LA!!

---

By Rachael


LA has far surpassed my expectations. Before I came I was expecting all the stereotypes you hear about LA to be true - that it is a car-obsessed, polluted city populated by wannabe actors, models and singers, size 0 women with botoxed faces - in other words superficial people hungry for fame. I imagined glamorous Hollywood, and white beaches. To some extent I found all of those things here, but I also found a lot more. First of all LA is a very vast diverse city. During our time here we managed to experience a taste of a few of those different areas and its different peoples.

We started off couchsurfing in West Hollywood. We could not have asked for a better host - an actor/ singer-songwriter, and his roommate also an actor and two of the nicest most generous people we have met on this trip who kindly let us stay on their couch for days and made us feel very welcome. Their apartment was at the top of the building with direct access to the rooftop from the kitchen window. When we first stepped out onto the roof and realised we could see the Hollywood sign we screamed with excitement, lol.

I must admit I was expecting Hollywood to be much more glamorous than it is in reality. The walk of fame was a bit of a let down in fact. It was cool to see famous people's names on the street but the vast majority we had never heard of(I think Britney Spears was the most exciting one we saw). Hollywood Boulevard is a bit of a dump to be frank, full of tacky tourist shops and bad Elvis and Marilyn impersonators. We wandered around thinking, is this it? Is this LA? Our opinions improved when we stumbled upon a British pub, actually owned by a British guy, on Sunset Boulevard. We excitedly ordered Strongbow and sat in the outside patio with our unladylike pints - perfection!


Our second night in Hollywood - we had mentioned to our host that we really wanted to see the last Harry Potter film before the next and final one comes out soon. We were amazed when he revealed that he had them all on his computer and insisted we watch it. However half way through one of his friend's came in, and it was decided that he would shoot a scene in the corner of the lounge. So halfway through watching Harry P we had to turn it off as equipment, crew and 2 actors came in. This was 11pm, and the 2 minute scene would take 4 hours to shoot. I had never watched the process of shooting a scene before and it was fascinating (at the same time as being very tedious), especially seeing how much effort goes into every detail. By the end we knew the scene off by heart and performed it the next day to ourselves lol. I have certainly developed a new respect for actors, they have to have so much patience.


Our third day in Hollywood was the 4th of July and our host was throwing a rooftop party for the whole building. I had only discoverd a few days ago that Independence Day is referring to independence from the British. For some reason that information had long eluded me. Jo decided the best course of action was to hide our British identity at the party and fake an American accent. Needless to say she was fooling no one!! We felt lucky to be spending our first 4th July with local residents instead of with other travellers. That is the beauty of couchsurfing. The night of the party was one of our favourites of the trip. There was a barbecue, live singers, a generally chilled out happy atmosphere. We eventually ended up in a bar in West Hollywood, it was a bit of a dump but so fun. Apparently Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn had been spotted on a date during their time together on that very street, I found it hard to believe! We ended our night by popping on a bit of Harry Potter once we got back to the apartment. at 3am. I think some of the guests at the party thought that is all we ever do...


During our stay in Hollywood we also explored Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive. I think Jo had visions of us bumping into celebrities as we walked down Rodeo Drive, sadly this was not the case. She got so excited I had to ban her from saying 'celebrity'. We had a look down the street which was essentially full of huge glamorous designer shops. Jo suggested we go inside one of them but the burly security guards and elegant shop assistants put us both off, in our hungover dishevelled state from the night before we were fooling no one. We got bored quite quickly and so went to look at some of the mansions of Beverly Hills. They were amazing, huge gated houses with expensive cars in the drive. It struck me however how unnecessary all that wealth is and how living in such a huge mansion can serve to cut you off from the community around you. Anyway, we got the bus back to Hollywood as rich people whizzed past in their expensive cars. Jo was most upset that no celebrities had been spotted. Later on that evening back in West Hollywood we decided to go back to a Thai restaurant down the road which we had been to on our first night. The little Thai lady who runs it was thrilled to see us again which was quite amusing. She gave the impression we came there everyday which was slightly embarassing in front of the other diners...Anyway on our way back, down a slightly dodgy road, I actually spotted a famous person!! After being so nonchalant about it all day, Jo wouldn't believe me when I pointed the actor out. It was Shane West! I realise you probably won't have heard of him, but he is in ER and some other stuff...we were pretty thrilled anyway!


