Its been a while since I’ve done an L.A. Gravecation Revisited post. So I figure while I had some free time today, I should put my budding writing skills to work, and get cracking. While I was in Los Angeles, last Spring, I had the honorable privilege of visiting the Forest Lawn – Glendale location of majestic cemeteries.  Being that it was Memorial Day, the cemetery has a lot going on in the form of commemorating the holiday with Memorial Day related activities. Some of the things I encountered included a presidential reenactor portraying Abraham Lincoln complete with top hat and authentic beard, reciting (I think) The Gettysburg Address. While I was strolling about, I ran into fellow grave hunter & Hollywood-Underground member Debra Mobley. Apparently she recognized me by the floppy hat I was wearing, and the designer horn rimmed eye-wear I had on which I bought before the trip.

As the Memorial Day activities were winding down, and the few hundred attendees were disbursing, to stroll around the cemetery. Being a grave hunter to the extreme me and my motley crew of grave hunting friends had “other” plans. Meanwhile I get a phone call from my good friend Jayne Osborne, who asked me which part of the cemetery I was in. Because her and my other friend Mark Masek, were looking for me. So they eventually catch up to where Debra and I were hanging out. As we were just lounging around, another friend of mine and fellow grave hunter who I planned to meet up with at Forest Lawn, David Eastburn shows up.

Photo of the Baum family monument in Forest Lawn Glendale cemetery. This is where L. Frank Baum resides.

So the five of us are just standing there making our game plan, on what to do. While we were strolling around, David points out the graveside of L. Frank Baum who was the author of The Wizard of Oz novel. So I snap a few photos of the monument. After we make our game plan, its decided that we all will check out the historically renown Great Mausoleum. Being that the security is beyond water tight in this particular majestic mausoleum building, its decided that we would split up into two groups. Mark, & Jayne would go off in one direction, while myself, Debra, and David would go off into another.

One thing I’d like to point out is that as much as I really wanted to go berserk and start snapping photos. I was asked by a friend of mine who will remain anonymous that it wasn’t a good idea to take any photos. I did see the sarcophagus crypt of Michael Jackson, & Elizabeth Taylor. So that pretty much wraps up the time I spent at Forest Lawn – Glendale. If your interested in seeing the who’s who listing of A-List celebrities buried this spacious cemetery, feel free to visit the Forest Lawn – Glendale Wikipedia page or the Find A Grave page

Being that I wanted to see more of what Forest Lawn – Glendale had to offer, I had other things to do that day. Namely I was invited to go on the sightseeing tour my friend Scott Michaels was giving later that day. So I bid farewell to David, Debra, Jayne, & Mark, and off I went down to Hollywood. After going through the somewhat frustrating process of finding a parking spot. I strolled along Hollywood Boulevard admiring the “stars” on the Walk Of Fame. After arriving at Larry Edmunds Bookshop which is the official pick-up/drop-off point for Scott Michaels Dearly Departed Tours company. I strolled around the bookshop, admiring the vast amount of books, and film memorabilia.

After I met up with Scott, and his passengers off we went to tour the notorious scenes of celebrity death, scandal, and other mayhem, around Hollywood. While the tour was a top-notch experience, that I’ll never forget, I can’t remember everything I saw. But I do HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking the tour if and when you get a chance to visit Hollywood. Oh and in case you’re wondering you can visit the official website for Dearly Departed Tours by visiting DearlyDepartedTours.com.