A Weekend for the Ages...

Wow, so much great stuff to write about. It really was an amazing weekend, and its not even over yet. Something happened that has absolutely made my quarter, and maybe even made my life, but I'll get to that later.

This could be the longest post ever, but it'll be worth it.

Yesterday Mom came into work at the end of the day to see the place and meet some people and it was great. People were very excited to meet her, and its funny because with mom in the office, my supervisors and bosses were telling her things about me that they hadn't really told me, and found out that they actually love having me at crew and that they think I'm doing great work, too. Not that I didn't feel welcomed and appreciated, because I definitely have, but I didn't know that it was to the extent that everybody said it was. They were probably lying.

Anyway, after meeting people and seeing the office, Mom and I went across the street to AMMO, this very cool, very hip Hollywood restaurant. Apparently famous people frequent the place, and just earlier in the day someone from work said they saw the editor of Vogue (aka the inspiration for the Devil Wears Prada) eating there. We didn't see any famous people, but we did see one of my bosses, Julianne, having a drink with one of the project managers, Mike.

After Mom and I finished eating, Julianne came over and met Mom and thanked me for doing such great work on a project I was doing for her. She stayed and talked to Mom and I for a while, and having grown up and lived in New York City for most of her life, she offered a great explanation of what makes Los Angeles so wonderful. She said that in New York people are kind of miserable and stuff, but out here, everyone is still chasing their dreams, optimistic that with hard work they can do anything. She said its very refreshing, regardless of how many people won't actually be able to accomplish those dreams.

Now I definitely don't mean to smack down New York, because anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love that city and will definitely be trying to co-op there in the future, but it was still cool to hear Julianne explain why she loves it out here. She also brought up the fact that its wonderful to have the beach in one direction and snow-capped ski-able mountains in the other.

Anyway, after we talked, Julianne went back to the bar, and when we asked for our check, the waitress told us it had been taken care of and that Julianne had covered it. How amazingly nice was that? We went over and thanked her so much, and she said that they don't get an opportunity to spoil me very often. I think she may have been forgetting the catered lunches every day, the candy, snacks, pop and now friday afternoon alcohol, the wii playing, the opportunity for a massage, and the fact that I don't get in trouble when I get in nerf gun battles.

We talked to Mike and Julianne at the bar for a bit, and Mike told a great story about his mother and why she ended up moving to Pittsburgh, and Mike reiterated the fact that they loved having me at crew, and he even said I was one of their best interns. Now I'm sure that was an exaggeration, and I definitely don't tell anybody this to show off how great I am, its just so amazing to be thought so highly of by so many extremely talented and well-connected people. If there was any question of my coming back in the summer or not, the question has been answered this weekend; there is no way I can pass up an opportunity to come back to such an awesome place and work with such great people.

After dinner in Hollywood, Mom and I drove out to Santa Monica, where we walked along the edge of the beach at night past very swanky hotels and restaurants and saw the Santa Monica Pier and went up to the 3rd Street Promenade as well. It was an excellent day.

Then came this morning...

Mom and I decided to head downtown so that we could see the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Unfortunately when we got there, there were some performances going on and they weren't offering the free audio tour. Mom was disappointed, but I showed her we could still walk around and enjoy the building a bit. So walk around we did. I showed Mom the building and we were about to leave, when mom needed to go to the bathroom.

As we were walking around the side of the concert hall to the bathroom, I noticed this older man who looked very familiar to me. Immediately I mentally tested him against the celebrity/famous people database in my head, and after a moment realized he seemed to be Ron Miller, the son in law of Walt Disney and the former President and CEO of Walt Disney Productions.

Well, of course my brain started racing, as I realized if he was here, there was a chance that Diane Disney Miller, Walt Disney's only biological daughter, would be there too.

Low and behold, who do I see come around the corner after Ron but this shorter older woman that I immediately recognize as the one and only Diane Disney Miller.

I turned to mom and whispered to her, "Walt Disney's daughter is walking behind us."

Now Mom went to bathroom, and Ron and Diane continued walking around, enjoying the gardens of the concert hall and all the action of it, as there were many activities for kids and a special free performance going on. Needless to say, I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and although I was extremely nervous, I knew I had to talk to them.

I walked up behind Diane and said "Mrs. Miller?" She turned around and responded with a rather surprised but pleasant expression on her face. I went on, "My name is Alex Ogle and I just wanted to tell you how great I think this hall is." She immediately shook my hand and thanked me, as did Ron, who had the handshake of a USC and pro-football player if I ever felt one.

