On a beautiful, albeit steamy spring evening in downtown Washington, DC, I exited the Federal Triangle metro station with a backpack full of cold beer. 

Walking east along Pennsylvania Ave, I bumped into Stephanie from Twenty-Something Travel, who was carrying a few bottles of sparkling wine from Trader Joe's. 

It was our last time co-hosting a DC Travel tweetup together before I head for Colombia, and she takes off on her trip around the world in September.

We signed in at the reception area of the Newseum Residences and headed up to Carolyn's (Dog Meets World) apartment. 

She had offered us the use of her building's rooftop terrace for our monthly happy hour, as it delivers perfect views of the Capitol Building.

A large group of Capitol Hill staffers had already begun to set up shop in the area with the best view of the Capitol (you can see them all in the first photo above), so we brought some extra tables and chairs over and worked around them.

The photographic firepower in our group was hard to ignore - 4 DSLR's, and me still trying to figure out how to use my Canon S90.

The turnout was one of our best yet -- a mix of regulars and newbies.

• Michael - Co-founder and co-editor of World Hum.
• Matt - Landlopers - Keep an eye on one of the DC area's newest travel bloggers! 
• Kesley - Drifting Focus - Freewheeling nomadic photographer, writer, sidecar motorcyclist, reenactor, and blogger.
• Sonia - Pulpology, and DC organizer for September's Meet, Plan, Go!
• Marilyn - Intelligent Travel Blog. Chief Researcher at National Geographic Traveler
• Julia - All About the Pretty.  Beauty, Travel, & Lifestyle Writer as featured in The Washington Post, The Washingtonian, Texas Monthly & Glamour.
• Amanda - Global health aficionado, interested in sustainable development solutions, and dealing with a permanent case of wanderlust.
• Sebastien - Adventurer, Manager @ Interactive Marketing Group 4 Hotels, Travel Analyst, Writer, Blogger, TCK, multicultural, Producer, Lead Editor @ Uptake.  (yeah, he does it all)
• Tara - superstar photographer (she took most of the photos in this post).

In Carolyn's infinite wisdom, she made a chocolate cake for my departure. 

If you can't tell from the photo, it was delicious. But before we could enjoy it, Steph and I were asked to give impromptu speeches. 

Though I'd already had a few drinks and may have rambled on with an overly-sentimental tone, it was a small price to pay for the cake.

Thanks again, Carolyn!

Speeches, sweets, and celebrations aside, the rooftop truly was a wonderful spot from which to enjoy a sunset. 

The stark white Capitol Building slowly began to glow orange as the sun went down from behind us.

While I'll be heading for the tropical beaches of Colombia's Caribbean coast in a few weeks, Stephanie will continue to organize monthly DC Travel tweetups. 

Rebel Without A Cause was required viewing for a college class I took called Music, Marketing, and Youth Culture.

When I tweeted about my trip to Los Angeles and asked for recommendations, Griffith Observatory was mentioned several times. 

I remembered it as a setting from the James Dean movie, which was reason enough for a visit.

The clear blue skies and sunshine made for great views. 

Inside the observatory, there were plenty of astronomy displays to educate those interested. 

The giant telescope is free to use; however, it doesn't open until sunset. 

You can walk up on the roof, too, but it didn't occur to me at the time.

Related: The McDonald Observatory in Texas

The views of downtown LA are good, but the skyline certainly doesn't compare to New York City. 

As we walked around the observatory, a couple took their wedding photos. 

There are a lot of hiking trails in the area, and I imagine it would make for a fun afternoon to use them and then finish up at the observatory for sunset. 

Stargazing through the telescope is optional.

On the third day of my Los Angeles trip, Steph and I descended on Beverly Hills. 

She had warned me in advance that Rodeo Drive was only a few blocks long, and sure enough, it all seemed less grandiose in person than what I'd conjured up in my mind over a lifetime of watching it depicted on TV and in the movies.

We parked the car and walked along the palm-lined streets; however, there's little to do if you're not there to go shopping. 

And in terms of shopping, the streets were lined with luxury brand boutiques.

One funny moment occurred when one of LA's garish, red double-decker tourist bus came roaring down the street, interrupting the otherwise peaceful, low-key neighborhood.

We ate lunch at the Grill on the Alley, which is known as the entertainment industry's restaurant of choice for power lunches. 

The entrance faces into an alley, albeit a clean one as we are in Beverly Hills, after all. We got there early; however, there were no stars to be seen. 

In an attempt to make up for my early-in-the-trip indulgences, I ordered a $20 Caesar salad with chicken. The portion size was obscene (i.e. gigantic), and I only managed to finish half of it.

As we went to exit the restaurant, in walks Bill Rancic, the first winner of The Apprentice. 

I recognized him immediately but wasn't starstruck enough to stop him from using the restroom. 

Besides, as in New York City, you're not supposed to care when you see a celebrity walking around.

