Dani set her alarm last night in an effort to get us moving a little earlier. We snoozed in for quite a while before eventually getting up at about 9 AM. We put some clothes on and headed down to Starbucks with the journal and some postcards to write, whilst we had breakfast. I had an orange juice and a chocolatine, whilst Dani had a blueberry scone and vanilla latte. After breakfast, we headed up to get dressed and showered, ready for a day out. I spoke to Mum for a bit on Skype whilst we were getting ready; she was just having tea. We picked up the car from the car park and headed out towards Beverly Hills.
The plan was to drive up Rodeo Drive, home to all the expensive shops. Once there, we decided we would park up and have a walk around for a bit. We tried an underground car park; there were no spaces, but then we happened upon a multi-storey car park that was free for the first two hours - bonus! It was opposite the Warner Brothers media gallery. It was on the road running parallel to Rodeo Drive. We spent about an hour and a half wandering up and down. The weather was lovely and warm and there were lots of expensive looking cars buzzing around with open tops, blacked out windows, etc. We saw a Bugatti Veyron (a very expensive car) parked outside a shop on Rodeo Drive. It was getting a lot of attention and lots of people were taking photos, including me. On the way back to the car, we stopped at ‘The Ice Cream Lab’. The ice creams were five dollars for small tubs, but they made the ice cream fresh, on the spot, using dry ice, I think, to freeze it. I had Mulholland Mint, with chocolate chips, and Dani had Blue Velvet, which had little tiny cupcakes with cream frosting mushed into it. We sat outside to eat and watched the world go by. After, we headed back to the car to drive to our final destination for the day - Santa Monica.
We joined the Santa Monica Boulevard almost immediately, as it was just around the corner and then ignored the SatNav, as it kept trying to get to turn us around, despite Santa Monica Boulevard being a straight road into Santa Monica - funnily enough. Tried a car park that turned out to be full, so parked in a space on the road, before realising that said car park suddenly had spaces again. We managed to get a space right near the entrance as someone was just leaving. It was three hours maximum parking, but the first 90 minutes were free! Amazing!
We wandered down towards the beach, which wasn’t far, as the car park was only on 4th Street. We found a spot near the lifeguard station and ate leftover pizza from yesterday, by way of lunch. We spent a while looking out to sea at the yachts and swimmers. There were also a couple of planes that kept looping around, advertising Bud Light. Dani went for a paddle and some pelicans flew over head in a flying V. We then started walking along the front, to the pier, which turned out to be a little disappointing, with lots of tacky theme-park-type attractions. We followed the pier back into town, looking for postcards, but in the end didn’t bother.
There were a number of street performers along the front, including a guy with lots of parrots who was giving them to people to hold; one girl was cradling a parrot like a baby! We walked back along 3rd Street Promenade - the pedestrianised shopping area. There were a number of street performers and also a number of monuments to recognise contributors to the Santa Monica Education Program (they were cast in bronze; one was a pile of books, another was a desk - they looked very good). We had a quick look in a gadget shop before heading back to the car. The parking cost $1 as we had only been 2 1/2 hours. Bargain!
The drive back was pretty straightforward and we were back in the hotel by 7 PM. The car park was very full as there was a wedding in the hotel and a concert nearby. We parked at the back of a double space where we would be blocked in. The valet attendant said there would be someone to help us in the morning.
We dropped our stuff and went to Little Tokyo for tea. There was karaoke in the main square which was quite funny, and some popular songs were getting murdered by a range of keen amateurs. A lot of the restaurants were quite busy, and we eventually settled for one in the back corner, where we took a number (32) and waited to be seated. I was a little anxious, so Dani did the ordering. I had chicken teriyaki with vegetable tempura and Dani had the beef version, but with a mix of vegetable and shrimp tempura. We had soup to start and green tea ice-cream to finish. We did a grand job using chopsticks and I only dropped the tempura into the dipping sauce by accident a couple of times. It cost about $37 and was very nice, apart from the ice-cream, which we both left the majority of.
We headed back to the room and Dani did some packing, whilst I watched TV. A little later we tried to visit the Japanese roof garden again, but it was closed due to the wedding. Instead, we went to the little minimart around the corner again, where I got an ice-cream and Dani had an almond Snickers bar. We had a beer, watched telly and went to bed.
