Beautiful Downtown Burbank

Though loathe to admit it at the time and in some ways unaware, the neighborhood we lived in was NOT the best. While "happy hour" with unlimited free appetizers on Friday night at the Captain's Table was an attraction, circumstances were changing and it was time to look for a new place.

My roommate from back home had decided to go back and get married. The original appeal of the apartment was waning and Kate definitely wasn't a match as a roomie. She gave new meaning to the word "territorial" in the frig with her labels and "you didn't take THAT, did you?".

I'd think back to that night in Las Vegas and wonder if Jake really even lived here. I was glad that he'd mentioned Toluca Lake as I really did like it in that part of the "Valley". A slower pace, less traffic, and as I'd learn in the years ahead, similar in many attitudinal ways to where I'd grown up.

I was working as a secretary - so Big Joe was right about that summer spent at Katherine Gibbs learning to type - at the now-non-existent NAB Television Code a few buildings away from Grauman's Chinese Theater. My first star sighting had been on Hollywood Boulevard right after the holidays. Walking to pick up an egg salad sandwich I looked up and saw Broderick Crawford heading toward me. Now, anybody under 50 won't have a clue who he is but he was the star of one of the first television detective dramas "Highway Patrol", a big, bulky, brusque kind of guy, and his famous moniker was "10-4...over and out". I have no idea what possessed me but as I walked past him I said "10-4"....he looked over and smiled. Ok, now this was Hollywood. I'd arrived.

Just up the 101 Freeway and over Barham Boulevard was Burbank and Toluca Lake. Even though Johnny Carson joked about it, it was a sweet little city. Housing a major television studio, NBC, restaurants and Bob Hope I thought I could be very happy here and went in search of an apartment of my very own.

The Lakeside Apartments were adorable. Probably twenty buildings, almost identical, housing one and two bedroom apartments. Two story "courtyard" style with swimming pools in the middle. I quickly signed up for a furnished one bedroom at a cost of $175 a month. For me ALONE. Well, it just meant more Kraft Mystery Dinners for dinner, which was actually fine with me. To this day I am a patron of the day-glow orange powder.

I moved in early February....lock, stock and charm bracelets.