First post from LA, where after a very long flight and few movies, we managed to get an upgrade in the airport hotel and are staying in a suite with a nice living room, plenty of space and light, close to the plane runways but not much noise....feels nice to have two rooms, a bit like an appartment!! The first of January, first day of the year, first day of the trip, we sleep late then go and hire a car...no other option here as the city is gigantic...Fab decides to go for a beautiful black Ford Mustang, to live a bit of the Californian life but we are not daring enough to go for a red convertible!!!
So starting in style (not going to last for long, but this is LA!!) We then decide to start exploring the city landmarks in Hollywood.....cinema land, is it? We walk the Walk of Fame, see many star names in the pavement, put our hands in theirs in the Grauman's Chinese Theatre pavement, we stop to eat Mexican (the joy of eating burritos even in a noisy soccer bar!!). Well, it is very touristy, crowded with many attractions but somehow it feels more illusion than a real cinema industry. Weirdly enough, the area seems shabby, with run down buildings, many homeless people (a common feature in this city as we will discover soon). Far away from the Californian cliches....We then decide to drive to explore the Westside, passing through Beverly Hills down to the Pacific on the famous Sunset Boulevard at dusk. A long drive, bendy ride lined up with amazing mansions and palm tree lined gigantic streets for the far too wealthy. Impressive difference with Hollywood, we both feel puzzled by the wealth, the excess of it, the many contrasts and areas.Lots of rest seems needed, we both feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
The next day, we decide to go urban as the weather is grey, we find ourselves en route to Little Tokyo and Downtown LA. We see one one great piece of architecture, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, an amazing architecture with lots of curves, but the rest is disapointing, empty and souless, feels like any city in the US or even Europe despite of the scale, not LA. Thankfully our afternoon becomes nicer when we explore West Hollywood, more boHo, many nice shops, galleries, the Farmers Market and the Grove, a friendly arty atmosphere. We start to like it, both for different reasons, the city is growing on us and as Fab says it takes time to ease in here. One impression still prevails: shops and fast food....and gigantism. Seems a bit simplistic but this is how we feel, spending hours in the car doesn't help (but what an amazing noise it makes!!).Having freeways in the city feels weird, like a gigantic ring road, so hard to deal with the traffic.Every eve, we feel glad to go back to the hotel and rest, maybe our physical state reflects how we feel at this stage, excited but exhausted and finding it hard to relax and slow down....SLOW...not yet.
Saturday we go to the beaches and start seeing a different California, we really enjoy the vibrancy, the vibe of Santa Monica and Venice Beach, funny to see many disparate communities gathering in this place. The energy is intense, between the fortune tellers, the stoned, the tourists, the bourgeois bohemian lucky to live on amazing beach houses and the muscle men....what a weird combination, which works for us....it is loud, brash, seedy, fake, messy but somehow real, intense and fun!! Funny to walk on legendary or iconic beaches, but as the weather is hazy, it doesn't feel like this cliche of sunny California. Marvelous sunset though.We both start to relax and appreciate what the city has to offer. Amazing architecture, houses on the beaches, a cliche of a healthy edgy (compatible?) sunny lifestyle...We go back to our little nest.
Our Sunday, last day is our favourite day, the sun is shining, magnificent blue sky, we then drive to the long awaited Mulholland Drive cruise...and the Hollywood sign. A long bendy road offering plenty of opportunities to enjoy the canyons and many more amazing mansions! We spend the morning at the Getty Center, a nice arts museum in an AMAZING building, the architecture is mind blowing and to the size of that Californian demesure: a little tram to get there through the canyon, a white marble entrance, enormous but tranquil zen gardens, breathtaking views, a backdrop of spectacular post mordernist architecture, we both feel inspired and Fab takes many piccies with his new toy!A lunch in the sun, then we drive to the Pacific Ocean to spend our last afternoon on Malibu beach, walking, people and building watching, and yes Val did get the Starbucks door opened by Dennis Quaid! And yes we are being brainwashed buying tall take out lattes from Starbucks!One last drive then it is bye bye California, on our next stop....Polynesia, the Cook Islands...
Funny enough, we both feel a bit unsettled and sad to leave the city....This car crazed city, where distances are huge and massive suburbs sprawl everywhere and never feel the same. Lots of poverty, homeless or stoned people in the streets, tons of fast food shops everywhere, a far cry from the cliche of THE health conscious Californian skinny ladies (didn't see many of those ones...)We loved it as we found it a challenging city,very different in reality from the Hollywood caricature. We'll be back!!
See Album for more pics!
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