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I’ve dithered over writing and posting this blog, unsure of how to start it and exactly what to say, preferring not to insult those friends who live in or have a soft spot for Los Angeles. But honestly we found LA to be a bit, well …
Meh. The adjectives that immediately spring to mind are sprawling, dirty, and car-dependent. In
Los Angeles the car is king, and it sort of seems to eek the energy out of street life and mitigate public interaction. Overwhelmed by a cacophony of horns and sirens, the city is choked under thick exhaust fumes, and shrouded under grey clouds of smog. We spent way too much of our time here stuck in the infamous traffic jams, grimly staring out at the bleak surroundings, our view limited to lane after lane of dense seemingly static vehicles.
I admit, we didn’t have high hopes for our time in LA. I mean, we weren’t there to shop, and we didn’t care to visit the Hollywood studios or theme parks. Stripped of these key attractions, there wasn’t much on offer. Entering from the north, we cruised along the stretching beaches of
Malibu and descended upon
Santa Monica beach. We hired some bikes and rode from the Pier south along to
Venice Beach via the famed boulevard, replete with markets, souvenir shops and weird misfits.
At Venice beach we ducked out into the
Venice Canals which are a really unique slice of LA life. Built in 1904 they were an extensive network of interlinked canals, modelled on their Italian namesake, but only a few remain today and fetch millions in the real estate market. It’s easy to see why – they’re a quiet, chilled (and largely car-free) oasis in an otherwise chaotic city.
The
Santa Monica Museum of Art was a nice injection of culture and at the time
Ikon Gallery were showing “Untagged” works by artists such as Banksy, Jean Michel Basquiat, D*Face, Keith Haring, and Shepard Fairey. We rounded off our time cruising Rodeo, Beverly Hills, Mulholland drive and took a stroll along Hollywood boulevard, battling throngs of camera-toting tourists and costumed actors posing for tips.
After a night in LA we decided to make a break for San Diego, taking the coastal route south along beautiful beaches of Orange County decked out with gorgeous sunkissed people, fancy cars and opulent houses. From Newport south, we discovered some
of Southern California’s more redeeming features. We stopped for a while at
La Jolla enjoying the view, vibe and pretending that despite the backpacker digs we were actually part of the rich and famous set.
While you still need a car to get around in
San Diego, it had an altogether much more laid back feel, and the beaches of
Ocean Beach and
Pacific Beach seemed to epitomise the beachy carefree vibe that radiated throughout the city. The weather was warm, and the people friendly. Our awesome CS hosts Tim and Sean took us out and spoilt us with the most delicious and succulent pork ribs we’ve ever eaten. Chunky ribs smothered in lashings of thick bbq sauce, meat so tender that it fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. Heaven for carnivores.
The next day while the boys went off to participate in a fun run, we explored the San Diego downtown, historic gas lamp quarter and sauntered along the Embarcadero taking in the ships and harbour bay. We drove up to Cabrillo National Monument which offered a birdseye perspective of the city and magnificent views of the bay. We regrouped for some evening antics
and hit the bars of
Pacific Beach, rounding off the night with 2am pizza. Aussies traditionally scoff a kebab, Americans down some pizza – they both seem to perform the same function, rendering us able to face the next day.
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Janet
non-member comment
When penny & I were in LA 2 years ago at much this time of year we had a very untypical LA experience - we drove to a friend's full of character fairly ramshackle house - rented on a long term basis with the rents controlled - that was 2 blocks from the beach in Santa Monica; and didn't get in the car again until we left for the airport. Had a lovely time in the sunshine on the beach and walking the streets of Santa Monica. Glad to hear all is well - life's going well at Hume :) Cold and wet though - and there's still a lot of winter to go