Whirlwind of the West Coast

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We'd arrived at LAX and did a West Coast tradition- head to the 60s inspired American diner, paper hats n all- In N Out Burger. Visiting locals with a car, it was an extremely handy way of seeing all the tourist checklist I had for a ten day trip to Los Angeles (and Las Vegas, as my checklist got slightly greedy). After a jet lagged night sleep, we headed on the road from Burbank to Las Vegas. After hours of driving through the barren desert (and more backseat jetlag sleeping) we had arrived. Intense...exasperating...overwhelming...Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas.The cliche of a kid in a candy shop had never been so apt. Looking up at all the ostentatious buildings through the car window was the best way to take it all in first and exhale as soon as we left the extravagant surroundings.
Ticking off the list I got to lose (yes lose, no major wins at the slot machines for this story) a dollar at every major hotel and casino (Caesars Palace, Bellagios, Wynn, Planet Hollywood, Mirage- you get the picture) and drive to the dichotomy of Las Vegas Blvd- old Vegas- Fremont Street. It felt eerie as though a pause button had been pressed during the peak time at the night life's most popular hour. The Golden Nugget and Four Queens stood in its hedonistic prowess but the obvious decay around this old Vegas gave the area a retro feel, which is probably why tourists and locals still visit today.
To a tourist travelling from the UK, Vegas is all about the nights out, staying on the strip gambling, the pool parties. Although we went out to the most popular hotspot, Hakassan, the highlight of the anticipated night out was leaving the club. Again, coming with people very familiar to the town, we drove to a bar afterwards. Think Fremont Street again- no renovations since 1950, stuck in a time warp, tacky plastic plants draped on the ceiling (the ceiling so low, my 5'8 frame had to bend down until I was seated on the red leather couch); a local hidden establishment. When I say 'bar', I actually meant a place to get a late night snack. Forget waiting in line with a load of drunks queing for a kebab at 3am, we had a waitress come over and take our order of chilli cheese fries. Night complete. After a weekend away in Las Vegas, we returned to LA to complete my travel check list. All I can say is I don't know how we would have gotten around without a car. Although we took a open top bus tour to Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Walk of Fame (to name a few) and didn't necessarily need a car for this, it is very unlike buying a 72 hour metro ticket to get around a European city. Around the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre, there are lots of different tours, mainly hop on and hop off, which are ideal for the avid photograph opportunist. Again, using the transport of a car, it is easy to get around on the highway. We travelled to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Venice Beach, downtown LA (ticking off the Staples Center!) and Santa Monica by car. The pier of Santa Monica was that of a seaside town in England- arcade on the pier, gift shops, ice cream parlours but across the road was a chic shopping district and plenty of outside eateries. Disneyland and Universal Studios were typically as magic as ever- I'm bias as I used to go to the 'Happiest Place on Earth' every summer- and at 22, I still get giddy when I arrive in the car park. Universal was a little more unique as having it's a location in Hollywood, there were many stories that the staff shared with us such a Leonardo DiCaprio was filming Inception and on taking a break, went on one of the rides in disguise, as well as TV shows actually on location while we were on the backlot tour. I got to see everything I wanted within the Hollywood area in the ten day duration but I will definitely be going back as I flipped the page on my check list and didn't quite make it to San Francisco, San Diego, Malibu...

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Photos

Clockwise from left:
Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas sign; Beverly Hills; Hollywood Blvd street sign; the entrance to Santa Monica Pier; California Adventure; Hollywood Walk of Fame