LA In A Day

I've proven it can be done--get up at 4 a.m.  Make it to DFW in time for a 630 take off.  Get to LA at 8 a.m.   Do a meeting at 11.   Get back to LAX by 2 p.m.   Get a 330 flight home and be home by 930 p.m.  All in one day.

For those of you who travel much, I've set up a FastTrack plan with Budget on the car rentals.  When I got to LAX, Budget picked me up at the terminal and dropped me at my car.  And off I went.  No papers to sign, just pull up to the gate, show them my DL, FT card and let them see the credit card, and off I went.  Worth signing up for.

In LA right now, they have an incredibly beautiful purple flowered tree that's in bloom.  They are huge trees and instead of having green leaves right now, everything is this beautiful fluted purple flower.  I don't know what kind they were, but they were gorgeous.  I was told, however, by a local, that they're messy, too.  Kinda like Crap Mertyles.  Now that is one tree I cannot stand to have.  They let sap all year long and are an absolute mess.  These trees, however, were neat.  They're bigger than Dogwoods in the South, but even more purple than a Dogwood is white. 

Anyone know what they are?

By the way, the restaurant selection in LAX is not all that great.  I ate at Chili's and the food was okay.  They didn't have onion rings.  Since it was about the only restaurant on the 40-49 gate wing, they were busy.  Too busy.  Service was moderate. 

Ah, but they also have a See's candy shop right by Chili's.  Yum.  I got a box of peanut brittle and got Kari a box of devilish looking chocolates.  And that's how I got out of being in trouble for being on the road, well, traveling, on my second anniversary. 

Now I'm tired.  Need to go to bed.  And pack.  Tomorrow night is St. Louis, where I have not been since I was a kid.