Los Angeles, California USA

Published 9 October 2013, by Jess

Los Angeles, well known as the home of Hollywood – A place where you go to be discovered, celebrity spotting and mixing with the rich and famous are the reasons many people visit this wonderful city.

Famous location from the movie ‘No Strings Attached’ starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Porter

I must admit, from everything I had been told, I wasn’t all that interested in seeing LA and therefore my trip was only a short three (3) nights.  Everyone has different tastes, but having been there myself now, I highly recommend the city to everyone thinking of going. 

I was told LA was “concrete city”, “difficult to get around” and “the people are extremely rude”. Maybe I caught LA on its good days, but I found everything I had been told to be false.  Sure, the city has its faults (walking anymore than 3-4 blocks away from Hollywood Boulevard in the opposite direction of The Roosevelt Hotel was an experience in itself and not one I’ll be rushing back to do anytime soon), but I really did enjoy my time there and would definitely visit again.

Things to See & Do

The Roosevelt Hotel

A perfectly positioned hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, The Roosevelt Hotel is popular among young Hollywood stars particularly frequenting the roof top pool and Teddy’s nightclub in the lobby. 

This was the hotel I stayed in and is located opposite the Chinese Theatre and Kodak Theatre.

The hotel is believed to be haunted, with a few reported sightings of Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Cliff who both lived in the hotel for extended period.  Other sightings involve a little girl in a blue dress.

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Across from our hotel a stall were selling tickets for the Hop On Hop Off buses.  Generally in the cities I visit, I like to take the tour because it’s a great way to get around a city and see its main attractions at your own pace.

For $19 US I purchased a ticket that gave me access to the Hollywood loop and the Santa Monica/Venice Beach loop.

See below for details of the places on each loop;

 Santa Monica

The Santa Monica Pier opened in 1909 and is a prominent landmark in Santa Monica attracting tourists from all over the world.  At the end of the Pier is a small carnival type atmosphere, with wooden rollercoaster, carnival stalls and lots of fun for the kids.

 

Third Street Promenade is also well worth seeing in Santa Monica.  This is a pedestrian-only shopping district that stretches for three blocks, buzzing with street performers and artists and some great shopping and eating venues.

Venice

A little over-rated in this writers opinion, as far as I could see it was just beach and the usual suburban housing etc. I did stroll around the area for a little while as our bus tour seemed to drop us in a desserted area and we couldn’t seem to find our way down to the Muscle Beach/Muscle Pit area we had hoped to see. Instead we stumbled across some cute little canals just like the picture below.

I am told that this is the area you want to see, so if VeniceBeach is on your list, I’d head down to MuscleBeach to see what all the fuss is about.

Hollywood

Walk of Fame

“This is where it all began. At this location on 15 August 1958, the first 8 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame were dedicated to Ouva Borden, Ronald Colman Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernst Torrence and Joanne Woodward. The Walk of Fame was completed in 1960”

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a mark of achievement and honour for contribution to the entertainment industry. It includes a mix of musicians, actors, directors, producers, musicals/theatre groups, fictional characters and more.

The Walk of Fame is an impressive strip of pink stars stretching 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and 3 blocks of Vine Street.

Chinese Theatre

Chinese Theatre is a movie theatre on the Walk of Fame that opened on the 18 May 1927. The theatre has distinct concrete blocks in the forecourt with the signatures, foot prints and hand prints of motion picture personalities from the 1920’s to the present day.

Beverly Hills

Famously referred to as Beverly Hills 90210 as a result of the popular tv 90’s show and now the remake, Beverly Hills is its own city in Los Angeles County California surrounded by the City of Los Angeles.  It is featured in many movies and television shows and also in some popular computer games.

It is home to the very famous ‘Rodeo Drive’, an upmarket, high-end shopping precinct for the rich and famous.  Brands such as Gucci, Prada and Jimmy Choo just to name a few can be found on Rodeo Drive. 

Prada, so sure of their brand, is the only store without a name to distinguish it to shoppers.

Hollywood Hills

If you have a car, which is recommended in LA since everything is very spread out, then driving into the Hollywood Hills has to be on your list!

