Brand new here, but I couldn't resist chiming in. My daughter just competed on Teen Jeopardy! and ha

I've taken Jeopardy's online test a couple of times, and this year I got an email inviting me to audition for the show on June 6th in Los Angeles. Providentially, Southwest had a great sale that coincided with my travel dates, and I found an inexpensive car rental with Enterprise.
los angeles airport car parking I left Tuesday, June 5th. My Southwest flight was sold out, and I was offered los angeles airport car parking a seat on the next flight plus a $100 travel credit. los angeles airport car parking But since I was on my own and I had some things I wanted to do in LA, I declined. Thankfully, the majority of the passengers got off at our stop in Las Vegas, and though the continuing flight was crowded, it wasn't bad.
Tracys2cents mentioned you could use www.yelp.com to find restaurants within a mile of your destination, so I spent some time compiling los angeles airport car parking a list of places I wanted to try. After spending some time driving around Westchester and Playa del Rey, where Mr. Pickle and I met and used to live, it was lunch time.
I traveled down Culver Blvd. looking for a Korean restaurant called Destini Cafe, but it had apparently changed its name, so I decided to visit my second choice, the Burmese Market and Cafe on Sepulveda. I drove past it several times before I realized it too had changed its name to the Jasmine Deli and Halal Meat Market. Fortunately I had change, los angeles airport car parking because I'd forgotten how often you have to pay to park in Los Angeles.
This place is inexpensive - my lunch was about $7 - and delicious. I had lamb curry, vegetables in a korma-like sauce, and really tasty fresh naan. There was a really los angeles airport car parking spicy salad with shredded cabbage, veggies and some kind of chile, too. I like chile, but my mouth was begging for mercy after a couple of bites!
After lunch, I checked los angeles airport car parking into the Rodeway Inn on Washington for the night. It's a small property, but it was just right for me - clean, los angeles airport car parking comfortable, quiet, and inexpensive. I called home to let people know I had arrived safely (my dad, who lives with us, was worried about his little girl being all alone in The Big City) and headed back out.
The weather was beautiful both days of my visit, and I really enjoyed my trip up to Santa Monica. I didn't have a lot planned, but it was nice to see some of my old haunts as I drove. I spent some time at a really nice yarn store, Wildfiber, on 14th Street, and had a very tasty latte at the Funnel Mill on Broadway before I headed down toward the beach.
A couple of people recommended Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica, and I decided to have dinner there. It's a pub/restaurant/gift shop about a block from the beach, and they were offering a special Diamond Jubilee tea, which sounded perfect as I wasn't los angeles airport car parking super hungry after my lunch. Tea, of course, with a small sausage roll, a mini-quiche, tea sandwiches, and a delicious little scone with clotted cream and jam. I ordered a Pimm's to go along with my meal, and had a lovely time sitting out on their patio reading The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge.
I became a 3-time, undefeated champion on "Wheel of Fortune." I walked away with enough cash to pay off all my debts (with some left over) ... and I won a new car, a cruise to Mexico, and kitchen appliances that I sold.
EP, I am anxious to read your report on the test. I took it many years ago in Atlanta. There were some SERIOUS people there, reading los angeles airport car parking an atlas or Shakespeare cliff notes in the waiting area. You have to be quick as well as informed.
stw, I also called in once and won the trivia question on Regis and Kathie los angeles airport car parking Lee. I was the second caller but the first one got it wrong. My prize was a Day of Beauty at the spa in the Helmsley Palace.
A few yrs. ago I was at the Boston Sheraton and they were havi try outs for Teen Jeopardy there. Lots of parents and teens all over, and it was exciting talking to them in the elevators and lobby, they all had their stories of how they got to be there.
Songdoc, that's great! I was on Tic Tac Dough over 30 years ago, when I was a broke college student. I won a chunk of money and kitchen appliances; my parents got the kitchen stuff and I, being young and foolish, spent all the money.
los angeles airport car parking Rodeway Inn's breakfast consisted of packaged pastries and toast, and I knew I needed some quality caffeine and protein before los angeles airport car parking auditioning. los angeles airport car parking Thanks to Yelp and a practice drive to get to the audition site, I had spotted a place on Inglewood Blvd. called Geo's. They make a fantastic iced Americano, which I enjoyed with...I don't remember the name, but basically it was scrambled eggs with a little Swiss cheese and mushrooms, and some very good bread.
I had plenty of time to kill before I had to be at the Doubletree, so I went ahead and drove down Sepulveda back into Westchester. I found a Trader Joe's and bought a couple of snacks for the plane ride, thinking los angeles airport car parking I wouldn't be at the airport all that long and that I would skip eating there.
