Los Angeles Confidential
OK, I have a confession to make. At some point in our lives we have to admit to things we don’t want to and tell people about events in our lives that we may not want them to know about. I am Australian and I have been to the USA — no secret there, my husband and I did a four-day stop in Los Angeles on our way home from Europe once. So here’s the confession, are you sitting down? I liked Los Angeles! For those who know me, this will come as a huge shock as I am such a pro Europe, Africa and Australia person, however a good time is a good time no matter where in the world it occurs.
We stayed in Beverly Hills, which was nice but we couldn’t actually afford to eat there so we mastered the public transport pretty quickly. My tip is to stay in West Hollywood, I know it has a dodgy reputation, but it is close to alot of the great clubs and restaurants and if you exercise a little caution you should stay out of trouble. Not to mention it’s just fun!
Which brings me nicely to my next point … pre-conceived ideas. This can be applied to many places, just recall what comes to mind when you say the words “Middle East”. A fantastic place to visit, but the connotations of the phrase in 2007 are not always positive. So, back to where I started before getting distracted - preconceived ideas. We went to Los Angeles before September 11 so all I associated with the US was guns, gangs and crime. I was convinced we would be gunned down in a drive by shooting or have our throats cut in a mugging gone wrong.
How wrong was I? Every person we met was incredibly friendly and helpful. If we were lost they sent us in the right direction, if we wanted a suggestion on where to eat, we got 10 options and if we (or should I say I) wanted to know the best place for a bargain, they were brutally honest. Yes, there were the stereotypical looking perfect blonds and scary gangsters, but in general everyone turned out to want to go out of their way to help. Maybe it’s the Australian accent …
In terms of things to do, I dare anyone to be bored in Los Angeles. We resisted the urge to go to Disneyland, just not our thing, but had a brilliant day at Universal Studios (gotta love that Jurassic Park ride!). We did as much of the tourist stuff that we could squeeze into four days - had the photo with our favorite stars on Hollywood Boulevard, did the Stars Homes Tour, saw where the Oscars are held and took a million photos outside Manns Chinese Theater.
However, the highlight for me was a trip to Santa Monica. I’m a real beach kind of gal so Santa Monica is right up my street. Golden beaches mixed with a bit of human madness and you have my kind of town! Santa Monica has got to be the ultimate place for people watching in California. My favorite person was the electric guitar totting guy on rollerblades, I’ve even seen him on a Lonely Planet travel guide TV show. He must skate up and down the boulevard 365 days a year. The bodybuilders at muscle beach are a sight to be seen and you can’t help but wonder if these people actually have a job in another life. Hand painted murals dedicated to The Doors, henna tattoos, cheap sunglasses and dog massages, seriously Santa Monica is the ultimate chill out destination!
Heading back in the direction of an earlier point, we were strolling along a pedestrian mall passing by a club which was cordoned off with police tape. We stopped to check it out and realized it was a movie set, how exciting we might see a movie star! We stuck around to see if there was going to be any star spotting, unfortunately nothing but men dressed as police men “patrolling” the perimeter. Never mind, you can’t expect everything on your first visit can you?
After a great day spent in Santa Monica and a fight with a waiter in Planet Hollywood over a tip (hey, I’m an Aussie, we only tip for GOOD service, not just any service), we returned to our hotel and switched on the news. Imagine our surprise when the top story was a shooting at a Santa Monica club. Oh well, we had a brilliant day and we loved every moment of our Los Angeles visit. The trip opened our eyes to the possibilities of traveling to America and made us add just a few more destinations to our “must-see” list. Definitely will get to New York one day, Las Vegas has to be alot of fun, New Orleans seems like my kind of town and a road trip from San Francisco along the Pacific coast to San Diego is without a doubt at the top of the list for our next trip to America.
I guess if I have a point at all, it’s don’t ever let other peoples pre-conceived ideas of a place effect yours. If you have always wanted to hike to Machu Pichu - do it, if you have always wanted to see the Great Pyramids of Cairo - do it, if your life’s ambition is to bungee jump over Victoria Falls - do it.
What’s stopping you?
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