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![]() | Posted by Ben Taylor at 23:08 |
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We got up much later than we had planned today, so put on some clothes and headed straight down for breakfast at Starbucks again. I had a chocolatine and Dani had a bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. We both had tea, although they got it wrong and gave us Earl Grey. Nevermind! Made full use of the table in Starbucks to catch up on the journal and write a number of postcards while we had breakfast. After breakfast, we had showers, dressed and had a chat to Dani’s parents on Skype, although the connection wasn’t great and we kept missing words and the video kept breaking up. We didn’t end up leaving the hotel until gone one o’clock!
We headed out to the valet service at the front of the hotel to get the car. Yesterday, when parking, we were stopped by an attendant who told us the car park was full, so they were valet-parking the cars, because that way, they could block cars in. So if we wanted to park, they would have to park for us and take the keys. We were a little tentative handing them over and by morning, I was feeling quite concerned about the whole thing. Nevertheless, one of the valet attendants brought the car up to the front of the hotel without any problems.
So, eventually we were off. We decided to head over to the Griffith Park Observatory and, later, to drive through Chinatown. The journey there was as eventful as ever, with the Sat Nav defeating us with its confusing list of commands to turn left or right, but either too early or too late. We ended up getting stuck in a one-way system, which took us a long way out of our way and completely confused the SatNav, which couldn’t decide which road we were on. Eventually, we got there, despite said SatNav and the poor/non-existent signage for the most part. The main car park was full for the observatory, so we ended up parking along the road at the bottom of the hill. We had a bit of a panic about whether we were allowed to park where we had, as there was a traffic cone near by, and we eventually decided to move and park in another space across the road. By the time we were done faffing about, another car came along and parked in the space we had just moved from. Oh well, these things happen! Our new space was more convenient - facing the right way and in the shade.
Set off for the observatory - we assumed it was upwards, but, as usual, there were no signs! Went up quite a steep path (!) - it was like being at Yosemite again! But, it was quite short and when we got to the top, the views were amazing. Walked on a bit further, to the top of the trail and a viewpoint, where there were well-positioned benches to see LA, the mountains and the Hollywood sign. We sat on one bench for a while and then moved on to the next, looking at the different views. It was very peaceful. I spotted a lizard and then Ben took lots of photos of it - it stayed in one small area, catching flies. We did try to get Bruggers in a picture with the lizard, but it clearly found Bruggers very intimidating, as it kept running off! Bruggers just wanted to be friends :-(
Having spent a good while at the viewpoint, we moved on towards the observatory. The views were stunning - we spent the the afternoon and early evening just looking and wandering around. There was an obelisk, to Galileo, I think, which we sat on for a while, before Ben spotted about three hummingbirds darting around. He took lots of photos - they came very close, sucking the nectar from the flowers next it us. There were so pretty - a shimmering green with bright pink under their beaks. Had a little panic with the camera, as all the photos seem to disappear - but it turned out that they’d simply gone into a new folder. Panic over!
We decided to get something to eat and drink from the cafe, which had a private seating area overlooking the view. We had some crisps, coke, and a Cobb salad to share. The salad included chicken, bacon bits, tomatoes, beans, blue cheese and, of course, salad leaves and a vinaigrette dressing. We ate, drank, and enjoyed the view. Afterwards, we had a look in the shop. It was a little disappointing; there wasn’t very much that was specific to the park. We did, however, buy a few postcards and a badge (sew-on). We then continued to have a look around the observatory. There was some interesting information inside and again nice views from the top. It got late surprisingly quickly and when we next looked, it had gone 6:30 PM. We had noticed that the telescope would open at 7 PM, so we decided to hang around and have a look. After a short queue, we looked through the telescope at Venus, which appeared as a bright white circle. We also looked through a telescope on the front lawn, at the sun, through a special filter. Dani couldn’t see anything, but I saw the bright orange bottom edge. The sun was setting by this time, so we stuck around to take a few photos of the sunset and then some night photos of LA. It was still hazy and, although it looks beautiful with a pinky-purple sky, it looked quite gloomy in the photos. But, well worth seeing all the same!
