Los Angeles – Time of my life!
Los Angeles, also known as “The City of Angels”, is a city definitely worth visiting. I recommend getting a car to drive, because the best places to visit are a little further from the city center.
There are so many things to see in Los Angeles that it’s hard to know where to start. Leaving the airport, I was in awe of the scenery around me. Everything was so spacious and big compared to the UK. The temperature was perfect for me outside. Warm enough not to wear a sweater or coat, with a lovely breeze. On the way to the place where I was staying, I had to take Highway 101, which reminded me of the scene in The Matrix Reloaded where the two trucks collide, and made me smile. I was in Hollywood! As I arrived at the place where I was staying, I wondered which movie stars I might ‘bump into’ and take my picture. I could barely contain myself, so I dumped my stuff in my room and took my rental car straight to Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
I arrived, parked my car in one of the designated parking lots, and started walking down Hollywood Boulevard. I walked past Michael Jackson’s star on the Walk of Fame, as well as the Olsen Twins, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Audrey Hepburn, David Hasselhoff, The Monkees, one of my favorite bands, Chuck norris. Care. Walker, Texas Ranger and Queen to name a few of my favourites. There were a lot of tourist shops on this promenade, which I was a little disappointed in because even though it was a main tourist attraction, it should have been much more elegant and glamorous. Not to say, my walk down Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills was nothing short of glamorous! I walked through the shopping area and walked into some of the big names like Gucci, Chanel, Dior and Prada etc. My favorite though was going to the Ferrari car showroom and sitting in my dream car, the 360 Spyder. I felt so rich. I also went through a few of the houses and they were all individual and beautiful. I was wondering what stars lived there, because I didn’t take one of the tours, I decided to walk it. Be prepared to do a lot of walking as the paths are long but definitely worth it for all you can see. After that long walk I came back and decided to sleep because the jet lag caught up with me.
Over the next few days I visited several malls (there were so many I forgot!) and did so much shopping that I needed an extra suitcase on the way back. I also went to all the major tourist attractions, Walt Disney California, Universal Studios, which left and moved to Florida due to lack of space to expand. I loved going here, I felt like a big kid exploring Disney and Universal studios. I ran into Doc from Back to the Future, or rather almost got run over by the Delorean from the movie because he was being a tourist and looking everywhere. It was a great day, and they showed me the sights of Los Angeles on top of a hill. You can see the WB water tower and the studios where they do all the filming for the upcoming movies. In the distance he could clearly see the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and just beyond was Las Vegas. It was such a beautiful sight that I was on my feet for a good half hour soaking it all up. Beautifull. Absolutely beautiful. I watched the semi-sunset over the city and I didn’t want to leave. I returned home and looked at the photos.
I decided it was time to hit the beach, so I headed out to the Santa Monica Bay. Something about this place was very similar, and after talking to some locals, I found out that Baywatch was actually filmed here! I was very excited at the time, I was standing where the most watched show on earth was filmed! I went into the mall and bought more clothes, then sat on the beach and ate something. I watched the surfers in the bay and families enjoying the beach while I waited for the sun to go down. It was beautiful. I didn’t want to go home. I sat for a while listening to the waves crashing on the shore, I can do that for hours. So I decided it was time to go home.
I really enjoyed my time in Los Angeles and without a car I would not have been able to see as much as I did.
