I think it might have been the way I was exposed to it. I hung out with a friend and didn't rush around all week. It was very relaxing. I went in early March, when it was icy cold in Michigan and nice out there. The air had this vibe to it - I can't describe it. I just loved it. There was an energy I couldn't put my finger on.
We drove down to Long Beach and went on one of those whale-watching boats. It was kind of cold that day (58), so there weren't very many people with us. It was peaceful and quiet. I love being on the water. We didn't see any whales, but I loved just being out on the boat, listening to the waves, watching the freighters arrive.
We also went to Venice Beach, which was empty since it was so "cold". I walked around in the water for a bit. There were a couple of vendors open. I bought a little Traveling Buddha statue for my desk. I still have it.
Then we went to Hollywood Blvd. I got to see the stars on the sidewalk, and we went to a huge record store (Tower Records? Virgin?) Then we watched a protest march, and some celebrities got up on a stage and spoke for a while. Afterward, I almost ran smack into Martin Sheen. Literally. I had to dodge to keep from crashing into him. I just said, "Sorry," smiled, put my head down, and kept walking. So that answers my question about how I'd act around a celebrity. (Hide, apparently.)
We also drove down Wilshire Blvd so I could see the expensive shops in Beverly Hills.
Then we drove down Mulholland Drive since I'm a huge David Lynch fan.
The rest of the time was spent driving around at night so I could see the lights and interstates, listening to The Doors while hanging out at Venice Beach, eating amazing vegetarian and vegan food, watching "V for Vendetta" at the theatre, sitting by the water, hanging out at the pier near Newport Beach, watching the sunset at Signal Hill, and apartment hunting in Hollywood (where I met some crazy characters).
For me, it was a great experience. I didn't get to see downtown, and I didn't run into any shallow people, so that might be why I loved it. Everyone I met was a friend of my friend, and we were in areas full of people like us. It was very cool. I spent one day and night driving my rental car all over the place while my friend worked a double shift, and it was just amazing. I felt so free, like I could do anything or be anything. It felt like anything was possible out there. Palm trees always look so magical to me, so exotic, so the weather combined with the ocean breeze and the palm trees - I just felt... alive. I felt that way when I went to San Francisco too, so even though I'm completely and totally a Chicago girl at heart, the west coast just speaks to me. I feel like I left part of myself out there.
Oh, the best part - it rained one day, and people went bonkers. I was on the 405, and people started pulling over and stopping on the shoulder. It wasn't raining hard. It was one of those light, summery rains that we get all the time. I kept wondering what was going on, why people were slowing to a crawl and freaking out, and then I realized rain out there is like a snowstorm to us. I laughed really hard, put the wipers on, and kept going 70 mph. ^_^