{"id":2746,"date":"2021-09-08T23:53:39","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T06:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/?p=2746"},"modified":"2021-09-30T18:34:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T01:34:59","slug":"my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"max-width: 240px;float:left;margin:0 10px 5px 0;\u201d\"><figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/IMG_1406.mov\"><\/video><figcaption>Sounds so good, don&#8217;t you agree?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m not against friends, but I don\u2019t have any. I\u2019m really picky about the company I keep and I\u2019d rather be alone than be in bad company. That\u2019s not to say that I have people lined up at my door trying to become my friend and I\u2019m rejecting them left and right. I\u2019m just saying that, for whatever reason, I don\u2019t make friends easily. &nbsp;Sometimes I wonder if anyone does. Like all these people that I see who have \u201cfriends,\u201d do they really have friends, or are they just people hanging out with folks \u2018cause they\u2019ve known each other for a while (or not a while) and just tolerate each other, because they\u2019d rather do that than be alone?&nbsp; I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a bit of both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I know for sure is people don\u2019t like being alone, and believe it or not (because I\u2019m always up to something by myself on this blog), I am one of them. But what I hate even more than being alone, or doing things alone, is not doing something that I really want to do just because I don\u2019t have anyone to go with me. So inevitably I go by myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s exactly what I did last Friday night, September 3, 2021, when I went to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodbowl.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hollywood Bowl<\/a> to watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.laphil.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LA Philharmonic<\/a> perform movie scores conducted by the composer of many of those scores, John Williams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born and raised in Los Angeles, you might think that I\u2019ve been to the Hollywood Bowl many times. I\u2019ve passed by its exit many times off the 101 freeway, but actually attended an event there, no. Then one day this summer, sometime in July, I was like, <em>hey, I\u2019ve never been to the Hollywood Bowl, I think I should go<\/em>. So I went to their website, scrolled through their upcoming lineup and took my pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were a lot of interesting and tempting choices: There was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/cynthiaerivo\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cynthia Erivo<\/a>, who has a nice voice, but I\u2019m not really familiar with her work other than \u201cThe Color Purple,\u201d and that song Stand from the soundtrack of the movie \u201cHarriet.\u201d So unless she was singing the standards, which the website didn\u2019t say she was, I had to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christinaaguilera.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Christina Aguilera<\/a>, who has a strong powerful voice. While I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing her live, I\u2019m not a big enough fan to pay to see her, so I passed on her too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also saw H.E.R. in the lineup. After <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qTrYd6o-OR8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">her killer performance<\/a> of America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl and that crazy solo guitar riff ( I think that\u2019s what you call it), she was a big contender. But then I went to YouTube and watched a concert of hers and wasn\u2019t into it. So I passed on her as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, I settled on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodbowl.com\/events\/performances\/1274\/2021-09-03\/john-williams-maestro-of-the-movies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Williams: Maestro of the Movies<\/a>. I mean come on: Film scores live? With clips of some of the movies? How could I resist? I love a good film score. Music is so important to movies. And if you haven\u2019t noticed, I want to make movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I bought my ticket in early to mid-July, and I could not believe how many seats were already sold out, and I was only looking for one. Yet not even one could be found, except for in the higher up sections. At first I wanted to be lower, but upon second thought, I was fine with not having that option, as this was going to be my first time there (who knows, I might not even like it), I was paying for it myself (I\u2019m cheap as fuck), and it\u2019s an orchestra, what\u2019s there really to see (turns out, I was really intrigued watching them play on the big screen).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I bought my ticket \u2013 $32 ($38 and some change after fees) in section a bit above the halfway mark on the seating chart. It was front row, nobody sitting in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After making the purchase, I was both excited and nervous. Excited because, like I said, I\u2019d never been to the Hollywood Bowl before, but also because I haven\u2019t been to a concert in so long. Hmm, let me think, it\u2019s been over 10 years. The last concert I went to was Ne-yo at the then Nokia theatre in February of 2011.