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Published: December 23rd 2009
August 2009 My first ever holiday overseas and its to the big city of LA. It is definitely a party town, as long as you leave 2 hours earlier to get to where your going due to all the traffic but apart from that, its well worth a visit. The thing i enjoyed most about my visit was Santa Monica Beach, the Pier and the walk down to Venice Beach and seeing the Market Stalls along the path. I enjoyed the "casualness", casual for LA, of the beach life just walking the beach and enjoying a little bit of sun when it peaked through the smog and marine layer. Santa Monica Pier is a fun and exciting place with Rides and Entertainment such as buskers as you stroll along it.
Having not seen much in life, this trip included a whole lot of firsts for me. My last visit to a zoo was almost 20 years ago at the age of 4 or 5 and i don't remember much of it. Of course my trip to LA had to involve the zoo, so off we went to the zoo for a day to just wander around enjoying some animals. Not
something i could do often but for a new and refreshed experience, well worth it. Seeing Lions, tigers, Elephants, Giraffes, Gorillas and apes is always worth it.
A journey into Beverly Hills is a journey into the richer side of life. People with there fancy cars, clothes and attitudes, a side of life that i may never have or would ever enjoy. But of course, each to there own. Just driving around the streets, you see the "wealth" these people have with there Huge houses with 8 ft high fences, security gates, well manicured lawns.
My visit to LA also involved all the other touristy things such as Griffith Observatory where James Dean filmed part of his film "Rebel without a Cause", visiting the observatory also allows you to get a glimpse of the famous Hollywood Sign. La Brea Tar Pits are very much interesting in that you get to see fossils being cleaned and put back together from the pits they are dug from.
Peterson Car Museum has some amazing cars in its collection and is well worth the visit for any car enthusiast or for just a lazy walk around to see how cars have developed.
The museum is well set out with its displays and themes.
A walk down Hollywood Boulevard is a showcase of the crazier side of life. Walking with your head down into a crowd of people as you read the names of the Stars or the names written in cement is a little daunting as you hold onto your camera securely with the strap wrapped around your wrist. Going into a place like Hollywood, a country boy like myself feels a little insecure. The stories you hear in the news don't do much for the courage when you don't really no much better. Will i get mugged by this guy? Oh what about this guy? Oooo he looks suspicious... In all, my little insecurities were nothing to worry about and my journey into Hollywood was enjoyable.
A trip to Los Angeles wasn't to be without Disneyland, so a day was spent at the happiest place on earth. Getting my picture taken with Mickey Mouse and the fireworks and show at the end of the night were highlights of the Disney experience. The atmosphere at a place like Disneyland is quite amazing considering how many people, how many children, how hot
it was and how long the queues are, it's a very happy place when you take all that into consideration. Eating pizza in Mickey's Toon Town is something that i thought i would never do, as was walking through his house but of course i did it, ticking it off the list of things to do in life.
Los Angeles, a place for so many millions but not for me. Hours spent in traffic do not excite me all that much just to go 10 mile. A great place to visit to do all the tourist attractions that are available but not something i could do all that often. Give me the wide open country, mountainous locations any day. Having said that, my Los Angeles experience was very good in that i got to see a side of life that i don't very often get to see. Everyone has to experience at least once in life a different view of the world, so that they do not take for granted what they love the most.
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