I had to take my car to the nearest Pep Boys to get two new tires, and it happened that the nearest location is on Hollywood Boulevard a few blocks east of Vine. It's odd to have to wander over Benny Goodman's star to get new tires, but such is life here occasionally.

While I waited, I wandered across the street to Al-Wazir Chicken and had some lamb shish kabob. I've had Mediterranean food a couple of times recently, and I've noticed a big change in my tastes. I'm losing my taste for pita bread and hummus, while grape leaves, gyros and all things lamb are ascendant.

After my car was re-tired, I ended up going through the Hollywood and Vine intersection on my way home. Here's what you can see driving through that intersection: a convenience store that specializes in Mad Dog-caliber wine, a bar/restaurant that looks to be faux upscale, an empty storefront, a body piercing parlor, the hookers from my neighborhood pulling an earlier shift, and confused tourists expecting something a bit more glamorous. Turning south on Vine, I was between Sunset and Santa Monica when I saw just about the most un-Hollywood thing imaginable: a Big Lots.