The City of Angels, California, was different from what
I expected, but not too much so. The pollution is still bad (although much improved
in recent years) there is plenty to see and do, but everything is 20 miles from
everything else. The city is incomprehensibly huge - I spent at least half my time
on a bus, unfortunately there were no dramatic "Speed 3" events to liven it up. The
best thing I did was visiting Universal Studios Hollywood - do not miss it!
Los Angeles was the end of my summer trip, as I waited at the gate for my flight
to Boston out of LAX (having slept the night on the floor) the terrorist attack
struck New York and Washington. I had planned to visit NYC that Friday, after
Boston, neither of which were on the cards any longer. I waited in a hotel for two
days until transferring my flight to Cincinnati, and waited there a day or so until I
could buy a new flight to London. I consider myself lucky that I wasn't in the wrong
place at the wrong time, and frustrating as my situation was, I realise I was far better off than
so many others.
One of the many beach huts on the Pacific Ocean.
There were also some of those yellow jeeps that go around, but unfortunately no
red swimsuited beautys. This was taken on my walk to Malibu before I decided to get
the bus, as one inch on the map was actually 15 miles.
The Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA. I spent a
while buzzing up and down the lifts trying to get some decent pictures out the windows.
This shot was taken whilst Steven Millar and me tried
to walk to the Hollywood sign, which like everything in LA was much further away than
we thought. You can see downtown through the smog in the distance. This is quite
representative of Los Angeles. We never did make it to the sign...
Downtown LA was much cleaner than I thought it
would be, this picture looks almost like a painting. The tall building on the left
is the Library Tower, tallest building in the west and featured in "Independance Day".
When I eventually got to Malibu I was disappointed
to find that it was the most boring place I had visited all summer. My reward was
this shot of the sunset through the smog which unfolded before me. After I took this
I ran into Pizza Hut to escape the swarms of mosquitos that were eating my ears.
Mann's Chinese Theatre is where the big Hollywood
premieres are held, and where all the hand prints and signatures are in the pavement.
Most of them were quite old, some I didn't recognise but I did spot Shir Shean in there.
Here I am at the start of the Walk of Fame on
Hollywood Boulevard. There's about 300 stars, and I read them all as I walked along
the street staring at my feet and bumping into locals.
Universal Studios at Universal City, Hollywood. I
highly recommend everything in here, especially the Terminator 2 ride! Well worth
the overdraft. This is Steven Millar, an Irish guy I met at a bus stop. We hung out
for the weekend.
Another shot of the Walk of Fame from Capitol Records
(which is closed on Sundays - doh).
The Encounter restaurant at LAX is one of the city's most recognisable
buildings, built around the time that UFO-related paraphernalia was very popular.
However, I have yet to partake in a probing.
As I sat in the hotel waiting for the airport to
reopen all I did was eat, sleep and watch the news. This is what I could see out
my window, the flags flying respectfully at half mast.
