Jake misses WDW again - and remembering Jake at the Beverly Hilton

Firstly, I have to start by mentioning People's sighting of Jake yesterday: 'Jake Gyllenhaal, eating a burger at Father's Office, a Santa Monica bar. There with a friend, the actor sipped on a beer and split a plate of oysters and a cart of sweet potato fries with his companion, all while avoiding being disturbed, a fellow diner reports. With his meal almost finished, the actor looked happy as he moved on to doing some text-messaging.'


There are several points to make here - first off, this pub is not only in Santa Monica, it's on Montana Ave and someone not a million miles from here (their name begins with a W, ends in a W and there's a D in the middle, if you're still guessing) walked right past the place just the day before. Another point worth making is that, judging by Father's Office's menu, they sell a lot of beers that sound extremely tempting, including Youngs bitter from the UK. And, apparently, the fries really are presented in carts and the burgers are 'treated as an artform'. Also, very good to hear of a happy Jake enjoying a good meal.


Coincidentally, People's post is illustrated by a picture from the same set that I posted yesterday, showing Jake walking past Alter Egos and Judi's Deli on North Bedford Drive. I had an orange juice in Judi's Deli (see picture below) just today and they asked me if I wanted it caffeine-free - a first.


WDWs Road Trip goes posh

My limbs were too won out for much exploration today, stumbling from one cafe to the next was all I was good for. So, after breakfast at le Pain Quotidien on Melrose - another place with a Jake history (as every decent cafe has within a five-mile radius) I focused on Beverly Hills and, in particular, the Beverly Hilton hotel. This hotel is the setting for the Golden Globes (when they're on) - I visited this hotel last year, a day after the awards, at which Jake presented, and I was allowed to pop my head round into the ballroom to see the room still set out for the big event. It is also the setting for the Oscar nominees luncheon and has been for over 25 years. With the exception of the picture above, all of the photographs in this post were taken at the Beverly Hilton. The picture below is a Spot the Jake photograph.



While I enjoyed California Sirah and oysters by the pool (Friday lunch is seafood buffet day at the Hilton and I really, really recommend it), I thought back to 2006, when Jake had sat just a few feet away to be interviewed about his role as Jack Twist. Amusingly, during this interview, pool life continues in the background, making Jake seem a little overdressed.



Today is the last day of my LA Road Trip - a trip that has been motivated and enhanced by Jake, the Oscars and winter sun. Jake never seems to have been far away this week and, at times, it's even been spooky. But despite having been in the same building as him at the same time (Beverly Hills hotel), having been in another building as him just a few hours before (Urth Cafe), having been down the same street as him a day apart - not once but twice (Beverly Boulevard and Montana Avenue) - it's been wonderful. We need to work on the timing though.





Because I chose this week to visit because of the Oscars, here are two new videos from the Oscars 2006, which have just been posted on YouTube. Jake's charisma, style and sheer movie star appeal are plainly evident in both, to us and to the commentators. Here's hoping for 2009. Thanks for travelling with me and, if not before, see you Sunday on Greenwich Mean Time.




Pictures from IHJ and WDW.