Claudine, who lives across the courtyard here in Hollywood, was born in France.  In Toulouse.  But she has been an American citizen for many years.  She chose to make this her country, and makes her living as a tour guide for French groups visiting America for the first time.  After showing these wide-eyed folks Los Angeles and its subset, Hollywood - the French adore Hollywood, as if this is America, but maybe it is - Claudine is often off to Las Vegas for those in search of the real America.  She shows them around.  (Heck, I don't think the real America is in Las Vegas either - but maybe it is.)  Sometimes it's a group of fifty-two who will listen, in French, to whatever explanation Claudine can come up with for Las Vegas.  But recently she showed them Route 66.   Who knows what they made of this.

Route 66:

A stuffed Elvis and friend relaxing on the bumper of a classic Edsel –