I spent last week in southern California celebrating my Nieces wedding. We spent the first couple of days staying with friends in Manhattan Beach, riding the waves and eating fish tacos.
The wedding took place poolside at the top of the Hyatt on Sunset Blvd. in west Hollywood. What a scene that area offers. From the pool we looked to the hillside and saw Leonardo DiCaprio's House (Pictured).
We saw Snoop Dogg’s house, Pauley Shore’s house, and
Paris Hilton’s House. Interesting real estate for sure.
But the best piece of real estate for the week, I actually had a chance to tour, just like my weekly local touring. Well, almost. It was
Hearst Castle. The estate is a pastiche of historic architectural styles that Hearst admired in his travels around Europe. It boasts a mere 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, and an airfield, all on about 40,000 acres overlooking miles of Pacific coastline. My favorite feature is the indoor swimming pool, The Roman Pool. It is decorated from ceiling to floor with 1" square mosaic tiles. These glass tiles, called smalti, are either colored (mainly blue or orange) or are clear with fused gold inside. The intense colors and shimmering gold of the tiles combine to create a breathtaking effect, along with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes.
Truely amazing!
