clacking tracks of train ride tracks.

I finally got a ride to downtown Los Angeles.  I got a room at a nice hotel.  Then I went to a USO dance, which was interesting.  I felt out of place.  Then I went to a bar, which was OK.

Finally I went back to the hotel.

I sat in the big lobby in a big cushiony chair and watched people walk by.

Then my Chief walked by.  He glanced my way but kept on walking.

Good!  He did not see me.

Then the chief backed up and looked in the window, saw me an waved.

Well heck!

He asked if we could share a room and the epense for the night.   Sure.

He called an old Naval friend of his, who lived in Hollywood Hills.  He invited us to let him picked us up the next morning (it was late).

Which he did.  He was an engineer for DISNEYLAND. 

His wife a Asian.  Where my Chief and his friend talked of old times.  His wife entertained me.

We had a good time.  She showed me interesting in the house and  around their back yard.. 

Then two big dogs came galloping up.  They were not mean, they just wanted petted.

Which we petted..  If I remember correctly she pulled out some treats and fed them.  She explained they were Steve McQueens’s dogs.   Steve McQuen lived behind them, or they lived him, whatever.

That is my claim to fame, I petted Steve McQueen’s big dogs.

 

The next day our friend took us to the bus stop and back to Yuma Marine Base.