I noticed how remarkable the day was within a block of leaving my house Friday morning. The ascension up my palm tree lined street was a drive into the cloudy blue sky, a panorama of mountains, the Hollywood sign, the Observatory. Los Angeles looks even more beautiful after the wind than after the rain. I left the studio to meet a friend for lunch, walked across the river and the train way to Union Station. I stopped on the bridge to smell the crisp fresh air mixed with fragrant new blacktop.