On the evening of August 25TH, I learned the Canadian Princess, known to many as simply Avril Lavigne, would be receiving her Hollywood Star the following week. In fact, less than a week… August 31ST was the day of the event! Sometimes when news arrives unexpectedly, it’s overwhelming and there’s uncertainty with what to do next—just like this token of information. I debated quickly whether or not I had the time to orchestrate an excursion to the far away land of Los Angeles, without aviation, or if I would be better off just watching the live stream from home. You know what? Life needs a little spice! As long as you can follow a recipe, the possibilities of what you can create in life are plentiful.
The following day, I finalized my travel plans… I took an openminded route to arrive at my destination. A bus ticket, composed of two busses, to get me out of Iowa and over to Galesburg, Illinois to then board a train. While there are train stations here in Iowa, the closest train that was going to LA was in Illinois. Perhaps this was a bit silly to go east a wee bit only then to go back west, however, when looking at a map of the routes Amtrak is able to operate on… then the confusion goes away. The train ticket I bought was a “direct route.” I would later learn that this didn’t mean the train would be scooting down the railroad nonstop because there were in fact multiple stops along the way to other stations. What this ended up meaning was I would be on the same train until my destination. Alternatively, if you’re on a direct flight on an airplane, you’re going straight to your destination.
My decision to do a morsel of bus and a feast of train was due the very competitive pricing of the tickets. I did look at airline prices, however, I wasn’t in a position to suddenly spend around $930 roundtrip. While it would have been quite an ease on myself to expedite my travels, I decided I wanted to put my vote for a different mode of transit. Thank goodness I have patience. I know some people like to get to the point, as quick and conveniently as they can. On that same wavelength, it's important to understand that aviation is an expedited service, and in order to use such a service, you will be paying the price that's relevant. For transparency in my decision, I paid:
- $53.99 for the bus ticket to Galesburg
- $181 for the train ticket to Los Angeles
- $60 for the train ticket from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara
- Amtrak didn’t charge for the bus transfer to Emeryville (or from an accounting perspective, it was already included)
- $207 to depart Emeryville to Mount Pleasant
This sums to $501.99. I did buy a return bus ticket when I “landed” in Iowa, however, a friend graced me his goodwill and picked me up instead. What a godsend! When it comes to bus and train transit I understand the disregarding thought of “Pish posh, sugar-free applesauce” (brushing off the advice/wisdom you’re given because you don’t think it will apply to yourself), when it comes to paying more to have a refundable ticket because I’ve been there before too. In this situation, and very well moving forward, I give my sincere recommendation to purchase the 100% refundable ticket option. It may cost a bit more, yet that’s a whole lot better than to not use the ticket at all and lose what you paid for it. For me, that return ticket cost $31.14, however, I don’t lose sleep at night over it.
Prior, I mentioned patience. From my experience on Amtrak, it’s similar in speed to driving your own car or taking the bus on the highway, not the interstate. Therefore, this isn’t a French or Japanese high-speed rail adventure. This is more of a 55-60 MPH mode of transit. The estimated time Amtrak gave was more or less reality: going to Los Angeles was a bit less than 40 hours, and my combined return trip was roughly 60 hours. Truly nothing I wasn’t capable of. I’ll be wiser next time and bring a jacket and jeans to wear in the evenings on the train because the air in the cabin was always conditioned.
Wednesday August 31ST was the day of all days: Avril Lavigne was there! I had a checkpoint moment when I was doing the initial stages of my itinerary because I wasn’t sure if Avril was going to be there or if the highlighted guest speaker(s) would be filling in for her. Thankfully she really was there, and that made it worthwhile. Her star is located at 6212 Hollywood Blvd. Easy to remember, right?! I won’t scold myself too much on the basis of “I should have left earlier that morning…” however, I was still able to stand relatively close to where they had the stage blocked off and thankfully in the shade too. I stood with others on the south side of Hollywood BLD, at the intersection of Argyle AVE. The length of the face of the building (along Hollywood BLVD) where the event took place is perhaps 200ft in length. A portion of it was barricaded off for tents with seating for Avril’s guests and other fortunate souls, a tiered standing area for press during the event, and of course the little stage for the lectern. Some more people stood across the street in the LA sunshine. I thought about moving over there because you could actually see the state, however, I’m thankful I stayed put.