We then decided to head back and immediately set off in the wrong direction! Went all the way down the hill to realise it was the wrong way. It was fairly dark and with minimal street-lighting so it was very easy to go astray. Found our way back thankfully, after a panicky moment. Used the car bleeper to locate the car - very useful - and headed back. It was very easy journey back - the best yet! Parked in the hotel car park again and went up to the room. Dithered about tea and ended up ordering a takeaway pizza from a local place (about $30). Ate about 11:30 PM - late, but it would have been too late to go to a restaurant. Turned in a little earlier than last night.
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![]() | Posted by Ben Taylor at 22:30 |
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Woke up quite late today - the hotel room has Japanese-style shutters and curtains so is quite dark. Comfy and cosy though! Threw some clothes on and went down to the Starbucks beneath the hotel. Bought hot teas (I still find it weird to have to ask for ‘hot’ tea) and had a breakfast sandwich each - sausage, egg and cheese in an English style muffin. Just under $10. Sat at our leisure for a while, before going back up and showering.
Dithered about what to do today - we had planned to have a look around the local area today, but as we had a bit of a look last night, we thought we’d investigate Hollywood instead. Went down to use the Internet to look at the availability of tickets for the Warner Brothers tour. Managed to get two tickets for 4:30 PM today ($110, including admin costs, for two tickets). We sorted ourselves out with passports as ID, and then went to the car. It was costing $30 per day to use the hotel car park, so we thought we might also check out the parking competition later.
Drove towards Hollywood. For a short journey, it took a long time, and included a fraught journey on the I-101 towards Hollywood! Used the SatNav to find some parking - a little expensive at $10 flat rate (particularly because there was no ‘in and out’), but we didn’t know an alternative. But, it was super-handy for the Walk of Fame, so it’s all relative…
Wandered along the boulevard, checking out the stars on the Hall of Fame. Walk past Emma Thompson and Colin Firth, and had a picture taken with Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe! Had a look at the Chinese Theatre, which is very attractive, with lots of decorations and celebrity handprints in the cement at the front - including a Harry Potter ensemble! Walked as far as the stars went and then headed back, in search of the elusive Hollywood sign. We had already had a bit of a wander up Highland Avenue, as allegedy you can see the sign where Highland meets Hollywood Boulevard - but we couldn’t see it. However, on this corner there is a shopping centre-type place, so we thought you might be able to see it from there. I asked the security guard and, yes, it could be seen from here - three floors up - so we did find it! Looks just as you might expect - it was quite hazy in the heat - but I guess it feels like proper LA now we’ve seen the Hollywood sign! We took quite a few photos and admired it for a while.
Time was marching on a bit so we decided we ought to head off to catch our Warner Brothers tour. It was just as well we left in plenty of time - traffic was a little slow, but that was nothing compared to the complete lack of signs or anything helpful when we were approaching the place! We could see the logo and the film posters - but no entrance. Our SatNav seemed unable to locate either road required by the directions on the ticket confirmation! Very frustrating! Ended up asking a local, who set us on the right track. We made it with minutes to spare!
We passed through security, where we chatted with very friendly security staff and then we joined a short queue to actually pick up our tickets. With minutes before our tour began, the only two people serving seem to be dealing with issues and consequently we were standing there for a while. Luckily, this didn’t seem to be a big problem (the timing) and we got onto the tour and into the auditorium for the pre-tour film, in the nick of time.
The film was an introduction to the history of the company; neither of us realised there were four brothers originally, starting the company so that was a fun fact. They also shared loads of clips from films and shows that have been made, to tickle the taste buds, as it were! We then went off in smaller groups to do the golf-buggy-tour bit. Our tour guide was called Noah, and you had to love his enthusiasm! He was very good at his job. He drove us (a group of nine) around various sets and streets that are permanent fixtures - and also many ‘everyday’ parts of the site that are always left neutral to be dressed as required. There were several highlights: we went into a museum of artefacts from different shows/films and they had an array of Harry Potter stuff, including the Marauders Map, one of Arogog’s descendants, Hermione’s frozen body from ‘The Chamber of Secrets’, and a little Dobby. Also, they had costumes and props from ‘Hart of Dixie’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’, the new ‘Batman’, ‘Chuck’ and ‘The Hangover’ films to name but a few. We also went to see some cars being stored; the Ford Anglia from Harry Potter, several Batmobiles, and Clint Eastwood’s car from Gran Torino. At another point, we went to see the Central Perk set from ‘Friends’ - the original - and we sat on the sofa for a photo. The two final highlights of the day were seeing Leonard from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and the filming of ‘Hart of Dixie’! So exciting! At least, we’re fairly certain it was Leonard, and, as for the filming, Noah told is it was filming for ‘The Mentalist’, but all the props were from the set of ‘Hart of Dixie’, and we are fans, so we know!
