A very long day of travelling (26 hours long to be exact) brought us all the way from Stockholm to Los Angeles. We crashed out and I woke up with a jolt at 2 am, thinking it must be at least 10 am by now (funny enough - given the 8 hour time difference that's what time it would have been in the UK). I thankfully managed to fall asleep again though until a more reasonable hour.
Our day started with a stroll along Hollywood Boulevard, only 2 streets away from our LA hotel. We had a nosey at the walk of fame - but only some of it because the street is miles long with stars on both sides - and we very easily found the Chinese theatre with all the hand and foot prints. Gerard was delighted to find that his hands (the subject of many jokes since his ring size is off the charts) were the same size as Robin Williams', and smaller than Schwarzenegger's. Not so unusual after all. On subject of Robin Williams his star on Hollywood Boulevard stood out as many people had left a tribute.
Just next to the Chinese theatre was the Dolby theatre, where the Oscars are held every year. Inside the walls are lined with dates, and the name of the Best Picture winner from each year. We also got a great view of the Hollywood sign - such a familiar sight, it was strange to see it in person.
Afterwards a trip to the beach was on the cards - something that was easier said than done. LA is vast. Unbelievably huge. With barely any public transport. On a tip from the hotel staff we both signed up to the Uber app and actually managed to get free Uber taxi trips to Santa Monica pier and back as new members (kerching). On the way the journey was half an hour, but with the traffic on the way back it took twice as long. The taxi trip was an eye opener as on the map both areas don't look that far.
Santa Monica was a really cool area. I have never seen a beach as long, or as wide, and all so clean.
The pier housed a Bubba Gump shrimp restaurant with a Forrest Gump tribute outside. Gerard has managed to capture the moment I realised just how hot the bench had become in the mid-day sun!
We walked for an hour along the boulevard towards Venice beach and back and then stopped at a Mexican restaurant/bar called Cabo Cantina for lunch where we forgot about the massive portion sizes and ordered starters and mains. Needless to say we didn't eat for the rest of the day.
The next adventure/mission was just around the corner.It was time for us to pick up the hired car and for Gerard to get to grips with driving on the other side of the road. We had ordered a convertible (when else will we get the chance eh?) and were given a Ford Mustang. This means much more to Gerard than me so I'll let him update about it in the next blog.
To give Gerard some time to practice we headed up to the Griffiths observatory just in time for sunset for some panoramic views of the city. There was an added bonus of having a chance to view Saturn through a telescope when it got dark.
All in all a fun and busy day in LA but we can't help but feel even more excited about tomorrow's destination. Vegas baby!
Our day started with a stroll along Hollywood Boulevard, only 2 streets away from our LA hotel. We had a nosey at the walk of fame - but only some of it because the street is miles long with stars on both sides - and we very easily found the Chinese theatre with all the hand and foot prints. Gerard was delighted to find that his hands (the subject of many jokes since his ring size is off the charts) were the same size as Robin Williams', and smaller than Schwarzenegger's. Not so unusual after all. On subject of Robin Williams his star on Hollywood Boulevard stood out as many people had left a tribute.
Leading up to the viewpoint was a twisty red carpet with various anonymous short stories about how people made it in Holywood. This one in particular, apart from giving us a chuckle, highlighted how cut throat the place is.
Afterwards a trip to the beach was on the cards - something that was easier said than done. LA is vast. Unbelievably huge. With barely any public transport. On a tip from the hotel staff we both signed up to the Uber app and actually managed to get free Uber taxi trips to Santa Monica pier and back as new members (kerching). On the way the journey was half an hour, but with the traffic on the way back it took twice as long. The taxi trip was an eye opener as on the map both areas don't look that far.
Santa Monica was a really cool area. I have never seen a beach as long, or as wide, and all so clean.
The pier housed a Bubba Gump shrimp restaurant with a Forrest Gump tribute outside. Gerard has managed to capture the moment I realised just how hot the bench had become in the mid-day sun!
We walked for an hour along the boulevard towards Venice beach and back and then stopped at a Mexican restaurant/bar called Cabo Cantina for lunch where we forgot about the massive portion sizes and ordered starters and mains. Needless to say we didn't eat for the rest of the day.
The next adventure/mission was just around the corner.It was time for us to pick up the hired car and for Gerard to get to grips with driving on the other side of the road. We had ordered a convertible (when else will we get the chance eh?) and were given a Ford Mustang. This means much more to Gerard than me so I'll let him update about it in the next blog.
To give Gerard some time to practice we headed up to the Griffiths observatory just in time for sunset for some panoramic views of the city. There was an added bonus of having a chance to view Saturn through a telescope when it got dark.
All in all a fun and busy day in LA but we can't help but feel even more excited about tomorrow's destination. Vegas baby!
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