The Great California Scam

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My parents returned Tuesday afternoon from their 2 week vacation to the Golden Gate State. Some of their highlights included: visiting San Francisco, San Diego (no zoo), the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. It also included a nine hour car trip to Santa Rosa where they visited my mother’s cousin who owns and operates a winery (Lauterbach Cellars) along with her husband. I asked if they could not bring back some wine so I could share with friends… Probably not.

I would say that the most memorable tale concerned their “guided tour” of the walk of fame along Hollywood and Vine. My parents and my father’s sister were approached by a gentleman offering to give them a personal tour of the stars for a grand total of $50. Apparently, they thought this was a steal (read on). My aunt produced the fifty dollars. The gentleman informed them that he had to get something, said he would return, and left. I’m not sure how long the three of them waited but they came to realize that they had just been swindled. Surprisingly, they somehow managed to encounter the thief along the way (probably attempted to pull the same stunt on other unsuspecting tourists). However when they confronted the gentleman, he quickly denied ever seeing them. They really got “taken” on a tour.  However, the trio did walk the stars.

Their return flight arrived in Indianapolis Tuesday morning at 10 following a five-hour layover in Atlanta. Needless to say, they were both exhausted and went to bed exceptionally early.

2 thoughts on “The Great California Scam”

  1. There are all kinds over there… when I went, there was a Michael Jackson impersonator doing the moonwalk on his star. There was also a gentleman wearing a contraption on his head made of styrofoam and metal… not sure what that was about. When we left a restaurant, the owners showed us out the back door and said, be careful going back to your hotel and DO NOT turn left to go into the alley – it was on the edge of a really bad neighborhood. Also ladies of the night actually use the walk of fame to pick up customers. But I’m glad they had a good time and sorry they got swindled but at least it was just the one time.

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