Need Me A Triple Shot Of That Stuff

michael832652
6 days ago
6 min read

April 25 - 28th Los Angeles, CA

One bourbon, one scotch, one beer. That pretty much sums up the weekend - all wonderful aromas, all different highs and all Taste so good. A triple shot weekend with the Phish at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles again! This was the second 3 night run in 3 years for me, the last being in 2023 - https://www.bedsplus.ca/post/bowl-time. This time was a bit different as we had the Mrs.'s with us. Different dynamic but just as amazing and More so. My Sweet One is not the biggest phan but has come along the last few years. Show 1 for her was when we were dating 22 or so years ago in Toronto, and she vowed to never go again! 2 and 3 were in NYC a few years back and on her own accord she came with me - with the obvious appeal of NY - but it sparked her interest and curiosity for more. Good chance she's not driving to Rochester ever (no offence Rochester - I love the Blue Cross!). This was show 4 and 5 and didn't expect her to come on Sunday, although I was hopeful - needless to say that I enjoyed Sunday night's show without her, while she enjoyed dinner out with some of the like minded gals. She, of course, had some amazing insight as a non phan and it was so special that she was with us, on the same errant path, and relish in what we do. I knew to entice her, I would have to make a reservation at Ann's Wine Bar which is located right on site. A great spot to enjoy a tasty meal with a creative menu and also was very excited to have her California chardonnay. As some of you may know, our country has taken all US made wines and liquor off the shelves. Let's not get politicking here, but ridiculous is all I'll say to that. Even more ridiculous is the band we love got snubbed on the Sunday night by the Rock and Roll hall of fame - even though they got the most fan votes and the hot dog they rode in on, one new year's eve, is the first thing you see when you walk into the damn building. They will get there like David Bowie before them. I Didn't Know what more you needed to do to get in - hopefully it's not posthumously like Pete Rose. Their Limb By Limb of work is vast, they have been playing shows for 40 years, they pretty much created the modern music festival thing and have the most devoted following. Not to mention their colossal charitable acts and deeds with several foundations they hold dear. (They donated 300K to help for the wildfires in LA.) Preaching to the choir here, but I realize not everyone has knowledge of their colossal impact. Ridiculous. Anyhoo, there were 8 of us and we were An Army of One, a birthday show and a child back home that was Down With Disease. The nights were Free, came with a Divided Sky weather wise, it was COLD at one point, looking like It's Ice. We had our geeky draft of what songs they will play and in the end we all had a blast and already counting Backwards Down the Number Line for the next trip, wherever it may take us - you might not have to Twist my arm to get us to the Sand of Mexico! By day, The Broad and Grand Central Market, Griffith Park hikes, Mel's Diner and Dodger Stadium*** A few late night fresses at Canter's and In-N-Out, what more do you need for a weekend? You need to get your legs rested because you're boogying all night - let alone the Camel Walk back through the Maze of people to the hotel. You need a good night sleep to recover from all the Bathtub Gin and Blaze(ing) On - my advice is, whatever you do, take care of your shoes!

***As a side, I always loved the Dodgers growing up but never made it out to Chavez Ravine in all the times I have been to LA. IT is a beautiful spot and exactly how I pictured myself sitting in the stands. No need to be a baseball fan - the beauty, the history and the tequila is all you need to enjoy this park. Way better than going out to dinner and seeing a movie. I remember 1988 vividly and being on my couch watching Orel, Gibby and the boys pull off one of the improbable!

SET UP

The W Hollywood. I'm not the only one who thinks it should be double v, am I? Some olde English Latin stuff going on here for sure. This is the my second stay here, but when we were there last for Willie's 90th bday, there were some renovations happening. We pulled in, to a brand new main floor lobby/bar with a fully renovated outside space off the lobby and were quite impressed. The hotel guests were mainly there for Phish, and also a wedding and the kick off of Beyonce's tour, needless to say everyone was happy and it was pumping. King room was spacious and Light. Great built in couches and the window was adorned with an all new Curtain and fancy fixtures, bathroom was also generous and clean. Well done on the reno Marriott! The east part of Hollywood Blvd. has come a long way even in just a few years, it was cleaned up a lot since 2023 and has made this area more desirable especially being closer to the 101 and a short stroll to some good theatres, restaurants and the venue.

MATTRESS

Alright, let's get down to the nitty gritty, as always the W mattress. Simmons Beautyrest plush with a small pillowtop. A nice hybrid of some Squirming Coils and Foam with a relatively fresh manufacturing date on it so not much wear and tear. No lumps or Mounds and a really nice contouring feel for all those Heavy Things like our hips. Simmons hospitality division here, but again, don't be fooled by the fact that you have to purchase the mattress through them! This is a relatively easy mattress, that any retailer, can secure for you and probably for a lot less. As mentioned numerous times, this mattress is nothing out of the ordinary, rather the whole being away, stressless feeling by being on vacation makes this mattress feel even better. I went the distance here and actually took off the zipper encasement to finally get ya'll a good picture of the label! The pillows were also super conforming as the down was not overly soft that you feel the need to Wedge another one in there.

SLEEP

I slept mostly Lengthwise, which the Mrs. was not fond of as we touched a few times, horrible, only while sleeping of course, but also slept deep, so deep I thought I saw a Ghost of myself a few of the nights not to mention the Wolfman's Brother. Some serious REM. After all the fressing and highs and walks and moving and shaking, we were able to get some sleep ins and about 8 hours or so, also because our room was facing inward toward the courtyard, it was Silent In the Morning!

OVERALL

Look, any one night for me with Phish is tremendous. Add 2 more, with the Mrs., with great friends, in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl. Literally off the charts. A 10 is a show in my hometown. Everything was Right, we enjoyed ourselves and it was so great to get Back on the Train. We were Bouncing Around The Room, Evolve(ing) and even Run(ing) Like An Antelope sometimes. Maybe the only freaky thing was the self driving car that we took one night to get back to the hotel - you ever been in one of these? I wonder what happens when it wants to honk the Horn? Who gets out of the car if there is any road rage? It was After Midnight and I was About To Run but we got home safe, not without bewilderment. Special shout outs to the whole crew for an outstanding time spent together. Extra TY's to E&DD for the Courage Bagel reco! Could be my new favorite place. M&DL for swapping your better seats so we could enjoy night 2 with you! Happy first BD show to LCS! and to my OG SLS, from seeing the boys dating back to 1992, and of course to LL. Felt like it was 2001 again and looking forward to Howling all together again.

🎶🎻🎹🎸🥁✌🚕🤟🎂🥯💓