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Published: September 27th 2009
Muscle Beach
Simon wasn't allowed in because he didn't have the right gear - lycraWe arrived in LA late on August 16 and got snarled up in traffic on the five-lane freeway. Bizarre after seeing nothing but empty roads for so many miles. Instead of desert all around us there was concrete and skyscrapers. A total change.
We managed to find a motel in Santa Monica and Dad and Simon headed for a pint while I had a walk along the pier which was buzzing with people and rides and restaurants and all sorts of fun stuff. The next day Mum and Dad sampled their first corn dog (verdict: ’different’) before we took a walk along the seafront to Venice Beach.
Santa Monica seems like quite an upmarket area with lots of fancy restaurants (too rich for our backpacker budget) and beautiful people biking, blading or strolling along the front. As we got closer to Venice Beach it was like we were entering a different world. It seemed dirty and was populated by ageing hippies, artists and people who don’t seem to realise we are not living in the ‘70s anymore. We were given information on how to get a certificate to smoke weed legally and
saw a lot of vehicles that obviously doubled up as homes. It was interesting but not somewhere I’d want to stay for any length of time. But it is home to Muscle Beach which is probably the most entertaining free spectacle on the beachfront. This is where overly-muscly men come to pose and show off their hard oiled bodies. So, so funny. I’m not sure they realise how ridiculous a grown man looks in a tight lycra g-string. But the crowds that gather to watch certainly do.
From one spectacle to another - Hollywood was our next stop.
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