As my interest in the life of Marilyn Monroe has grown over the years, there came a point where I started to feel that I wanted to visit the places Marilyn herself had known. I had from the very beginning wanted to make the pilgrimage to her crypt – even as a child I knew it was something that I wanted to do. In my late teens marriage and parenthood saw to it that this dream would come low on the list of priorities, when finances had to be directed to the home and family. Then came that time that every parent dreams about, the children have grown into beautiful and independent young women (in my case – having three daughters!) and suddenly you find yourself with a little bit more time and money and you no longer have to choose your holiday with children’s club in mind or the proximity to the beach!  

Once in this wonderful position the only thing that ever really put me off making the plans to live my dream was one small but crucial element – the flight! When my parents emigrated and subsequently returned from Australia, the flights were gruelling but it had all been taken out of my hands, my parents were in control and I felt safe – also, I had little comprehension of what would turn out to be a 3 day expedition to get there! My every need was catered for and the excitement of the little gold kangaroo badge supplied by Qantas pretty much outweighed any fears! As an adult I had never taken a flight longer than 4hrs. 

As it neared our 25^th Wedding anniversary we started to consider our option for celebrating the occasion. I had never been happy with my wedding dress – long, long story – so we played with the idea of re-running the wedding party! Being the Bride I’d get to buy the wedding dress of my dreams! our guests had to arrive as either bridesmaids or page boys – or simply wedding guests – I liked the idea and it seemed fun but somehow, I don’t know… it wasn’t quite ‘doing it’ for me.  

At this point the idea of a ‘Marilyn’ holiday slowly began to take shape – getting away just the two of us, I knew for sure what John my husband would prefer – so in no time the wedding party idea was abandoned and LA started to look a real possibility and began to pick up momentum. However, there was still one little thing to over come – that flight! But we did it – we booked to go to LA – to stay at the Roosevelt Hotel with every luxury! Following our week in L.A. we were then on to Memphis for a week. However, the best laid plans and all that! Something cropped up and I jumped at an opportunity of cancelling the holiday – I just couldn’t get over the idea of an 11hr flight - but still what to do for our 25^th? We weren’t able to make two weeks away but John suggested we did one week and a shorter flight – 7hrs to New York.  

So my first Marilyn holiday was ‘Marilyn in Manhattan’! We wanted to do a walking tour of New York at our own pace, with no strict timetable – I started to research and ask my Marilyn friends in the community if they had any ideas. Melinda Mason who is the owner and web mistress of www.marilynmonroe.ca told me about a map she had on her website which was a very concise guide Marilyn’s places in New York. You can print the map out by going to Melinda’s site here MAP 

So armed with Melinda’s map we set off on 7^th April 2006 – details of our Marilyn holiday can be seen here ~ a postcard from New York

Having experienced such a wonderful holiday in New York I was now ready to take on that daunting 11hrs to L.A. because I just knew it would be absolutely worth it!

'Hollywood and Vine'!

Cherie: Hollywood and Vine!
Vera: What happens when you get there?
Cherie: What happens? Honey, you get discovered, you're tested... with options and everything! And you get treated with a little respect, too.
Marilyn Monroe, Eileen Heckart - Bus Stop 1956

I knew this was going to be the holiday of a lifetime before we even collected our plane tickets! Having been a member of the Marilyn community for some years now, I took the decision to make my first trip to L.A. a group event! At the time we booked, I was a junior staff member at Immortal Marilyn, historically IM's President Mary Sims had organised an L.A. get together in the past to coincide with the Marilyn Remembered fan club's annual Memorial at Westwood on the anniversary of Marilyn's death. 2007 was the 45th anniversary of Marilyn's passing and in order to celebrate her life, a week of activities were planned for Marilyn fan's from all over the world who wanted to meet up in L.A. and share their love of Marilyn with other fans.

The trip was probably the most emotional journey I have ever taken and I invite you to share my memories! ~ Hollywood Dreams