The sun sets on a quiet weekend.

Work required a visit to nobody’s favorite destination…Bakersfield.

Needless to say, I didn’t stay to do any sightseeing.

I’ve picked up the casual hobby of keeping an eye out for old sidewalk graffiti during my daily walks. While seeing names and initials left in concrete is certainly pedestrian in urban areas (pun somewhat intended), many of the sidewalk etchings you pass in L.A. have some significant age on them.

Thus far, I’ve noted a pattern of dates from the 60’s through the early 80’s on Sunset Blvd and more recent years around the Hollywood Blvd area. However, on the small side streets between these two thoroughfares, I’ve spotted some graffiti that goes back much further. Some, such as the picture above, have a specific date attached, but many more can be dated by the concrete’s contractor stamp (an official id impression left when the area was originally paved). Linking the contractor stamp with the time the initials/names had to be left in wet concrete, I’ve seen quite a bit of graffiti dating back to the late 20’s and early 30’s in these side street locations.

Seeing these various names and initials, I can’t help but wonder who they were, what sort of lives they led, what was going on when they left their mark, and what became of these people? In a strange way, these remnants of past Hollywood lives seem very relevant to my own journey.

So, today I walk down the street and see that Grauman’s Chinese is setting up for a red carpet event.

Then, I look across the street and see Matt Damon filming a bit for the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

In the evening, I return to see the red carpet premiere for “Movie 43” starting.

Talk about a dramatic change in scenery. A month ago, a walk down the street promised little more than a view of the Del Taco drive-through.

This evening a crew was shooting an action sequence for Iron Man 3 in front of Grauman’s Chinese.

In addition to location, one of the perks to my, budget stressing, new address is certainly the view.

A glance to the left overlooks Hollywood Blvd and the historic Roosevelt Hotel (if I crane my neck around the corner, I can see the back of Grauman’s Chinese and the Dolby Theatre).

If I look to the right, it’s the Hollywood hills (that’s the Magic Castle on the far right).

However, while never promoted as such by my landlord, there is also an ocean view; which, much like the fabled Narnia, only appears at select moments.

A four mile walk and a healthy lunch. What in the world is going on with me these days?

Following my uncharacteristic chicken wrap, with a hummus and pita chip side lunch, I believe I spotted Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters’ drummer) exiting a near-bye Chipotle with his two person entourage. I couldn’t be 100% sure, as the person was a bit more fit looking than the normally svelte Mr. Hawkins. So, either he’s been hitting the gym or there is an athletic Taylor Hawkins doppelganger out there.

“Gangster Squad” at the Cinerama Dome.

Meaning: a movie set in 1950’s Los Angeles, at a 1960’s Los Angeles landmark, for a 2013 Los Angeles price.

Strolling down Sunset today, I found myself standing before what had once been the epicenter of cool; or, at least what my teenage self had considered cool. The music I had loved, the meet and greets I had longed to attend, the “scene” I had fantasized about being a part of, this was where all of that had taken place for nearly thirty-five years. Tower Records on Sunset.

Only, as can be seen in the photo above, that time has long passed. Tower faded in to memory back in 2006, taking a large portion of my pubescent dreams with it. I was fortunate enough to have visited a few times before the end came, but nowhere near enough to appease that gawky teen within. Now, the opportunity is lost to “progress”.

Today, the onetime “epicenter of cool” is little more than a vacant retail space in search of a new tenant; a bit of peeling paint on the marquee, revealing a hint of red and yellow, providing the only suggestion of what once was.