Los Angeles, CA 2018 - Day 2

I am about to tell you the story of the greatest night of Ali’s life. But first, I need to get through the day’s events.

This morning the three of us walked downstairs and ate breakfast at The 101 Coffee Shop in our hotel. This is the diner where Jerry Seinfeld and Judd Apatow filmed an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and we made sure to sit in the same booth they sat in. Breakfast was delicious and the coffee woke Ali and me right up, but Jackson was so tired he didn’t utter a word until after he’d finished his corned beef and hash and downed a glass of orange juice.

We arrived at Warner Bros. Studio at 9:30 for our studio tour, bought more coffee, and hopped in an oversized golf cart with our tour guide, Stephanie. There were 12 of us on the tour, and at first I was concerned that the experience might not be that great. Stephanie would ask, “Is anyone a fan of the The Waltons?” Nobody answered. “Well, this building was in an episode of The Waltons.” (Long pause) “Is anyone a fan of Pretty Little Liars?” One girl raised her hand. “Okay, this is that building in that scene where they had a party.” 

The backlot was bustling and there was a lot of filming happening, so I spent most of my time trying to catch a glimpse of celebrities because I was certain the backlot would be swarming with them. I only saw two. The first celebrity sighting surprised me. It was former president Barak Obama. He’s a carpenter now in the set design studio. Did you know that? He was cutting away on a table saw so I didn’t bother him, nor did I take a photo. You’ll just have to believe me. Oh, also Drew Barrymore was working at a café on the lot. She’s gained about 70 pounds and changed her hair color, but she looks good.

Stephanie led us to a Harry Potter exhibit where we perused the costumes and movie props. Everyone was quietly focusing on the exhibit, but I was getting bored. I noticed two small round metal plates on the floor, so I called for Jackson to come over and said, “Do you see those discs? I read that if you put your left foot on one and your right foot on the other and yell out, ‘Expecto Patronum!’ at the top of your lungs, something really cool happens.” I was hoping so hard that he would believe me and yell right in the middle of this peaceful exhibit, but he knew I was lying. Still, I laughed about it for 20 minutes.

See the discs on the floor?

On our tour we learned a lot about production and set design. Stephanie took us to the Warner Bros. prop department, a massive warehouse filled with 450,000 inventoried props. Spanning four floors, each one bigger than a football field, the prop department was stuffed floor to ceiling with everything you could imagine. Jackson discovered an area of props used to re-create the Oval Office and got behind the Resolute Desk (which was used in The West Wing) and pretended to be the president, standing behind the desk and pounding on it with authority as our tour group watched him and laughed.

President Niemeyer

The stairs where Rachel rejected Ross (again)

The famous water tower

Learning about forced perspective

Ali won an Oscar
Jackson didn't

You all know where this is

After a couple hours, Stephanie led us to studio 48 which is an interactive studio that teaches visitors all about the making of movies and television. But most importantly, it houses the actual set of Central Perk, the coffee shop from Friends. We wandered for another hour, and then left the studio and drove across the street to Smoke House for lunch. The Smoke House was built in 1946 and is well-loved by Hollywood. It’s so famous that George Clooney named his production company after it. Ali and Jackson wanted to eat there because it was featured in La La Land and an episode of The Office. We sat in a red leather booth at a white linen-covered table surrounded by dark wood paneling and enjoyed a fabulous lunch. 

The view from our booth

The next stop on Ali’s list was the Griffith Observatory. We walked the grounds for a bit and climbed to the rooftop for 360-degree views of Los Angeles. I was mesmerized by the Foucault Pendulum which, despite 4 explanations from 2 different tour guides, I still don’t understand. Basically, it’s a device that proves something about the earth rotating on an axis. I don't know. I lost the kids for awhile after they got tired of staring at the pendulum. Eventually we met back up and left the observatory. I drove back to Hollywood so the kids could see the Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theater.

Looking at the Hollywood Sign

I never know what they're doing

No, it's not the Death Star super laser (I asked)
Interestingly enough, it's a telescope

As we drove down Hollywood Boulevard, Ali and Jackson refused to let me park. When I asked why, Ali said, “Um, because of the 40 obese Spidermen running around. And the dirt. And the unicorn that’s dealing meth.” To be fair, there was a creepy man in a dirty unicorn costume on the sidewalk making everyone uncomfortable. So instead of stopping, I acted as their tour guide, pointing out the Dolby Theater, where the Oscars are filmed, El Capitan Theater, and the store where I bought a pair of shoes one time. They weren’t as interested in that part as I thought they’d be.

