Los Angeles

where we see the Hollywood sign but don’t see any celebrities….

Still reeling from the beauty of Yosemite, we headed for LA.

From the park we went via Fresno onto Highway 99 before joining up again with Interstate 5 going south. We weren’t long back on the interstate when we began the steep climb up through the Tejon Pass which links the Central Valley to Southern California. This was a serious climb and a test for the car after the overheating incident on Old Priest Grade only a couple of days before. Not wanting to push the car again so soon we stayed one lane over from the passing lane but with over-eager trucks pushing us hard in that lane we found ourselves moving to the next slow lane further over again where we had the pleasure of being surrounded on all sides by the huge trucks, not something you experience very often driving around lil old Ireland.

The road got busier and busier the closer we got to LA and the sanity of the surrounding drivers was called into question by us a few times as we went along. A distinct difference in driving styles was becoming obvious as we moved through the states. We also saw our first oil rigs of the trip along this stretch of the road, with the pumpjack or nodding donkeys working relentlessly to pump oil out of the ground. It contrasted harshly with the night we’d just spent in Yosemite.

In another sharp contrast, drought warning messages flashed up on the illuminated signs over the interstate while it was raining heavily down on the car as Los Angeles came into sight. (Side note: We understood that they’d need an immense amount of rain to make up for the amount they’d missed out on in the year so far and yet we felt a touch of irony about rain falling on us in a drought hit state).

Not far off the highway, we found our Airbnb destination for the night. We were staying with hosts called Andre and Sierra in a place not all that far from Venice Beach. A little frazzled from the long day we pulled up outside the house in a quiet neighbourhood. With no driveway, no underground garage and no free street parking to be seen parking seemed like it was going to be tricky. With one of us waiting in the awkwardly parked car, the other went in search of the front door. After a few failed rings on the doorbell and a phone call, Andre came out to see what we could do about parking and help with our bags.

Because we’re travelling by car an essential part of any accommodation we pick is parking, preferably free and hopefully safe. The advertised free parking for this Airbnb turned out to be on the street and only then if you could find a free space somewhere in the four block neighborhood. It seems like an easy enough task on the face of it but after half an hour of driving up and down the same four streets it became pretty clear that even marginal kerb space was not going to be found too easily and yet, we needed somewhere to park the car for the night. Finally and with a touch of luck, a car far down the other end of the street came to life and freed up a space. Without the slightest hesitation and fearing it would be nabbed by someone else, our car was landed into the space.

Finally inside, there was a little chat with the hosts before retreating off to the bedroom. It was pretty nice and included a private bathroom, albeit across the hall. From what we could pick up from the decor of the room it seemed at least one of our hosts was a Buddhist – the meditation or prayer circle that we had landed in on in the living room when arriving also helped us come to this conclusion. The host had also described themselves as graphic designers and in our room sat the biggest PC tower we had ever seen, humming away and with many led lights blinking. It was nice to think we’d be interacting with so many different people on our trip. As for us, we both had showers as soon as we could, washing that campfire smell off of us, and went for an early bed. It had been a long day.

Before we’d gone asleep we’d decided that one night in LA wasn’t going to be enough, especially as we’d arrived so late on our first night. We looked at our options on Airbnb and booked another night in LA, choosing a different place not because we had any problems with were we where (we were almost over the parking problem at that stage) but we wanted to mix it up a bit just as we had done in Portland.

The next morning we packed up the few things we’d brought with us and said goodbye to our host and went straight to our new Airbnb to pick up keys and say hello. Driving across town was our first real experience of LA city life, discounting the drive in on the highway the day before. It was a busy, busy place.

Our new hosts (Paulo and Kevin) were as nice as the last and had a friendly little dog (Yuki – a bichon frise and yorkie cross). The driveway parking was especially welcome after the messing around the night before. We dropped our bags, got keys and went for coffee and food at Whole Foods (a healthier grocery store than some we’d been frequenting of late) to plan the day. There we got free wi-fi, good food, a nice seat in the shade and set about listing all the places that we wanted to see.

From what we’d read in many guidebooks and witnessed on the drive across town, getting around LA seemed to be pretty much all about driving, so after making the list and downloading an offline Google map of LA on our phones we hopped back in the car and went off to see the sights.

First up (mainly because we were pretty close to it) was a drive up North Rodeo Drive where the sights most associated with LA can be found, the rows of expensive shops were followed by expensive looking houses (and surprisingly the occasional average looking house) – Palm trees and tourists were everywhere in between. No need to mention that we wouldn’t be hitting the shops here.

