October 2026

Well, Carys has been and gone, and I think it’s fair to say she had a lovely time. We certainly enjoyed having her here, although, as usual, the time seemed to disappear rather quickly. I sometimes wonder whether visitors to the Jevins Resort and Spa realize quite how much effort goes into their entertainment program!

We managed another whale-watching trip with Captain Dave out of Dana Point, which is always a wonderful way to spend a few hours. There’s something rather special about being out on the Pacific, enjoying the Southern California sunshine and keeping an eye out for some of the ocean’s larger residents. 

This visit, however, we also decided to try something different.

A Day Among the Stars – Griffith Observatory

Despite having lived in Southern California for quite a few years now, there are still places on our doorstep that we’ve never quite managed to visit. One of those was the Griffith Observatory, perched high in the hills above Los Angeles.

Well, we can now tick that one off the list, and what a splendid place it is.

Our adventure began with parking near the Greek Theatre, where there’s a free parking area for visitors to Griffith Park. The only slight drawback is that the Observatory is about half a mile further up the hill, and I do mean uphill!

There is parking much closer to the Observatory, but that involves paying for the privilege. Being Yorkshire born, I naturally considered the free option perfectly reasonable. After all, what’s half a mile?

Well, as it turns out, half a mile uphill in the Southern California sunshine can feel considerably longer than half a mile on the flat. About halfway up, I began to reconsider the wisdom of my Yorkshire thrift!

However, the climb was certainly worth it.

The Griffith Observatory sits on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood, commanding some of the finest views anywhere in Los Angeles. From its terraces, the city stretches out before you in an extraordinary panorama. Downtown LA and its cluster of skyscrapers sit in the distance, while the vast urban landscape spreads across the basin, seemingly without end.

It’s only when you see Los Angeles from this perspective that you begin to appreciate just how enormous the place really is.

Then, of course, there’s the Hollywood Sign.

We’ve all seen it hundreds of times in photographs, films and television programs, but seeing it from the Observatory gives you a completely different perspective. From Hollywood Boulevard, you tend to catch it peeking over rooftops and between buildings. From Griffith Observatory, it’s sitting proudly on the hillside, looking much more impressive and considerably less surrounded by souvenir shops.

The Observatory itself is equally fascinating.

Opened in 1935, it owes its existence to a rather interesting character named Griffith Jenkins Griffith. Originally from Wales, Griffith made his fortune in mining and real estate before becoming one of Los Angeles’s more significant benefactors.

In 1896, he donated more than 3,000 acres of land to the City of Los Angeles to create Griffith Park. He subsequently provided for the construction of both the Observatory and the nearby Greek Theatre, believing that ordinary people should have the opportunity to enjoy the wonders of science, astronomy and the natural world.

An admirable philosophy, particularly when you consider that he was giving away land in what would eventually become some of the most valuable real estate in Southern California. I suspect a modern property developer might have suggested a slightly different use for it!

The Observatory is a beautiful example of 1930s architecture, with its distinctive domes and Art Deco styling. It looks exactly as you imagine a great astronomical observatory should look, and it’s easy to understand why Hollywood has featured it in so many films.

Inside, there’s a wonderful collection of exhibits covering everything from the workings of our solar system to the enormous scale of the universe. You can examine meteorites, explore the planets and discover just how insignificant our little corner of the cosmos really is.

There’s also the impressive Samuel Oschin Planetarium, where visitors can experience the night sky projected across a huge domed ceiling. The Observatory’s original planetarium was one of the first in the United States, and the modern version continues the tradition of bringing astronomy to life.

One particularly interesting feature is the original 12-inch Zeiss telescope, which has been allowing members of the public to look into the heavens since 1935. The entire philosophy of the place is that astronomy shouldn’t be reserved for scientists and academics. Everyone should have the opportunity to look up and wonder.

I rather like that idea.

You don’t need to understand the finer points of astrophysics to appreciate standing beneath a building dedicated to exploring the universe. Although, after looking at some of the exhibits, I came away with the distinct impression that there’s rather more going on out there than my school science lessons ever suggested.

All in all, we spent the best part of a day exploring the Observatory, admiring the views and generally enjoying ourselves. It’s certainly somewhere we’ll return to, and I think it may well become a regular excursion for future guests of the Jevins Resort and Spa.

There is, however, one small drawback.

Getting home.

Anyone who has visited us will understand that Southern California traffic has an almost supernatural ability to turn a perfectly reasonable journey into an extended test of patience. Having spent the afternoon contemplating the vastness of the universe, we then spent an equally considerable amount of time contemplating the brake lights of the car in front.

Such is life in Los Angeles!

From California Sunshine to Autumn in England

With Carys safely on her way, Julie and I are now turning our attention to our own travels.

We’re heading back to the UK in November, although not quite together on the outward journey. Julie will arrive in early November, while I’ll follow around the middle of the month. On this occasion, however, we’ll be returning to California together.

Our travels mean we’ll miss Thanksgiving at home this year, which is something of a shame. Thanksgiving has become one of our favorite American traditions. It’s a wonderful excuse to get together, enjoy a good meal and reflect on the things for which we should be grateful.