Our Hotel

And now here comes the good part.

Recently, Conan O’Brien flew to Haiti and filmed an episode of Conan Without Borders. Tonight, he hosted a private screening of the episode for 200 people and my kids—my lucky kids—won 3 tickets. The contest for tickets went like this: You take an online quiz about Haiti and about past episodes of Conan Without Borders. If you score 100%, you are given a special code which you e-mail to the show and then wait to see if you are selected. 

We drove back to the studio where we had already checked in earlier in the day and received our bracelets, stamps, and cards showing our place in line. Studio employees had us line up and then herded us like cattle into the studio backlot. We walked 8 blocks to Conan’s stage (the backlot takes up a whopping 110 acres) and then we were funneled into the studio where everyone was given swag: water, snacks, and special “Conan in Haiti” hats and t-shirts which Jackson quickly put on. We were seated in the third row with a perfect view of the stage.

Tonight’s event wasn’t filmed because it was simply a screening of the episode that will air on Saturday. Instead, the studio recorded the audience’s reaction which will play when the episode airs. After the warm-up comedian and band worked the audience, Conan came out wearing jeans and his trademark bomber jacket, took his place on the little star on the floor directly in front of us, and pointed right at Ali and Jackson, acknowledging them. He then proceeded to charm every single one of us for the next 2 hours.

Conan spoke for a while about his purpose in traveling to Haiti and then we all watched the screening together. After every clip, he got up and introduced the next one or told stories about his experience. When the episode was over, he held a Q&A session. He had an intelligent and funny but sincere answer to every question he was asked. Finally, with time left for just one more question and a hundred hands raised high, he chose Ali.

A sound guy put a microphone in front of Ali and she said, “First of all, I think what you are doing in Haiti is inspiring and we are all so lucky to be here, so thank you for this," and the audience cheered.

Conan said, “Aw, thank you so much that’s very nice.”

Then Ali asked her question: “Earlier in the episode you mentioned that there are a lot of ways America can and should improve and that we could learn a lot from Haiti. What are some values you saw in the Haitian people that Americans can benefit from?”

Conan spent 3 minutes answering Ali’s questions without ever breaking eye contact with her. It was like they were having a conversation over dinner or something. He mentioned the joy he finds in so many people outside the US that doesn’t come from money and "stuff" and position and power. At one point he said, “You know, I drive through Brentwood and I see a woman in a Land Cruiser wearing a huge diamond ring and she’s just filled with rage because she’s late to yoga, and I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s my wife.’” But he went on to make the point that we have so much and seem so unhappy and that people in Haiti and other countries have a happiness that comes from something else and we need more of that in America.

And then the show was over. Conan said goodnight to the audience and thanked us for being a part of this special episode. Suddenly, Ali, my quiet introvert, hopped up, asked me to hold her things and walked straight to the stage where Conan was taking a picture with a fan. When he finished, he came over to Ali and she handed him an envelope. 

She said, “I wrote you a letter.” They talked for a few seconds and Conan took the letter from her and thanked her, giving her a giant hug. He looked her straight in the eye, and said, “I WILL read this,” and then put it in his back pocket. Next, they launched into the most normal conversation in the world. Ali told him we came down from Olympia to see him and he told her how his wife was from Seattle and that’s where they got married, and that he’d just been there for Christmas. Then he shook her hand and said, “It is so nice to meet you Ali.”

Conan and a fan

Jackson and I watched the whole thing from our seats. I didn’t get my phone out to take a picture of the two of them, and while I’m kicking myself now, I’m so happy to have watched their interaction without being distracted by my stupid phone. I finally did get out my phone and took a couple pictures before Conan went backstage.

Notes from the show in his left pocket
Note from Ali in his right

Back at the hotel, Ali put on her Conan t-shirt and hat and locked herself in the bathroom to call her friend. Jackson, once again, spent 3 hours doing homework and I looked at the 300 pictures I took during the day trying to burn the memories into my brain.

I hope you tune into TBS on Saturday, January 27, at 10:00 PM. You might hear us laughing in the background. I’m positive you’ll be glad you watched.

-Rachel