One day we decided to visit the Warner Brothers studio, it had to be done. The tour was really worthwhile, we got to see the sets they use. I couldn't believe how much they use the same sets for different films and television programs, or even for the same ones, they just dress the buildings and spaces up differently. The most exciting part of the tour was visiting the Central Perk Friends set, and getting to sit on the actual Friends sofa!! I think Jo nearly cried with happiness!


Our next stop on our tour of LA was Venice Beach. Again I was pretty excited about seeing the area, known for its eclectic residents and obviously its beach. The walkway along the beach is where all the locals hang out - cycling, skateboarding and roller blading around, everyone is on the go. Little stalls line the walkway inviting you to come and have an 'evaluation for medical marijuana'. This is where those with perfect bodies hang out. Girls walking around in just bikinis abound, as do topless guys showing off their six packs. The beaches here are those featured in Baywatch for a reason. Also Venice beach is the home of Muscle Beach, essentially an outside gym where buff (and wannabe buff) guys hang out showing off as they do weights and exercise. Venice Beach, like LA in general, is also home to many dog owners. All kinds big and small are constantly present here. Particularly note worthy was the dog owner riding his motorbike in leathers, with his dog in the sidecar beside him dressed up in a matching hat, goggles and biker gear. Whilst in Venice we were staying in a hostel for a change, and ended up having a couple of rather epic drunken nights. One involved waking up in a 12 bed mixed dorm half an hour before check out having not showered or packed and someone else's vomit in a very near vicinity. It would be a crime not to mention a certain Englishman who will remain annonymous... he definitely made sure the reputation of English people as drunkards remains intact and set about drinking at least a whole bottle of vodka to himself, getting naked and licking people's feet - legend.

During our time in LA we also stayed with a friend we had met in Costa Rica who lives in yet another area of LA, Echo Park. On Saturday afternoon we went on a road trip to the Getty to a free concert (the same idea most of LA had, turning the trip into one big traffic jam). It was worth it though - the Getty Center was an amazing venue and we got to see an LA band, Best Coast, performing. It was something else we would never have done if we hadn't been with an LA resident. Later on that evening our friend took us to a bar in downtown LA. Before we went I was flagging a bit after the antics of the night before, so in typical English fashion purchased a cup of tea from a late night cafe, and walked around the streets of LA with it...I think I looked pretty cool. Several times during our time in LA our friend had to put up with us texting her and asking if we could crash at hers again, she drove us everywhere, showed us cool places, gave us her double bed, let us raid her fridge. and most importantly watch all her Flight of the Conchords DVDs (ahhh Jermaine and Bret) - such a legend!!! :-)

Another thing which made me fall in love with LA is the interest and committment which many residents have for veganism. The city really cares about animals, or at least dogs (in one cafe in Venice I read a free local magazine article about a group that rescues beagles after they have been tested on for cosmetic companies, I can't believe this still goes on!!). In other states, such as Texas, veganism or even vegetarianism is a concept I am pretty sure they have never even heard of but here in LA it seems to be widely accepted. I loved this! For me this was fantastic news given that I am a veggie (or pescetarian, I do cheat) and keen to try out a vegan diet. We did meet one LA actress who took this a bit far for my liking, when we asked her what she ate she replied with a long list of things she doesn't eat (no processed sugar for one) and then told us how she gets her protein from hemp, algae and mung beans. Yummy... But we didn't let this put us off and decided to go to a vegan restaurant we spotted in Venice. I am happy to report that Jo accompanied me with an open mind, and she loved her vegan lunch!! Another night our friend took us to a vegan ice cream place and it was so good! Jo in particular loved their ginger ice cream. I think I am slowly converting her...watch this space...

For the last couple of days we chilled out in Santa Monica which is just further along the coast east from Venice - saving our energy for Vegas!!! Santa Monica is a pretty area with a beautiful beach, a pier with rides, and lots of great shops and restaurants definitely worth a visit.

To sum up

Celebrities - famous people spotted: Shane West

Celebrities - famous people who were definitely in LA during our visit but not spotted:
Kate Middleton and Prince William, Jennifer Aniston - to name but a few.


Our next stop was Vegas!!

---