Of course, being British, I still find it slightly amusing that Americans have managed to create an entire national holiday around eating turkey, only to repeat the exercise a few weeks later at Christmas.

Nevertheless, we’ve embraced the tradition, and this year we’ve decided to celebrate Thanksgiving in London.

And we’ve found somewhere rather special to do it.

Thanksgiving at The Stafford – A Little Piece of America in London

For our Thanksgiving celebration, we’ve chosen The Stafford London, a rather lovely five-star hotel tucked away in St James’s Place, just a short walk from Green Park and Buckingham Palace.

It’s one of those quintessentially London establishments that manages to combine history, understated elegance and traditional British hospitality without making too much fuss about any of it.

The Stafford has a fascinating history. Parts of the property date back to the 17th century, when the buildings were private residences. The hotel as we know it emerged in 1912, and over the years it has welcomed everyone from aristocrats and politicians to writers, entertainers and international travelers.

During the Second World War, the hotel became a popular gathering place for American and Canadian officers stationed in London. Its historic wine cellars, which date back some 400 years, were also used as air-raid shelters during the Blitz.

Today, those same cellars house an impressive collection of wines, alongside memorabilia from the war years. I suspect that, given a choice between a damp Anderson shelter at the bottom of the garden and a centuries-old London wine cellar, most people would have preferred the latter. Although I imagine the selection of refreshments was rather more limited during the bombing!

The hotel’s long-standing connection with America makes it a particularly appropriate place to celebrate Thanksgiving, and it’s a tradition The Stafford has embraced for many years.

Our Thanksgiving meal will be at Michael Caines at The Stafford, the hotel’s restaurant, where we’re looking forward to enjoying a distinctly American celebration with a touch of British elegance.

And, unlike Thanksgiving at home, neither of us will have to worry about cooking the turkey or washing up afterwards.

That alone makes it worth the journey!

The American Bar – A Proper London Institution

Of course, one of the other attractions of The Stafford is its famous American Bar, and I suspect we may find time to investigate it while we’re there.

Now, I do enjoy a proper hotel bar.

Not one of those modern establishments where the music is so loud you can’t hold a conversation and the bartender feels obliged to explain the emotional journey behind your cocktail. I mean a proper bar: comfortable surroundings, a little history, good service and somewhere you can settle down for an hour or two without feeling the need to check your watch.

The American Bar at The Stafford looks very much like my sort of place.

It’s one of London’s longest-surviving American-style cocktail bars, with a character all of its own. Over the years, guests have contributed an extraordinary collection of photographs, pennants, ties, caps and assorted memorabilia, giving the place an atmosphere that’s part traditional London hotel bar and part wonderfully eccentric private club.

There’s something rather appealing about a place where the history has accumulated naturally over generations, rather than being manufactured by an interior designer.

The bar also has an excellent reputation for its cocktails, ranging from traditional favorites such as the Martini and Old Fashioned to more adventurous house creations.

I think it would be rather rude not to sample at least one.

Possibly two, purely in the interests of research, you understand.

There’s also a charming private courtyard, tucked away from the noise and bustle of central London. Although whether London in late November will lend itself to sitting outside with a cocktail remains to be seen. After several years living in Southern California, I have to admit that my tolerance for British winter weather isn’t quite what it used to be!

What I particularly like about The Stafford is that it seems to represent something of the old London. A place with genuine history, where tradition and hospitality still matter, and where you can enjoy a good meal or a quiet drink without everything needing to be fashionable or reinvented.

For Julie and me, having spent so many years living on both sides of the Atlantic, it also seems a rather fitting place to celebrate an American holiday.

The Americans can provide the occasion, the British can provide the surroundings, and we’ll happily enjoy the best of both worlds.

Seems like a perfectly sensible arrangement to me.

And Then, Before We Know It, Christmas

Once we’re back in Southern California, I suspect the remainder of the year will disappear in the usual blur.

There’ll be Christmas decorations to retrieve from their various hiding places, lights to untangle and the annual debate about precisely when the house should be transformed into something resembling Santa’s Californian holiday residence.

I have a feeling that Julie and I may have slightly different views on the appropriate level of Christmas decoration, but after all these years, I’ve learned that some discussions are best approached with a degree of flexibility!

We’re also looking forward to Chris and Wendy arriving in late December, just in time for my birthday.

As regular readers will know, having a birthday on December 29th does have its disadvantages. By then, everyone has spent several days eating, drinking and celebrating Christmas, and the enthusiasm for yet another occasion can sometimes be a little diminished.

Nevertheless, I remain determined that my birthday should receive the recognition it deserves, even if the rest of the world is already thinking about New Year’s resolutions.

So that’s the plan for the remainder of 2026.

A little more travelling, Thanksgiving in London, Christmas back in California and some welcome time with family and friends.

When I think about it, that’s not a bad way to round off another year.

And if there’s one thing that visiting the Griffith Observatory reminded me, it’s that the world is an extraordinary place, and there’s still an awful lot of it to explore.

Even if getting there occasionally involves a rather steep hill.