In the residential part of the drive we did something that most visiting tourists probably wouldn’t. There was a rattle under the car that was starting to become a distraction, especially as we drove along with windows down. To try and figure out the source of the noise the car was parked on a high curb outside a very expensive but very empty looking house. After a quick but unsuccessful look underneath we moved on before private security got a call about us.

We did a u-turn, drove back along past the shops and houses and decided we better check out South Rodeo Drive in case we were missing something there. It turned out we were not. Disappointedly it was filled with the most ordinary of houses that could be seen in any American suburb. Not for the first time we were struck by how much strange it was that neighbourhoods side by side could be so different. Still, now we knew and we’d crossed one sight off our list. Driving down it was enough for us, we didn’t see much more to be gained by parking up. It was a world we were happy enough just having a passing glance at with no need for further inspection.

From there we drove straight onto Hollywood boulevard and parked up, with parking a lot easier than we expected we found a spot right on the boulevard and filled the meter up with coins. Passing by the many, many actors (term loosely applied) in superhero and cartoon character outfits we walked along the Walk of Fame. The initial buzz from spotting a loved actors name on the pavement dulled the more stars we saw. It seemed like just about any actor you think of (plus some you would probably never think of) had stars here. Then there were the directors, singers, tv presenters, producers…. It’s a showbiz town and the pavement recognises all parts of the industry it seems.

We bought some postcards for sending to friends and family and spent a little time in some of the shops that line the boulevard. The Sid Grauman Chinese Theatre on the boulevard is also worth a look and judging by the crowds of photo-snapping tourists at it we weren’t the only ones to think so. Here, the hands and foot prints of many of Hollywoods leading stars from the 1930s up to present day are cemented right into the pathway.

We got back in the car again and headed for the Hollywood sign which was again not that far from where we were – there was some method to our list. To see the sign properly involves parking well down the hill and hiking for around half an hour. The alternative is to drive halfway up the hill, realise that there was a better view from almost the bottom, turn around and go back to the original view to take photos. We opted for the latter and stayed with the car rather than go hiking in the hot midday LA sun. Even from the position we opted for the sign draws a big crowd with “no parking” signs and barriers on most of the roads leading up to the hills, guards posted at the top of some roads and tourist cars abandoned at all sorts of points, all in search of the perfect photo.

After a little time spent there appreciating the view we went on to Runyon Canyon park. Apparently this where all the celebrities go running, though if you don’t see any celebrities the view from the top can be pretty good too. The sun was just about past it’s peak when we got there but a generous dousing of sunscreen was still called for with little if any cloud cover in the early afternoon sky. We hiked up the canyon, and though it was busy enough we enjoyed the break from the far busier city below. As it turned out we didn’t see any celebrities but the incredible views of the city from the top more than made up for it, as promised.

From here we drove down to Venice beach. Our whistle stop tour of LA was nearing an end and we were pretty happy with the small bit we’d seen so far so everything from here was a bonus. We had no real interest in taking in the big studios, with a feeling that we’d be disappointed with a big commercial tour of empty lots.

Traffic was starting to build in the city as the working day wound down and it took a whole hour to drive to Venice beach and then another half an hour to find decent and cheap parking. We parked up, put more coins in yet another meter and walked to the beach. The sun wasn’t quite shining but it was still warm even with the sea breeze. There were a handful of surfers out try to catch a decent wave but there was very little surf. We took in the views for a while but it seemed like most people had deemed it too chilly to be out and the main crowds were away from the beach. Starting to get hungry we retreated off to find food and ended up grabbing food in a random Mexican place.

Already missing Yosemite, tired from our day driving around LA and beginning to look forward to our next night of camping we decided to call a halt to LA and head back to the Airbnb to do some much needed laundry and plan next few days. We’d already decided that a very early start was needed in the morning to get to Joshua Tree in time to get a walk up spot and avoid a repeat of the panic we had in Yosemite.

It was cool to see all the sights in LA, images we were so familiar with from pictures, and while appreciating that we got the chance to see the bits of it we did, we were definitely happy to be moving on. It was more real than expected but still a show town.

After a decent night sleep, we were up at 7 am the next morning with the three hour drive ahead of us. On the road again, this time to Joshua Tree.

our next destination: Joshua Tree ⇒