Los Angeles: Broken Dreams and Happiness

One of the most iconic Los Angeles Images

A long drive and a really dodgy motel, or hotel as the owners prefer to call it, was not the impression of Los Angeles we were hoping for. The room was without doubt the oldest and most neglected we have stayed in. We had to park Phoenix, our camper, in an alley way opposite a dumpster with ‘fuck life’ sprayed badly on all sides and the smell of disinfectant was everywhere in the room from the yellowing floor tiles through to the sandpaper-esque towels and bed linen. It took a little getting used to, but the homemade vegetable vindaloo seemed to get rid off, or at least mask, the strange odours of this motel room in disguise.

Our first day was spent strolling through the down town area of L.A., which was a little disappointing in all honesty, and the shopping was all oriented to wholesalers and the area was full of tacky discount stores. It was not what we were in the mood for. We looked into being part of a studio audience and after reserving tickets online, two days prior for those of you wondering, we headed out to Sony Pictures and after a hour and a half bus ride and a further 30 minutes waiting around in the carpark we were told the studio was full and we had to go home. They did offer tokens that would see us certain entrance to an audience of our choosing, which was great because now we can see a show we do not really give a shit about the next time we come down the road from Australia. The whole experience was really disappointing and was the pinnacle of a number of let downs we have had to endure and we were both pretty pissed. 

Legends from the Rock Wall on Sunset Boulevard

The night’s adventures did not end there, however, we decided to pick up some supplies [corn chips for nachos, pineapple juice, vodka] and write our own hilarious sit-com. Downtown L.A. is not the trendiest part of town by any stretch of the imagination and while picking up the supplies from a convenience store with bulletproof glass around the register James was told he was going to hell for being greedy and that he needed to read the bible after declining a Hispanic guy, who ‘just got outta jail’ [his words, not ours], spare change. So our first L.A. escapade saw us travel pointlessly for three hours on public transport, get turned away from a show with tickets in hand and been told our futures were not so bright in the eyes of someone who, obviously, lives his life according to the good word…NICE!

Killer mural along Venice Beach

This city is renowned for it’s glitz and glamour and a trip to Hollywood was enough to get our moods back in the right place. The tour we settled on took us through Hollywood, Beverly Hills and down Sunset Boulevard on a two-hour loop around some of the city's sights and attractions. The sights mainly revolved around celebrity existence and for two people who hold only the slightest of interest in what celebrities worked where before they made the big time the highlights were few and far between. The walk of fame is pretty cool, but again did not really do it for either of us, but if you dig your celebrity gossip and want to tantalize your senses with the lifestyle of the stars then this is the place to do it. Our favourite place was the 'rock wall,' a storefront crowded with handprints of very influential music stars from previous eras. Beverly Hills’ meticulously manicured lawns and shopping centres with no sign of wear and tear were impressive, including the world famous Rodeo Drive, but were awash with a pretentious and almost inaccessible aura.

The highlight of Los Angeles, by far, are Santa Monica and Venice beaches that are shining examples of what the city has to offer. The beaches were hemmed by distant images of mountains and the white sands were tamed by blue water on one side and a whole range of crazily unique stores selling everything from urban artworks through to cooky giftware. We finally picked up a mascot on the Venice Boardwalk, a little Wall-e figuring made out of recycled hardware, and wandered around until we decided it was time to move on to the Santa Monica pier. The pier is the western most point on Route 66 and was a fitting destination seeing we will be crossing the country using parts of this historic roadway. It was nice just taking things a little slower than in the centre of Los Angeles and the coastal vibe was a welcome change after the trials of the previous couple of days.

Kick ass figurines made from scrap metal at Venice Beach.

Our last days in L.A. were spent people watching in Santa Monica and overdosing on burgers for our ‘last night dinner celebration,’ and we were both ecstatic to be putting the badly lit and interesting aromas of our lodging for the previous seven nights behind us. We are currently in Anaheim, after a shorter than expected drive, in a much nicer motel chain and are set to fulfill all of our childhood dreams with two days kickin’ around in the grounds of Antoinette’s future house, the Disney castle. With San Diego and a week in Las Vegas on the horizon, not to mention all the happy snaps with idols from an age gone by, there are plenty of tales to come.

‘Till next time,

Antoinette and James.