To give ourselves another shot at spotting a significant celebrity, we walked through Barney's New York and made our way to the rooftop restaurant, Barney Greengrass.

Upon walking up to the host's desk, I looked to my left and immediately noticed The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, sitting at a corner table, facing out over the entire restaurant. He had a dark tan and a commanding presence. 

We decided to wait for a table on the outdoor terrace, so Steph used the free time to introduce one of the Governor's security guards to Foursquare. 

Meanwhile, I continued to casually peer at him from across the room.

When our table was ready outside, we got a sweet corner spot in the shade, which allowed me to stargaze a little longer through the window. 

I ordered a glass of white wine, which seemed apropos for the environment, and a giant slice of "strawberry banana cream chocolate cake" that didn't quite live up to my expectations.

As with Grill on the Alley, I was surprised by the reasonable prices at the restaurant, given the location and stargazing potential. 

The fish options are a popular main course, and they only ran about $20. My slice of cake was $7.50.

My first full day in Los Angeles began with a ride down Sunset Boulevard. 

I didn't have a burning desire to walk on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before getting to LA, but it was a beautiful day and as good a reason as any to get out of the car and enjoy it.

Stef and I exited an underground parking garage via an escalator, leading us right past an entrance to the Kodak Theatre, where the Academy Awards are held each year. 

Our first view upon walking out of the building was that of Jimmy Kimmel's studio.

Street performers were dressed up as a variety of famous movie and comic characters, and Stef insisted on a photo. I tipped Chaplin and Libre a buck each for their efforts. 

At the time, I resisted having my photo taken like an embarrassed kid with his parents, but now that I'm back on the East Coast, it serves as the perfect reminder of Hollyweird.

Under a bright warm sun, we walked around Grauman's Chinese Theater, looking at the various foot and handprints of the stars on the sidewalk.

My hand was a perfect match with Tom Hanks.

A half-block away was the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which we took a quick walk through before grabbing coffee in their small bar, 25 Degrees.

Back in the car, we cruised up to Mulholland Drive, which I'll always associate with the David Lynch movie by the same name, though I've never managed to watch the whole thing. 

A small parking area associated with a scenic outlook was packed with tour vans.

We walked up a few stairs, and then down along a dirt trail on the ridge. 

To the right, downtown LA, and the left, my first view of the Hollywood sign. 

That simple white sign on a green hill symbolized not only LA and California but the entire entertainment industry. 

I imagine the sign has served as inspiration for countless struggling actors, models, musicians, and comics who come to LA to make it big.

A lot of the places we visited in the Los Angeles area seemed smaller in person than I'd made them out to be in my mind after a lifetime of television and movie consumption. 

The Hollywood sign was the exception.

See also: Reliving Swingers at The Dresden

Despite the sunshine, when we drove down to Santa Monica in the afternoon, it was downright chilly due to the wind. 

The beaches were bare, save for a few runners. 

The amusement park rides on the Santa Monica pier were closed due to the weather, and any hot lifeguards must have been off duty as well.

Barcelona, Arcachon Bay in France, and now Santa Monica -- I've developed a real knack for visiting famous beaches when they're too cold to be fully appreciated.

After getting our fortunes told by Zoltan on the pier, we sought shelter in the luxurious Casa del Mar hotel lounge. 

Large windows allowed us to continue enjoying the beach views in comfort, and we were soon joined by Maja, who does PR for Swiss Tourism.

In the early evening, the three of us motored up the Pacific Coast Highway to meet up with Kristin Luna and Steph's husband for a Greek dinner at Taverna Tony in Malibu. 

We sat outside on a vine and flower-covered patio, but despite being situated near the entrance, no celebs were hanging out that night.

But that was fine because back in Hollywood, I'd experienced my first West Coast celebrity sighting -- the beautiful Jessica Biel.

May 10, 2010 marked the 6-month anniversary of the DCtravel happy hours which continue to bring together dozens of travelers, bloggers, tweeters, and curious Washington, DC-area residents.

This past Monday's event was held once again at The Big Hunt in Dupont Circle. 

We camped out on the rooftop deck, enjoying a few beers.  As usual, conversation revolved around travel, blogging, and social media.

I speak for everyone when I saw we were excited to have Bruce Poon Tip, founder of GAP Adventures, join us this time. 

As Carolyn later said, he was very generous with his time. 

And, I'd like to add very down to Earth and sincere, which is exactly the impression he gives us on Twitter every day.

Attendees

• Dave - @rtwdave -- https://gobackpacking.com
• Stephanie 
• Bruce Poon Tip - @brucepoontip -- https://www.gadventures.com
• Carolyn - @dogmeetsworld -- http://www.dogmeetsworld.org
• Sebastien - @traveladdict 
• Hunter - @McIntoshTBC -- http://www.theboatcompany.com
• Matt - @landlopers -- http://www.landlopers.com
• Daphra 

And once again a special thanks to Melanie @sisarina for the Twitter name tags we continue to enjoy.