I arrived from the east, going west on Hollywood BLVD, so I ended up going through a blocked off section that was a one-way route to get to the public standing area. I remember some people looking at me with curiosity as if to ask, “How did you get through there with all that security?” Well, my dear, I just walked right through and with purpose. It dawned on me I could have been silly in the moment when people were look at me and exclaimed, “Look over there! It’s Hannah Montana!!” Yeah, sure Jan. On a side note, in 2019 Nicki Minaj had the honor of a lifetime and was featured in Avril's "Dumb Blonde" song. Minaj says "security tucked... just in case one of y'all run up..." If I would have left 30-60 minute earlier, perhaps I could have been against the barricade. With being so slim, one of my talents is slipping my way through crowds to be in a better spot to stand. Lo and behold, that’s just what I did.
The event commenced at 11:30AM (PST). Although I was in proximity of the stage, I admit it was often challenging to hear what they were say into the microphone. I remember times where keywords or phrases were said and not understanding the context, thus I’m glad it was documented as I watched the recording of the event. Vanity was the official press covering the event; watch the MaximoTV coverage of the event for HD quality. Ms. Lavigne dawned a classic tartan (the pattern configuration) dark grey and pink suit, with buckle accessories. Seeing Avril dressed up is a treat because it doesn’t quite coincide with her personality. Into her speech, she took a pause to remove her jacket and then put on her iconic “SKATEBOARDING IS NOT A CRIME” hoodie. This was an article she wore at 16 when she first came to Los Angeles and took a photo laying on a Hollywood Star.
Her speech was truly Avril Lavigne quality. Her mannerisms, motions, and overall behavior are truly of her own. After the ceremony she seemed to have disappeared for a while, either having sat down or she went inside. Avril is quite private about her life. She has the energy and spunk to go on stage and give a performance, and other times she takes an enormous step out of the spotlight and goes back to her personal life. That’s a trait I admire about her: she’s rather independent and doesn’t require the life-support of publicity that other celebrities do. There are times where she is in the public’s eye, and other times where she’s off again in her world and truthfully... forgotten about. Nevertheless, the Canadian Princess lives.
Perhaps it was after 1PM (PST), Avril did walk over to the party of people I was standing with. She did a few photos with admiring fans and gifted her signature here and there. What a rush it was when she started walking over! Some people lost their manners and starting shoving. Perhaps I was too “Iowa nice” by not pushing others out of my way to get what I wanted? This was a moment when I realized just how short Avril is: somewhere in the realm of 5’1” to 5’2”… Honestly, I thought she was much taller such as to the magnitude of less than 6’ but more than 5’7”. She had little “jewels” per se, in the corners of her eyes. She was wearing makeup but didn’t dawn her notorious “raccoon eyes.” After seeing the above video of her speech, I'd have to say she looks different in-person than she does through the eye of the camera that recorded the ceremony. They say seeing is believing, and very well, the camera does distort reality a wee bit. Seeing the Canadian Princess in-person, healthy and alive, was very well a souvenir. Hopefully there will be a time where I will be successful with an autograph and a photo? I brought along a new black Sharpie and a copy of the photo of her wearing the purple skates from her 2018 Billboard photoshoot. Until then, I’m thankful for the memories I made. Although we were close enough to make direct eye-contact, she didn’t look over at me. I did, however, catch the attention of her friend (Lauren?) with the winged eyeliner and long braids.
Earlier that morning I pondered with myself whether I should have my phone out if Avril were to come close by (which she did). My answer ended up being no: put the phone away and live in the moment. It’s not much of a life if your phone is living it all for you. Something phenomenal is happening right before your eyes, and instead of seeing this event, you’re choosing to filter it all through your phone?! I don’t have regrets not taking a photo of Avril because I have the memories of seeing her myself. If I wanted to see photos of Avril by the crowd from that day, a whole bunch of other people did that task for me.
I’m pleased I took the opportunity to see this historical event as this is (very likely) the only Hollywood Star Avril is going to earn… I’m certain there will come a time when I return to Los Angeles, and I’d gladly see her star now that it’s set in place. While that time works its way into a future itinerary, I wish for Ms. Lavigne to continue having joy in her life and definitely continue being herself. Who would have guessed twenty years ago when she first started…
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| Avril Lavigne - Hollywood Walk of Fame |
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