We drove to 3000 Canyon Lake Drive, Hollywood to get some amazing views of the Hollywood sign.  The trip into the hills was very narrow & winding, but without a doubt it was well worth it.  The other great thing was the fact that there were very little people around so we weren’t interrupted trying to get a great shot.

 

For other great locations to get pictures of the Hollywood Sign go to – http://www.pachd.com/free-images/hollywood-sign.html

Disneyland

Getting there

If you are travelling there from Hollywood like I did, take the red line metro rail from the corner of Hollywood Bl & Highland Av toward downtown and get off at the last stop, Union Station (approximately 17 minutes). Transfer to a metrolink or amtrak train to Anaheim or Fullerton, then you can take a taxi or bus to Disneyland. We opted for the taxi since there were a number of them already waiting at the train station.

Fun for the whole family, Disneyland will bring out the kid in everyone. Whether you enjoy rides or not, the park is well set out and the FASTPASS is the best way to avoid lines.  You swipe your FASTPASS and the ride will provide you with a time to come back in which you will be able to get straight on without lining up.

Toon Town

We paid $78.50 US in 2011 for a one day pass with entry to Disneyland (No park hopping included)

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/

The teacups were something I had always wanted to experience for myself, ever since I was a child growing up watching movies of other kids riding the teacups.  Something to tick off the bucket list!

You also have the chance to meet some of the characters, whether they are walking around the park or within attractions.  The characters are always happy to take photos and interact.

In-N-Out Burger

In-N-Out Burger was the first drive-thru hamburger restaurant in California, their motto “Give customers the freshest, highest quality foods you can buy and provide them with friendly service in a sparkling clean environment.”

The burgers at In-N-Out Burger are absolutely amazing and the service is fantastic.  Be sure to use the local insider knowledge that we were provided with thanks to our Hop On Hop Off bus tour guide – Ask for ‘Animal Style’ burgers & fries.

Animal Style Burgers – Cooked in a thin layer of mustard, and in addition to the lettuce and tomato it also includes pickles, grilled onions, and extra spread.

Animal Style Fries – Comes with two slices of melted cheese, spread, and grilled onions on top.

Highly recommend you make a pit stop here at some point during your time in LA!

Newport Beach

A great place to visit on a beautiful summers day.  The main reason for our trip was to see the home of the popular television show ‘The OC’ (OrangeCounty).  The beach was stunning and the housing extremely impressive. Our trip was short due to having to catch a plane home that night but I would love to explore a little more of this coastal beauty.

San Francisco, California USA

Published 10 May 2013, by Jess

San Francisco is located in the US state of California. You will most likely recognise it from the numerous shots of popular sites seen in many television shows and movies from Full House (popular in the 80’s) to more recently, The Five-Year Engagement.

San Francisco is a great city, for us Aussies though, be warned that the wind chill is cold! I travelled during the summer months on both occasions I visited and when the wind kicks in, you’ll feel it believe me!

Alamo Square – Painted Ladies

Getting There

Departing Vancouver, Canada the flight is approximately 2hrs & 45mins. Flying Westjet (Canadian airline) my flight in 2012 cost $304.92 AUD.

Departing Los Angeles, USA the flight is approximately 1hr & 20mins.  Flying American Airlines my flight in 2012 cost $294.37 AUD.

Where to Stay

If you do your research into San Francisco, one common thing that all travellers who have been to San Franscisco agree on is this, do not stay anymore than 2 blocks outside of Union Square.  The reason is because San Francisco has an extremely large homeless community, as you venture outside of Union Square this becomes noticeably more apparent, and the area is quite unsafe.

Your other alternative is to stay down by Fisherman’s Wharf which is also a nice area.

In 2012 I stayed at;

Sir Francis Drake Hotel

Standard Triple room for 3 nights stay cost $856.42

The hotel is located right in the heart of Union Square, prefect location.

In 2011 I stayed at;

Nikko Hotel

Double Queen room for 4 nights stay cost $564.00

The hotel is located 2 blocks from Union Square and also in a great location.

Union Square

Union Square is a public plaza and is central in San Francisco for shopping and hotels and is also the theatre district.