Diane asked me how I recognized them, and I told her "I'm a bit of a Disney fan."

From there, we just started to talk, and in no time I was completely at ease having a great conversation. She immediately referred to me by name, saying "now Alex, what are you doing out here?" I told her I was a design student in Cincinnati out here on an internship. I told them I was from Pittsburgh and Ron told me that they had been to Pittsburgh a few times and that they loved it. He commented on our great sports teams, too. Ron knows his stuff.

I told Diane how much I loved the story told in the audio tour of how her mother and Walt's wife Lillian, wanted the concert hall to look like a small old brick church with ivy on it. Ron said, "That it sure isn't!" and Diane said that that was just the kind of woman her mother was.

Diane went on to explain that the future Walt Disney Family Museum that they're building in San Francisco will actually be more true to that vision. I asked her why they chose to build it in San Francisco, and Diane told me that was actually where she and Ron are living now. Ron said they basically could have built the museum anywhere, and that they could've built it in Pittsburgh, since the Disney legacy is so far-reaching. Diane said building the museum in San Francisco is basically about California, and what California meant to Walt.

Awesome. After a bit mom came back out and walked over where I introduced her to the Millers, and they told us they were actually meeting Frank Gehry and his wife in just a few minutes for lunch and to see the performance that afternoon. She said that they hadn't seen a concert with Frank since the opening.

I didn't want to take up too much of their time, so I asked if it would be okay if I got a picture with them. They were both very happy to take a picture. In fact in a very classy move, Ron took off his sunglasses for the picture. Ron made sure I stood between them next to Diane, and surprisingly, Diane put her arm around me when I stood next to her for the picture! Then mom snapped this picture in front of the Lily fountain in the gardens of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

I don't know if you can tell from this picture or not, but as it was being taken, I was fairly nervous and excited at the same time. After the picture, we all said goodbye and parted ways. I don't totally remember what we said to each other...I was still kind of in shock I think.

I just cannot believe how incredibly kind and down to earth both of them were. They were so happy to stop and talk and share stories, and Diane was just so full of life and energy, it was amazing. I mean, this is as close as it gets to seeing what the true Walt Disney was like, and it seems like a great deal of his personality and love is reflected in her, let alone his looks.

I know, I could have talked to her for hours and there a probably a million things I should've said, but I don't care. I know very few other people would ever recognize them, no one else outside the concert hall did, but I think if you know me you can understand how huge this was for me and how much it meant to me. Meeting Diane wasn't about any obsession or anything, it was about learning more about the actual person that Walt was, and what it was that made him so unique.

That being said, I'm still in complete awe. Can you believe it? I actually met Walt Disney's daughter!

Wow.

After the concert hall, Mom and I went back to Hollywood to grab some famous chili dogs at Pink's and they were delicious. From there, we went down the sunset strip into Beverly Hills, and we drove down Rodeo Drive, which was, well....impossible to describe. It's probably the most fun to just watch all of the insanely wealthy people walking along the street buying who knows what from all of the extremely fancy expensive stores.

Then we headed up the 405 to the Getty Center, this enormous museum that is absolutely amazing. The museum is only 10 years old, and it sits up in the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking all Los Angeles. It was pretty stunning.

One really cool thing about the museum is that you park down at the bottom of the mountain then take a tram up to the top and it is a huge museum that is just beautiful. We took the architecture tour soon after getting there, and learned about Richard Meier's amazing work on the center.

Although the building is without a doubt a work of art in itself, inside the building are many more very impressive pieces, including some great Rembrandts and Van Goghs. The whole place definitely feels like California and has some great views off to the ocean in the west and the city in the east.

If I was a James Bond villain, the Getty Center would totally be my secret evil villa.

After the Getty, Rob (my roommate), Mom and I went back to Santa Monica for a delicious italian dinner and then came home. Mom's leaving early tomorrow morning to go up to San Francisco to meet a friend of hers' and I'm heading to the Matchbox Twenty concert at the Staples Center tomorrow night after Mosaic. Sure i was made fun of a lot at work on friday about the concert, but I don't care, I'm stoked and it should be a blast.

Anyway, that's it for now. Sorry the post was so long. I just had to share the details. Call me, let's talk! Now, I'll leave you all with a shot off the helipad off of the front of the Getty Center, looking down onto the 405 and crazy traffic below, to remind everyone that Southern California does have its vices...but it sure has been tough to see them this weekend.

Until next time...

much love,
Alex