Stuck in LA

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I was sitting outside of the subway on our last day in LA, thinking our adventure had already begun and we hadn't even got to Fiji yet.... 1 day of LA turned into 3 days and then 4 days. I've seen more than I wanted of Los Angeles, including the very heart of "the ghetto." But seriously, surviving LA was fun meeting many interesting people along the way.

Coming into LA was a breeze and easy to find my "travel partner," Brie. We stayed near the hotel and visited Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica Beach the first day. Thinking we were pretty damn good at riding the bus, we hit it up the next day and ended up in an area we wanted to get out of ASAP! Talking over our options, we finally got into a cab.."Just get us to the NICE part of LA, PLEASE!" The driver definitely took advantage of the faact that we had no idea where we were... let's just say the cab fare was not cheap!

After touring Hollywood Blvd, we made our way to Beverly Hills... well, kind of. We rode the bus again clinging onto our bags to Beverly Hills. Or so we thought. As the cashier in Ralphs said, "Oh! Still a 10 minute ride down the road."
That being said - we ran out to miss the bus by just seconds. This is where "fate" comes into play.. As Brie and I stand outside with our hands out in a truly lost expression, a woman comes up to us. "I couldn't help but overhear you girls... come on- I'm giving you a ride!" We didn't even have time to respond. This wasn't a moment of you don't talk to strangers... it was more like "Thank God!! An angel!" So, an "angel" came to save us and her name was Kelly... the most giving, kind, bright woman I've ever met. Oprah, if you will, dropped us off at a farmers market, The Grove, and took us on an unbelievable tour of LA. From Bel Air to Beverly Hills, UCLA to Westwood and Marina del Rey. We also had one last Mexican dinner together where we met Kelly's husband, Vince. We couldn't have asked for a better tour!

The next day, Brie received her passport and we received new tickets from the STA travel agent, so "Off to Fiji, right?" WRONG! Our flight is cancelled... "What?" "Ma'am, are you okay??" "Sure!! Just unbelievable." Well, they put us up in the Hacienda Hotel with plenty of food vouchers and Hey- what's another day in LA?! So, to make a long story a bit longer, we are finally getting on our plane aafter having it delayed again! 2 more hours to take off and counting...

Just to let you all know, my AOL is down -- I'll let you know when it's back in service...

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Photos

Beatles Star
The hollywood strip with all the stars and of course my pick:the Beatles!