My first trip to California, in 1973, included a visit to Hearst Castle. I remember the tour guide telling us about the young people whose summer jobs there culminated in an employee-only party at the mansion. These kids - more or less the same age as me - had the Castle to themselves for that one day. The highlight was an evening banquet and pool party reminiscent of the elegant soirees attended by the 1930’s Hollywood elite. The bus was a reminder of the “distance” between those privileged celebrities of the past and we tourists of the present.