&nbsp; And the only concert I\u2019ve been to alone was Alicia Keys at the Santa Barbara Amphitheatre almost a year before that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But also nervous, because who goes to concerts alone, besides me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I suspected, hardly anybody\u2026at least from what I could see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hollywood Bowl does this whole <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodbowl.com\/visit\/getting-here\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Park &amp; Ride thing<\/a> where they have locations throughout Los Angeles County where for only $7 in advance ( almost nine after they tack on the fees), you can park your car in a lot and then take a bus straight to the venue, no stops. This was a great option as it\u2019s much cheaper than onsite parking, plus onsite parking is stacked, meaning you can\u2019t leave until either the people in front or behind you pull out first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Needless to say, I did the park and ride thing, and from the moment I stepped on the bus, my aloneness was glaring. Everybody was coupled or grouped up. There wasn\u2019t so much as a single parent with a single kid, just single me. Whenever you do something alone that most people do with others, people tend to stare: some with admiration, some with pity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once we arrived at our destination, a Hollywood Bowl staffer hopped on to welcome us and explain that we had 25 minutes to get back to the bus after the concert was over. She didn\u2019t say what would happen if you missed that time frame, but I wasn\u2019t about to fuck with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I got off the bus, I had no idea where I was going. There were so many people there, I just followed the herd. As usual, I did my research, so I knew to wear comfy shoes, and thank God I did, because that was a trek. And if you think that\u2019s a challenging incline just to get to the place where you get your ticket scanned, just wait until you get in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May I suggest handing out hiking certificates if you make it to your seat, with a marching band waiting to congratulate you upon arrival? You know, just a suggestion, \u2018cause whew.&nbsp; And what\u2019s worse, I thought my seat was higher up than it was, and unnecessarily went up a steep incline and some stairs, before having to come back down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyway, after they scanned my ticket, it was like a free-for-all. I wasn\u2019t given a program ( this could be due to Covid), or told where to go \u2013 nothing, I was on my own\u2026in more ways than one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First things first, I looked for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By now, night had already fallen and lighting was dim. So I went to the first well-lit little market I saw. In the days leading up to the concert, I checked their menus to see what they had to offer. Everything sounded so good. I really wanted to get pizza, ahem flatbread (inside joke, read about it <a href=\"http:\/\/getting-out-the-house-my-carlsbad-day-trip-a-lesson-on-fomo-part-ii\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>) from Ann\u2019s Wine Bar, but I didn\u2019t have time, so I thought I\u2019d pick up a sandwich from this marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That is, until I saw the sandwiches. When the website said sandwiches, I was thinking more, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pret.com\/en-US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pret A Manger<\/a>, not stale 7-Eleven. I take that back, that\u2019s an insult to 7-Eleven. If only I had the mind to take a picture of these sandwiches they had the nerve to sell for $12 before tax, you would know that I tell no lies. I mean the sandwiches were skinny as fuck, with limp iceberg lettuce hanging out of it, squeezed to death in plastic wrap. You literally could not see the contents, and I didn\u2019t trust the labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I left the marketplace and went over to the Pizza and BBQ line. The display menu showed pepperoni and margherita pizzas along with barbecue beef brisket sandwiches. I was going back and forth between the brisket sandwich and the margherita pizza. That is until I saw like six brisket sandwiches sitting on a warmer (I guess) waiting to go out. On the display menu, they looked to have a thick, glistening brioche bun. In person they had a small, dry, what looked to be like a Wonder Bread bun. Like what in the entire fuck? I went for the margherita pizza ($14.75) instead, and threw in a bag of kettle corn ($7) and a chocolate chip cookie ($5) for good measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The show started at 8pm. When I got to my seat at 8:02pm the full orchestra was already seated, the conductor was at his post and the show was already underway. White folks be startin\u2019 on time, don\u2019t they?