My Summer 2009 Vacation

Last week I went to Southern California. First, I spent three days in San Diego (the city where I was raised), and visited with family and friends. I had not seen the friends in over 20 years, so it was wonderful spending time together. During this time, Comic-Con was taking place. I did not attend, but saw crowds of people downtown who seemed very enthusiastic. Some were wearing Batman and Iron Man shirts and outfits.

Second, I went to Pasadena for the Action On Film International Film Festival (http://www.aoffest.com/). My screenplay, AFRAID FOR YOUR LIFE, received a Best Script nomination. I did not win, but it is always an honor being recognized for my work. I also watched some good independent movies. Two of them were ONE PERCENT FULL (http://onepercentfull.blogspot.com/), which is an action-drama with a message, and a comedy titled THE STEVIE WONDERSHOW (http://www.steviewondershow.com/).

While in Pasadena, I spent some time in South Pasadena checking out HALLOWEEN (1978) locations. It seemed like the logical thing to do! I went to the “Myers House,” which has been relocated, and is now an office building. Across the street from the “Myers House,” I saw the “hardware store,” which is actually a restaurant, where “Sheriff Brackett” and “Dr. Loomis” had a conversation. Next, I visited the “Strode House.” The people who live in this home graciously leave pumpkins on the porch so that fans of the film can pose with them for pictures, which is what I did. The final stop was “Haddonfield High School,” which is actually South Pasadena High School.

In addition, when in South Pasadena visit the Fair Oaks Pharmacy (http://www.fairoakspharmacy.net/). I had seen the soda fountain on the Travel Channel and wanted to check it out. It is located on historic Route 66, and truly does have the best ice cream, as highlighted on the Travel Channel.

Lastly, I spent some time in Los Angeles’ Chinatown and Hollywood. Chinatown was a fun place to shop. I went to Hollywood to find the Star of my cousin, film pioneer Oscar Micheaux (http://shorock.com/arts/micheaux/). It is located at the Hollywood and Highland intersection in front of a sushi restaurant.

Our vacation ended with a stop in Modesto (Central California) to see Carman (http://www.carman.org/). The concert was sold out and the audience was full of energy. Overall, I had an excellent time.