Cloudy one moment, sunny the next.

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Or was it just smoggy one moment, not so smoggy the next? Today started out pretty dodgy with a complimentary 'Continental' breakfast (bagels or croissants with butter or cream cheese and fruit juice..... and that's it!)

The plan for today was to slip down to Muscle Beach - check out the wild life, duck over to the La Brea Tar Pits - try not to 'stick' around for too long, and then cruise over to Beverly Hills for some pretend shopping. Well, after the hearty breakfast, we caught the bus to Venice beach and walked to Muscle beach. The idea of having a quick dip (hopefully getting rescued by one of the 'bay watch' lifeguards - does Pammy still work here?) drifted from our minds (actually just my mind, not Chelle's) as the morning smog didn't lift and a cool wind blew up the beach. The 'wild life' was a bit... well, 'wild' - several wolf statues to decorate the garden anyone? The beaches were fairly deserted but there was still a fair serve of ecclectic 'stall owners' flogging just about anything for a buck.

We finally managed to find our way out of the forrest and caught a bus back to familiar territory (after some nervous hiking down a few back streets). The next stop was the LACMCA (museum of contemporary art) and the Tar Pits. It was pretty amazing (american spelling) how the tar manages to pool together and 'bubble' to the surface. There was even a puddle of tar forming in the sculpture garden at the museum. The number of bones that have been recovered from the excavations was also pretty crazy (check out the wolf head skulls - less than a quarter of skulls recovered to date!)

After lunch, the weather cleared up and the day started to pan out a little more like Chelle had planned - next stop Beverly Hills. We took a guided tour on a dodgy replica 'tram' car - it sounded like it was about the breakdown! Chelle was in her element cruising around the famous shops and the residential area where stars like Gene Kelly and Jackie Collins lived, and past the Beverly Hills hotel (fully booked so we didn't manage to get a room when we were planning the trip). We then did some window shopping and Chelle finally bought some shirts that she has been looking for ever since she realised black wasn't the best colour for mid-summer in South West USA! Not at Rodeo Drive mind you; at this stage we were back in Hollywoood.

The day ended with another burger and some trip planning for tomorrow - catching the subway to China Town, Little Tokyo and Downtown Los Angeles. Hopefully in the afternoon we might catch a glimpse of some celebrities at the opening of Harry Potter at the Gruamans Chinese Theatre, Hollywood (round the corner from our hotel - cool hey!)
Anyway, enough gloating, I guess we will drop another line tomorrow, cheers!

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Comments

[Jack]

Great blogs !!!
Terrific stuff guys ! I looked at it for the first time this morning and am very impressed. Keep up the good work and travel safely.

[Mum]

Hi , They weren't human skulls were they? The pictures are coming out great.The second Hollywood sign was better. I could have told you that all you get for a Continental breakfast was a donut and coffee. I don't know what continent they are meaning. USA I guess. Its Monday morning here and a lovely clear and crisp day on the mountain. We picked up Amber and Eden yesterday evening . You will be a new uncle and aunt before you get back. Maybe you can stop in before you leave Brisbane. Thats not for months . Did you hear about the Aussie who won millions at Los Vegas? I heard it was $10,000 just to get in. Talk to you later Love Mum

[Kylie]

Hockey
We drew both games on weekend but we still missed you heaps. I am enjoying reading you Journal so keep it up.

[Heidi]

Great Pics
Hi Michelle and Izzy You are a much better photographer than me ... your pics are amazing! We also got stung with the 'free continential brekkies'. We made a habit of asking when we checked in so we knew what to expect the next morning because some places actually did have great hot brekkies. Another tip ... nick as much fruit as you can from the fruit basket and bread from the bread basket... great for saving money on morning and afternoon teas (smashed banana on bread was my personal favourite ...lol..) Anyhoo, you probably aren't to the broke end of the trip yet, so may not have to resort to this tactic ... and you are lugging a couple of always starving teenagers either .... lol... but keep it in mind. On the work front .... pupil free day went well ... having no pupils is always a good thing ...lol... But haven't found out who is doing your job yet, thought I would save that little surprise for tomorrow (Tues). Well better keep going, can't wait for the next entry. Stay safe Love Heidi