RushCon 2015 in Los Angeles

I have been going to RushCon for the past several years.  RushCon is a fan based gathering and celebration of the music of the rock band Rush.  In the past I have really enjoyed myself at this event and have met lots of great people.

Typically it is in Toronto, but this year it was held in Los Angeles to coincide with the last tour stop on the band's R40 tour.  When LA was announced as the host city I couldn't think of a good reason not to go.  This would be a great reason to visit LA and perhaps some other city on the West Coast.  After some research I decided to fly to Los Angeles, then take the train to Seattle and spend a few days there, then fly back from Seattle.

       I flew out from Ottawa and arrived in LA on Thursday afternoon.  Using the airport shuttle, FlyAway, and the subway was a great way to get to my downtown hotel.  After check in I explored a bit of the downtown area.  I was staying in the area known as "LA Live".  A very vibrant and a fun place to have supper on an outdoor patio.

For Friday morning I had booked a bicycle tour of the city; "LA in a Day".  It lived up to it's name.  I arrived in West Hollywood at 9:45 where I met the other members of my group ( A mother and son from Kingston, ON) and was fitted on my bike.  This turned out to be a great way to see the city.  We cycled through Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Santa Monica where we hit the ocean.
             Travelling along the shoreline we went south to Venice Beach and Marina del Ray.  We headed inland to Culver City and back to West Hollywood.  Our guide, Steven, explained the sites as we went. The tour was long in both time and distance;  I was worried about being late for my engagement that evening.  Luckily my tour mates offered me a ride to the subway and I was back downtown in no time at all.


My bicycle for the tour

A view of downtown from Greystone Mansion

 At Greystone Mansion

Cycling through Santa Monica

Reaching the ocean in Santa Monica.  The Santa Monica Pier is in the distance

Beautiful beaches

Cycling south, we reached Venice Beach where we stopped for lunch.  Riding along the beach, I could not of felt more of a California experience.

The skateboard park at Venice Beach

Cycling along the canals in Venice Beach

Friday night was the opening night mixer at the Nokia VIP lounge in LA Live.  It was fun getting to see some familiar faces and some new ones as well.  We were split up into teams and played some Rush based lyric puzzles for prizes.  Remember all of us are hardcore fans so it was taken quite seriously.  That never took away from the fun.

     Saturday morning we gathered in a beautiful old theatre for the days events.  We were treated to interesting guest speakers and more.  A great way to spend the day.

After a break we then travelled by bus the to Forum in Inglewood for the evening's concert.

90 minutes to show time

I enjoyed the company of a local couple sitting next to me.  Here I am during intermission

The concert was great.  It's hard to imagine this may be the last time we see them.

Here they are doing the final encore and good bye.

After the show we took the bus back to downtown.  We kept the party going by heading out for drinks with new friends.

The next day was the "Star Map of Hollywood" tour  (Yes, that is a Rush lyric).  We enjoyed the view from the top of the bus while being treated to both excellent commentary of the sights and great music.

Entering Chinatown

The Capital Records building

Hollywood and Vine

Visiting Rush's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Visiting the "Rockwalk"

 Seeing the sights along Sunset Blvd.

After the bus tour, we had our closing night wrap up party at the Grammy Museum back at LA Live.
This was a great little collection of some music history.  It was also a great time mingling with other guests.

I had a really good time on this part of the trip.  While I didn't get to see as much of LA as I would have liked I now have a good reason to return.

I really have enjoyed RushCon over the years;  I have met some really nice people and shared some good times.

The next morning I boarded the train and headed to Seattle.
http://theglennv.blogspot.ca/2015/08/los-angeles-to-seattle-by-amtrak.html