Back in the 1980's, I vacationed by myself for the first time in Los Angeles, CA. I had longed to go there since childhood. i couldn't afford to stay at a reputable motel/hotel, so, when a friend recommended I try finding a bed and breakfast near Hollywood, I started looking in the bed and breakfast books available in my local bookstores back then in the absence of the internet and cell phones. I wrote down one phone number from one of the books. I called and a very sweet lady answered the phone. It wasn't Beverly. It was a friend/acquaintance of hers who also ran a bed and breakfast. This woman was booked full, so she referred me to Beverly, who was running a little bed and breakfast out of her home in Silverlake at the time, and promptly gave me her telephone number. I wish I also remembered her name, but she described Beverly as "a bit of a character". I loved that... I thanked her, hung up, and immediately called Beverly. We hit it off on the phone straight away. We worked out the money part, and the next thing I knew, I finally had a place to stay for my vacation in sunny, star-studded Los Angeles. Before leaving for my trip, Beverly and I spoke by phone again. She told me the best route to take to her house from LAX in my rental car. Upon arriving, of course she was very gracious. She told me she would take me on a little tour the next day so I could get my bearings for the area if I would like her to. I took her up on it, and we set out the next morning. She took me to the TV studios to pick up tickets for tapings of TV shows I wanted to see, and explained the process I would need to go through to actually get to see one, and offered a variety of other tips to maximize my vacation time in Los Angeles as well. We had so much fun that morning...Awesome stuff!
Over the course of my stays with Beverly, I saw tapings of The Price is Right, Love Connection, Newhart, The Arsenio Hall Show, and the piece de resistance; Cagney and Lacey.
I had a Mel Gibson sighting at Farmer's Market, toured the star's homes, did research at the Academy of Arts and Sciences Library for a friend who was writing a biography on actress Ann Sothern, and went to Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier as well. My favorite place to eat was The Gardens of Taxco mexican restaurant in Santa Monica, where they served margaritas made with fresh guava juice. Mmmmmmm!
For breakfast in the mornings, Beverly would prepare bacon, lettuce, and avocado sandwiches for me; made with fresh-from-the-tree-in-her-backyard avocados and supplemented the sandwich with fresh orange juice from an orange tree, also in her backyard, and coffee of course. I had never eaten an avocado before in my life, being from Kansas. I fell in love with them, thanks to Beverly!
We became friends, and I did stay in touch for a number of years. My life changed dramatically in the mid-late 1990's, and sadly, I lost touch with Beverly at that point. My fault...
Beverly would probably have loved Dancing With The Stars, as she had been a professional ballroom dancer herself. She showed me a wonderful photo of herself as a ballroom dancer during my first time staying with her. I think I actually stayed with Beverly three times.
What a great lady! She definitely was a "character"! I adored her!