Eventually I made my way back to the Doubletree los angeles airport car parking Hotel at Centinela and Sepulveda and headed upstairs to the interview area. We all had to fill out forms stating we had never been on Jeopardy, that we hadn't been on a game show in the last four or five years, stuff like that.
Another auditioner and I were sitting at the first table people saw as they came up the stairs. We were dressed nicely - you're supposed to dress as if you were going to be a contestant that day - so they all assumed we worked for the show and wanted us to check them in.
At 11:30, the contestant coordinators gathered us together, checked us off their list of auditioners, and took our pictures. One of the guys, who was in his late 20s, had never seen a Polaroid camera. I was tempted to fill him in, but competitiveness kicked in and I decided not to give him any information which might come in handy.
We entered a meeting room and sat at several tables. The coordinators introduced themselves and asked who had traveled the farthest to audition. One man came from Hawaii, and he won Jeopardy for the Wii.
While the coordinators collected all our papers (the form we'd filled out, the test, our pictures, and a list of five "fun facts" about ourselves each of us had to supply), we had a short break, which most of us used to talk over the test and compare answers.
When we came back, we watched a short video on how the mock game would work, and the coordinators gave us some basic information on playing and answering. Then they started tossing out categories and clues and calling on us at random los angeles airport car parking to see if we could speak up and answer quickly.
Finally it was time to play the mock game and do a short interview. I was one of the first three called on to play. This was good, because then I could finish being nervous and enjoy the rest of the morning.
I think I did all right on the mock game; I was able to hit my signal fairly quickly, los angeles airport car parking which is really key to doing well on the show - you can know all the answers, but if you can't ring in first, it doesn't do much good.
We played for a few minutes, then did our interviews. They asked each of us to talk about ourselves for about a minute, then asked a few questions. I introduced myself, talked about what I do, where I live, my family, things like that. They asked me about one of my fun facts and what I would do with the money if I won. Fortunately, I have been studying at jboard.tv, so I was prepared for the question. Mr. Pickle and I have discussed doing some voluntourism in the future, so I talked about that.
We were finished around 1:30, so I changed my clothes los angeles airport car parking for the flight home and decided to find some lunch. los angeles airport car parking For nostalgia's sake, I went to Tito's Tacos and had one. It was decent, but I think my younger self liked them better. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the tasty New Mexican food I can make or buy here!
After I went through security and called Mr. Pickle to let him know how the audition how gone, I noticed my flight was going to be delayed. I had to change planes in Phoenix, so I checked at the Southwest desk and they said they didn't think it would be a problem.
About 20 minutes later, they asked anyone who was flying to Albuquerque to come to the desk. Yup, we were all going to miss our connection in Phoenix after all. Providentially, there was a nonstop flight leaving later, and they had plenty of room for us. Unfortunately, that meant I had two more hours to kill at LAX than I had thought. There is no free Wi-fi, and my regular Kindle with 3G seems to be having issues with my email provider, so I couldn't get online as I had planned.
At this point, dinner and a margarita sounded really good. I called Mr. Pickle to let him know I would be late, found some food, and finally got an open seat at one of the lounges. Between the basketball and hockey games, all the restaurants and bars were pretty packed with spectators.
When I went on "Wheel ..." I not only prepared by doing word puzzles; studying the frequency of different letters; and watching tapes of the shows; I had rehearsed los angeles airport car parking what I would say when they said, "Tell us about yourself ..." It certainly paid off!
If you get back out to Santa Monica, and since I now know you like margartias, and I would presume Mexican food also, please go to Lula's on Main St. in Santa Monica! I travel to L.A. for work and pleasure, and I stay in Santa Monica and I ALWAYS make a point of going to Lula's. It is like being in a great restaurant/bar in Mexico. All the waiters and bartenders are from Mexico. They have a fantastic los angeles airport car parking happy hr. w/many great apps at for $4, and cheap and VERY GOOD margaritas. and I have always had a lovely time at happy hr. in the bar, chatting w/the bartender who has been there forever who is from Puebla, etc.
This was a really fun trip report! When had to tell something about yourself los angeles airport car parking you should have said you are a Fodorite! Like THAT would be impressive! I sure hope you get a chance to be on the show. I know I would wind up like Cliff Claven from Cheers if I ever had the chance to be on the show!
Brand new here, but I couldn't resist chiming in. My daughter just competed on Teen Jeopardy! and had a fantastic experience. los angeles airport car parking S