Tuesday was eventful and Wednesday even more so (continued)

A couple years ago, my friend Holli's mother came to visit her in Taiwan. I was very excited to meet her mother, so I invited them over for dinner. I prepared sesame seared tuna steaks. A first and a success! We had a fun evening discussing a wide range of topics and enjoying our meal and some wine.
When they left at the end of the evening I was left wondering if I'd ever see Eva again. I mean, what were the chances? She is the friend of a mother who lives in Iowa and I am from South Africa. If I ever did travel to the States I was sure I was not going to visit Iowa. But I was hoping that somehow, some day, I would meet her again.
And so it happened that Eva decided to spend her winter 06/07 in Los Angeles. Perfect! Holli gave me her contact details here in LA and over the past couple of weeks we were corresponding and talking about meeting up while she is still in LA.
Yesterday Alexander and I made our way downtown on the #14 bus. Eva found an apartment downtown, right by the Disney Music Hall.
When we arrived at her place neither one of us were thinking that we'd be taken on a very comprehensive tour of downtown LA by a 70-year old lady. But that is exactly what happened. At a leisurely pace she walked us from her building to a weekly Farmer's market that takes place outside the LA Central Library. She goes there to buy her bread and vegetables on a weekly basis. She was just a well of information; talking about Bunker Hill, the Spanish Steps, architecture and the history of some buildings. She even pointed out a pedestrian crossing where there is no lights and cars have to stop for pedestrians whenever they cross. She seemed particularly taken with this idea.
We picked up some lunch while at the market and walked over to Pershing Square, right in front of the Biltmore Hotel, Eva informing us of the historical significance of some of the buildings along the way. Alexander and I shared a Peruvian friend rice dish that came with an interesting cucumber sauce. Eva enjoyed a hot dog. After lunch she walked us over to the Biltmore.
The Biltmore was at one point the biggest hotel in the US, west of Chicago. It's an incredibly beautiful structure with great interiors. It has been used in numerous movies and even music videos. Eva had done a walking tour of the hotel recently, so she could give us a lot of information.
After the Biltmore we strolled over to the Fine Arts building where her friend's husband has an office. Unfortunately we could not go up in the building, but we were allowed to walk around the foyer. It was impressively decorated both inside and outside. Both the Biltmore and the Fine Arts Building date back to the 1920's.
We were impressed by how beautiful and interesting downtown LA is and Eva made for an impressive tour guide. It's hard to believe that she is 70. She took us to look inside The Standard Hotel and entertained us to a short 4-storey elevator ride in the US Bank building.
After we dropped off her shopping at her apartment she took us to Kendalls Brasserie for ice cream and coffee. She insisted that they had the best pistachio ice cream in the world. We had two scoops. Pistachio and coconut. She had two scoops of pistachio. It was everything she promised. Rich, creamy and very delicious.
It was late afternoon and time for us to head home. She walked us all the way to the Metro station where we parted.
I felt sad saying goodbye to her. This time I really don't know if I'll see her again, but I'm hoping.