Last night I used valet parking for the first time. Like many other luxury services in Los Angeles, valet parking has such a high demand that it’s unbelievably cheap. I assumed it was $4.50 plus the parking fee. But no. It was just $4.50. Naturally, I had no idea how to do it. As the valet opened the passenger door so that my friend Courtney, visiting from NYC, could get in, I pulled out my wallet, thinking, “Now I pay?”

Then I saw that the valet was standing and holding the the driver’s side door open, waiting for the girl who just fell off the turnip truck to figure it out. So I got in. Then I paid him.

“And I’m supposed to tip?” I asked, further solidifying my role as bumpkin. “If you want,” the valet laughed. So I did. The whole thing was quite odd, but it definitely got points on the convenience scale.

Then Courtney, her friend Deirdre, and I went to this yummy saki bar/fondue hut called Vine. Loved it. A DJ playing hip-hop funk, yummy saki mojitos, and insanely good fondue. Thanks to Megasoul for the recommendation.

And now to San Francisco.