Have you ventured out to Cali yet? I hear that’s what the locals call California, but then again, my buddy who resides in Irvine, could just be lying to me. Personally I’ve only been out to the beach state one time. Now I’m not going to say it was an awful experience, but it wasn’t the time of my life either.

In retrospect, I should have flown out there for a simple site-seeing adventure. This would be a bit more fun and exciting than what I endured. One thing I will say about California is that the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles hotel was pretty decent. I stayed there for a week and a half, and have no complaints.

So there I was, on a flight to Los Angeles, California. It was December, 1995, and the runways were icy. Our fight actually left a day late due to a nasty winter storm. Fortunately for us, we were headed to sunny California to stay in the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles hotel.

Oh, by us I mean a group that was bound for IMTA. For those who’ve never heard of this competition, it’s the International Model and Talent Association. It happens a couple times a year in New York and California; or at least it did back then. I doubt anything has changed.

Thousands of pretty people gathered in the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles hotel for ten days or so, in order to be seen by a panel of professional talent scouts. We’re talking big modeling agencies and entertainment officials. Okay, let me say something here. This IMTA competition, now that I’ve seen and experienced it up close, is pretty much a RIP OFF. My parents paid for mine back then, and it was ridiculous in retrospect. Try around 5 grand. I’m sorry, but I did the math, and there’s no way this modeling and talent competition at the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles hotel should have cost this much. Think airfare and hotel stay. That’s basically what our agency said we were paying for. After all, we had to purchase our own food. They only provided us one skimpy meal. Be very wary of IMTA!

If you’re headed out to California for a fun trip and wish to see the L.A./Hollywood scene, then the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles hotel is probably right up your alley. Check out their website online and acquire room availability and pricing. This hotel was the best part of my trip to Cali.