Soooo, a couple of "extras" i'd like to add to my list. I would like to add a creative, interactive component to the swankings if possible. So, with that in mind.....

LA Conservancy Walking tour with "As a Swanker See It" photo component. Everyone on the tour brings a camera and photographs the different things they notice as they are walking through DTLA. We then do a on-line slide show of the photographs.


Watts Towers - Start the day off with breakfast at Rosco's Chicken and Waffels, take the train to Watts, come back to Long Beach and do our own found object collage project.

I'm cooking up more ideas in my "free time". Anyone can make suggestions as well.

^ Well, I like the above as the January Swanking. We're running out of weekends, so is there anyone else who likes this one ... or would like to narrow the suggestions down to a few candidates that we might be able to discuss more easily?


As for camping ... we need a separate thread. Nothing's been decided. The only thing we have to decide now is if we want to try to campgrounds in the Valley. Those would likely have to be reserved soon. (When I last checked last year, I think it was four months out.)

Well, the chances of actually GETTING a Valley camping reservation, when literally hundreds of people are competing in the same 3-minute window, are depressingly slim.

Can we get a bunch of volunteers to hit the phones together the morning of the 15th to try in concert, and stay in touch by cell phone? Strategy and planning, people! Oh, and they only allow 2 campsite reservations by any one person ... so if we need more sites (and are lucky enough to get them), they would not be adjacent to each other.

Lower Pines is by far the best campground in the Valley. I think we should try for this, give it our best shot, and hope for the luck of the swanky!

Other architectural swanking ideas:

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House

R.M. Schindler’s Kings Road House

The Bradbury Building (only the lobby is open to the public, but there are lots of other neat things to see downtown.)

Wayfarers Chapel (Designed by FLW’s son, Lloyd Wright)

I know CoasterMatt has mentioned an LA Architectural tour that goes around to various places of interest in LA. Matt! What was that again???

Also, a Fall/ Winter Camp Swank to Death Valley? Scotty's Castle and the Devil's Golf Course etc.

http://www.nps.gov/deva/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Places_...th_Valley_area

love death valley. havent been since I was a kid on one of my dads 'survival vacations' :rolleyes:

yeah, a desert camping excursion would be awesome

Can't say as that appeals to me, much.

Beach camping, camping anywhere with big ass trees, sure. Desert, not so much.

I like the idea of taking a hike up Runyon Canyon (the Hollywood Hills) to see the spectacular view, to see celebs, and to take Thurston, Barnum and any other LoT doggies on a social visit :D The view is really cool from the top -- you can see from downtown to the ocean, and it's a good bit of exercise too.

Afterwards we can drive over to a dog-friendly cafe in Hollywood and have a swanky canine lunch. (That is, lunch WITH the canines).

I'd be up for this. Runyon Canyon is within walking distance from my pad.