I’ve just thought - we also went into a soundstage, set up for filming ‘Marley and Mike’ - a new sitcom and Noah explained how it all worked. A five-day schedule for sitcoms - reading, rehearsing, and then filming, with the networks being involved to veto the scripts. So, all in all, a fun afternoon session! We bought our souvenir photo, taken in front of a green screen; it seemed quite a bargain at only $5.40. We also bought a ‘Big Bang Theory’ T-shirt each, as a souvenir. He he! So cool!
It was getting on when we came out so we located a restaurant through the SatNav - ‘Bob’s Big Boys’. In true American style, we had vast portions - Ben had a Big Boy Special - a little like a big Mac - and I had what turned out to be a burger covered in chilli. Tasty, but there was a lot of it! I took some of mine home in a doggy bag!
We headed off, back to the hotel. Traffic was heavy on I-101, so it took longer than expected. Got back to Little Tokyo and started to look for alternative parking, but found nothing. One car park closed in 30 minutes and didn’t do overnight parking - given that it was already 11:30 PM, it was odd that they thought we wanted to park for only 30 minutes! At 11:30 PM?! Gave up and parked in the hotel car park instead.
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![]() | Posted by Danica Scott at 22:44 |
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Got up just in time for breakfast today and determinedly stood in the queue to make waffles. It was much quicker today and we managed to make a waffle each. Ben covered his in cream and chocolate sprinkles and I had a bit of cream with Cherry compote, and a small pot of syrup for dipping - quite successful! We didn’t burn the waffles and they didn’t stick! Result!
Spent quite a while packing up our stuff before loading it into the spacious car boot and heading off. We stopped off just down the road in Mariposa, as we wanted to take a couple of pictures - it looks quite Western in style, with lots of wood and overhanging balconies. Pretty cool!
The journey itself was fairly straightforward. It took about an hour to get out of Mariposa country and leave behind the winding mountain roads and then we hit the freeway. Long, long, straight roads with just fields for miles.
We stopped for some lunch at an out-of-town shopping centre in Tulare. We went to Denny’s and had quite a big lunch… Ben had a Philly sandwich - a steak and cheese melt with onions - and I had a hickory chicken sandwich, both served with a heap of fries. We both felt like we weren’t eating enough for our server, as she kept asking if we wanted anything else! Felt quite full, so went for a wander among the shops. Went in a few to check out the prices and compare them to prices back home. Went into Toys “R” Us and bought some Lego! A Lone Ranger set - pretty awesome given we haven’t even got the film yet back home. It was about $41.
Headed back to the car and went on our way. The journey was pretty straightforward, just long, and we had to stop twice for petrol. Decided to stop off again within an hour of LA, and stopped at Starbucks. Had a little chat with a trucker from Minnesota about cookies and went on. The stretch into LA itself was fairly horrific - a five lane interstate, with very heavy traffic. The Americans also seemed unable to give way, so moving lanes is interesting! It took about an hour to go about 10 miles! Ben was very relieved to get off it, as it made him quite nervous.
Found the hotel after a few wrong turns and got parked in the hotel car park, in the early evening. Checked in before recovering our stuff from the car. Because the hotel is in Little Tokyo, it has quite an oriental feel - possibly the poshest hotel room so far. Had a rest and then went for a wander around - ended up in Little Tokyo; looking around, we thought about getting something to eat, but everywhere seem to close just as we got there! In the end, we got some snacks from a mini-Mart and headed back to the hotel.
We investigated the Internet/Wi-Fi, but it was $10 per day, except in the lobby where it’s free. So instead we used the ‘business room’ downstairs for the use of the hotel guests, to plan for tomorrow. We also spent a little bit of time on the tablet in the lobby area. Went upstairs after and discovered our free Internet connection was still active! Get in!
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![]() | Posted by Danica Scott at 21:28 |
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