One of my favorite girls came to LA from the DC area and I got to do something I don’t do very often. I got to play tourist. And I’m not gonna lie to you. I LOVE being a tourist in LA. And because I love it (AND she had some very specific LA things she wanted to do), I stuffed as much stuff as we could do in a long weekend (It was Juneteenth and I took the day AND the day after, off. You know this place wasn’t gonna give it to me).
A short list of things we did in 3ish days: We went to a flower shop*, to Porto’s, Warner Bros. studio tour!, a dodgers game, we took beach walks AND then we did Very Vanderpump Things™:
Sexy Unique Restaurant, or SUR – I never shoulda found out that’s what it stands for
Took pics in front of Something about Her sandwich shop – which is also a weirdly named to get a BLT (and pisses me off almost as much as Met Her at a bar as a name for a café. Why is that your name when you don’t serve booze?! Why are you tricking people?)
Dinner and drinks at TomTom’s – not weird. Two of the investors are named Tom so I see what they did there).
ALL of that was in WeHo and if my favorite lesbian is gonna do all of that, I OBVIOUSLY had to take her to the Abbey (we did NOT drink there. I would like to stay roofie free.IYKYK).
She had a great time, she said she’ll be back and next time she’s bringing the wifey and EYE said, I wanna come visit her and do touristy things because I have NEVER BEEN TO DC. And the number one thing on that my list is the Natural History Museum of African American History and Culture (while it’s still here to enjoy).
BUT HERE IS MY DILEMMA YOU GUYS. I only have two settings for this kinda thing and it is mad and sad. And NOBODY who has gone has told me that I won’t feel both of those things and maybe both at once. But also, what is the point of being a person who likes to share history if I am actively avoiding a place that even in my anger in sadness, I will probably still love because I love learning sh*t, AND I know if you don’t learn it you’re probably gonna repeat it.
LIKE FOR INSTANCE did you know that the NHMAAHC has an exhibit called “Freedom Papers” from 1852? They belong to a man named Joseph Trammel and IN THEORY, his “papers” guarded him against being enslaved as someone’s property. The exhibit’s title comes from the antebellum South. There, free Black people produced “freedom papers” as proof of their right to move and remain safe from enslavement. But. Because these documents could be withdrawn on a whim or even ignored, Black people lived a precarious kind of freedom that was often set by others.
Anyway, I guess I need to gon’ and hurry up and look at some travel if I want to learn some MORE history so I can share some history. I am once again reminding all y’all that I’m just here to tell you about BLACK HISTORY** and I’m ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that it’s just an interesting coincidence that if you tilt your head and squint your eyes, history is looking real present day these days. Just kidding you do not need to tilt or squint all you really need is eyes.
That’s my time! It’s not February and honestly, I have a crapload of work to do, but I wanted to avoid my work say hi while I was thinking of you. I’m feeling like flexing my fingers these days so the possibility of you hearing from me before February is high if I don’t get “mistaken for being Haitian and deported.
*No. I did not take her to a flower shop. Use your brain. This is a work email.
** Also gonna remind you that Black History is just HISTORY and that it seems fairly important to ALSO remind you that if one person(race/class) ain’t free, NOBODY is free.
Okay. Back to work for reals. byeeeee
Yeah I said it 