Sometimes, You Just Gotta Laugh

In these anxiety-inducing times, sometimes… you just gotta laugh. With wars raging on multiple fronts, natural disasters devastating parts of the country and the world, fear and mis and disinformation feeding anger it is important to take a break from reality and the news cycle and just laugh.

Whether it is watching Dana Carvey’s Biden impersonation or James Austin Johnson’s Trump or “Washington’s Dream” skits on SNL, or a stand-up comedian special, reruns of Modern Family, The Office or Arrested Development or late-night TV, for our mental health we tune out of CNN or Fox News and into something funny regularly.

Last week, while visiting southern California, we scored a few tickets to Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Hollywood. We traveled into L.A. through a sampling of its notoriously horrific traffic and exited into the heart of Hollywood to arrive at our little oasis blocks off of the chaos of Hollywood Blvd: a cute little boutique hotel with a fantastic courtyard called The Prospect. Bags were swept away and deposited in our room as we checked in. The rooms are all named after movie stars of a bygone era and decorated in a vintage Hollywood style. We stayed in the Sophia Loren suite. The General Manager, Kiki, greets each guest and remembers your name the next day. Little quiches and croissants are fired up for breakfast and late-night aperitifs are served around the roaring gas fireplaces in the courtyard.

After a quick turn at the hotel, we marched down Hollywood Blvd, with families picking out stars of their favorite actors along the sidewalk comingled with the wafting smell of marijuana coming at you from all directions. We arrived at the El Capitan Theater about an hour before admission time. The free tickets can be requested a few weeks in advance. The staff at 1iota provide an efficient process where you wait in the alleyway, fortunately off of Hollywood Blvd, have access to complimentary water and wait out of the sun under building-provided and under-roof shade. Shortly before go-time, cell phones are shut off and secured in pouches and the queue advances inside.

After a brief set of questions, each party is seated in various sections of the small theater (presumably to diversify the appearance of the audience as the cameras sweep it). The staff rile up the crowd and explain how the show will work, when to stand and when to applaud. Cleto and the Cletones arrive to fire up the party. Then Lou and Guillermo arrive and Jimmy Kimmel takes the stage. It is an efficient and well-choreographed process, about three hours start to finish.

We capped off our evening with dinner at Jones on Santa Monica Blvd, a retro, dimly lit bistro with pizzas, pastas, and an ample selection of salads and non-pasta entrees. Don’t let the non-descript, almost closed-looking exterior fool you. This place is a gem.

In all, it was a great escape from reality, if only for a few hours.