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Except for a couple of sections called super seats, and the box seating towards the bottom, the Hollywood Bowl has park bench seating, or church pew seating\u2014nothing between you and the person next to you. When I got to my seat, three seats from the end, the other people in the row were already there, crowded in my spot, so they had to make room. What\u2019s worse, the two people on the end were fat like me \u2013 yet more round, I\u2019m kinda flat \u2013 making it an even more tight squeeze. &nbsp;&nbsp;You would think with all the climbing to get there it would discourage fat people, and yet here we were, three in one row, all sitting next to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To Be Continued\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m realizing that this story is going to be longer than I thought, so instead of giving you nothing, I thought I\u2019d give you something. Be sure to come back for the rest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sounds so good, don&#8217;t you agree? I\u2019m not against friends, but I don\u2019t have any. I\u2019m really picky about the company I keep and I\u2019d rather be alone than be in bad company. That\u2019s not to say that I have&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[359,248],"tags":[369,366,363,370,361,365,368,367,364,362,360,371],"class_list":{"0":"post-2746","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-enjoying-life","7":"category-getting-out-the-house","8":"tag-amphitheater","9":"tag-classical-music","10":"tag-concert-2","11":"tag-concert-food","12":"tag-date-night","13":"tag-group-outing","14":"tag-john-williams","15":"tag-movie-scores","16":"tag-outdoor-concert","17":"tag-solo-outing","18":"tag-the-hollywood-bowl","19":"tag-trying-something-new","20":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I - Shirscribe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With no one to accompany her, a writer, who&#039;s never been to the Hollywood Bowl before, decides to go it alone. Find out how it went.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I - Shirscribe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With no one to accompany her, a writer, who&#039;s never been to the Hollywood Bowl before, decides to go it alone. Find out how it went.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shirscribe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-09T06:53:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-01T01:34:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shirscribe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shirscribe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/\",\"name\":\"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I - Shirscribe\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-09T06:53:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-01T01:34:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a7347811ae0cb446db51c8ff22f7048f\"},\"description\":\"With no one to accompany her, a writer, who's never been to the Hollywood Bowl before, decides to go it alone. Find out how it went.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/\",\"name\":\"Shirscribe\",\"description\":\"I talk a little bit about a lot of shhh...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a7347811ae0cb446db51c8ff22f7048f\",\"name\":\"Shirscribe\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be9a010a1f1ffb865725e6b7dc9dbb261c4d1c414ba4ba842cf8a05ea76957e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be9a010a1f1ffb865725e6b7dc9dbb261c4d1c414ba4ba842cf8a05ea76957e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Shirscribe\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/author\/mescribe\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I - Shirscribe","description":"With no one to accompany her, a writer, who's never been to the Hollywood Bowl before, decides to go it alone. Find out how it went.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I - Shirscribe","og_description":"With no one to accompany her, a writer, who's never been to the Hollywood Bowl before, decides to go it alone. Find out how it went.","og_url":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/","og_site_name":"Shirscribe","article_published_time":"2021-09-09T06:53:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-01T01:34:59+00:00","author":"Shirscribe","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shirscribe","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/","url":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/","name":"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I - Shirscribe","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-09-09T06:53:39+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-01T01:34:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a7347811ae0cb446db51c8ff22f7048f"},"description":"With no one to accompany her, a writer, who's never been to the Hollywood Bowl before, decides to go it alone. Find out how it went.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/08\/my-solo-evening-at-the-hollywood-bowl-part-i\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"My Solo Evening at the Hollywood Bowl Part I"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/","name":"Shirscribe","description":"I talk a little bit about a lot of shhh...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a7347811ae0cb446db51c8ff22f7048f","name":"Shirscribe","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be9a010a1f1ffb865725e6b7dc9dbb261c4d1c414ba4ba842cf8a05ea76957e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be9a010a1f1ffb865725e6b7dc9dbb261c4d1c414ba4ba842cf8a05ea76957e3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Shirscribe"},"url":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/author\/mescribe\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2746"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2785,"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2746\/revisions\/2785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}