10 March 2011

Los Angeles

The famous Hollywood sign
We reluctantly said goodbye to the Cook Islands, and moved from summer to winter in a day as we entered the US of A.

When we arrived at the airport, we were like two little lost sheep, but somehow managed to find a bus to take us to Beverly Boulevard where we were staying.

Los Angeles has been far from our favourite stop (it is just not Rarotonga) and we were underwhelmed by the lack of glitz and glamour Hollywood is said to possess. Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame is full of tacky tourists shops and countless weird and wonderful street entertainers eager to woo you into a photo shot with them.

The Terminator!
Hollywood's saving grace is the beautiful Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the famous hand and footprints of various A-list celebrities. The square featured many icons from the 1920s till the present day. We almost phoned my gran to find out all about the stars (she is an expert in this field) but I decided she might not have appreciated a call at 5am!

Home of the rich and famous
With only a few days to enjoy on the West Coast, we chose to skip the many surrounding theme parks (although we were tempted) and explore this concrete jungle. Without a car, it is nearly impossible to get around the city, so we jumped on a tour bus and saw many of the sights including Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and Sunset Boulevard.

We stopped at The Grove for a hot chocolate (I hadn't quite adjusted to the cold weather) and a wander... then James found Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap. The flip-flops and t-shirts were ditched to make way for jumpers and jeans ahead of our stay in the sub-zero temperatures of Toronto and Boston.

The Grove: a shopper's paradise
We spent the rest of our time exploring the Downtown area. The sky-scrapers and palm-tree lined roads felt like the real L.A. and we enjoyed spending time in Pershing Square where we sampled some delicious strawberries and sugar-coated almonds at the market.

Luckily, we stumbled upon a great little area called Alameda. The charming streets pulled in the crowds with Mexican food stalls galore and numerous craft shops. The nearby Chinatown was also a great little spot for meandering in the afternoon sun.

Downtown
Our hostel was situated in Korea Town so we tried eating like the locals at a barbecue restaurant on our first night. This didn't go very well! As soon as we sat down, we were brought an abundance of dishes (many of which we didn't recognise) then pointed towards the hot plate in the middle of the table. We battled with the chop sticks and worried over the wok but we somehow managed to cook some of it and, although I am sure it did not taste as it was supposed to, we enjoyed it all the same.

Chinatown
The following day, we decided to try something a little easier. Alan and I always used to request a Taco Bell stop on our family holidays to America, so I decided it was time James was introduced to this American institution! I think it's safe to say he's joined the fan club!

Pam

3 comments:

  1. Does not sound as though LA can compete with Cook Islands or NZ! Our only experience of LA is the airport, so cannot really comment!

    at least spring here shows signs of springing - though winter may easily come back with a vengeance!

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  2. Don't think I'll ever go to LA - doesn't sound worth the effort or expense. Enjoy the next leg!

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  3. LA sounds very superficial. I guess somewhere you maybe have to visit once, but not twice?


    Rob.

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