The main plaza consists of 4 monuments in the shape of a heart decorated in individual artwork.  I believe that university students enrolled in Art in San Francisco can put their name into a draw and if they are drawn they design and paint the artwork on the monument as per the below pictures.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Is a neighbourhood in San Francisco down by the Northern waterfront.  The area has many restaurants, shops, museums and other attractions which makes it a very busy tourist area.

Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf is also home to numerous California sea lions which you can view on the marina docks in large numbers.  Quite a sight to see!

Alcatraz

http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

$32 – Last tour boat of the day.

The tour leaves from Pier 33 on Bay Street, before boarding the boat you will have your photo taken by staff which is available for purchase when you return.

Quite possibly one of the best informative tours I have ever been on!

The story of Alcatraz is really quite interesting, and the self audio tour allows you to go through the prison at your own pace.  The audio tour itself includes the voices of actual prison guards and prisoners who experienced Alcatraz first hand.  Many of the jail cells have been left in their original condition or house original items owned by prisoners of those cells.

If you are travelling in the summer months, you definitely have to book in advance (weeks not days) as the tours sell out very quickly.

You cannot visit San Francisco and not check out Alcatraz, it is a must see.

Golden Gate Bridge

Ride A Bike – You can hire bikes all along Fisherman’s Wharf.  It will take approximately 1.5 hours (stopping along the way) to ride from Fisherman’s Wharf  up to the Golden Gate bridge, ride across it and then into Sausalito, San Francisco.  There are some really great photo opportunities along the way.

In the summer of 2011 they were doing some construction to the Bike lane on the bridge and therefore pedestrians and cyclists were together on the same lane.  This didn’t work so well, the pedestrians weren’t very patient or aware or their surrounds so it was a little frustrating during the ride over the bridge.  The construction was finished in the summer of 2012 when I was there and it seemed to work much better. 

Once you cross over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausilito there are some great views from the other side of the bridge.  You can then continue riding into the town and if you wish, you can take the ferry (with your bike) back to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Vintage Fire Engine ride – Such a great idea for a very unique way to see the Golden GateBridge and Sausilito.  The tour departs from the Fisherman’s Wharf neighbourhood and costs $50.00 per adult.  As you jump on the Fire Engine you will notice there are fire fighters jackets you can put on and wear, I was lucky enough to get myself an Australian Fire Fighters jacket, he had flown over to help fight the recent Californian fires at the time.  I suggest you definitely put one of the jackets on, even in summer going across the bridge in an open vehicle the wind was freezing!

The tour guides are fantastic, although it is a little cheesy as they get you to sing along to songs and wave to those walking by, it is all to get into the spirit of things and have a great time, which is exactly what we did!

Lombard Street

According to some San Francisco tour guides I met while in San Francisco, Lombard Street is actually the 2^nd most crookiest street in the world, the other also being in San Francisco but it is not as pleasing on the eye and therefore San Francisco has passed the title onto Lombard Street.

Lombard Street has a steep, one block section with eight (8) turns in it.

Powell Street Tram Stop

The Powell Street Tram stop is quite a sight to see if, like me, you do not have trams in your city.  The tram stop is where the trams come through in abundance and rotate to go back up the hill on Powell Street.  Change over of those riding the tram happens here also with many people waiting to get on the trams. 

Napa Valley Wine Train

$129

http://winetrain.com/

The Napa Valley Wine Train is basically a whole day excursion.  Leaving from Fisherman’s Wharf you will take a ferry then a bus to get to where the train departs.

We opted for the glass roof carriage to have even better views and to do the trip in style.

The food and service on the Napa Valley Wine Train was exceptional.  The whole tour was definitely worth the money and we also got to enjoy so beautiful wines from the NapaValley (additional cost).

Lobster Bisk Soup

Lamp Chops

Places to Eat

Lori’s Diner – There are a string of these around San Francisco that you’ll find. Lori’s Diner is a very authentic diner with great food and wonderful service. 

Milkshakes at Lori’s Diner

House of Nanking – Is a well known Chinese Restaurant with locals in San Francisco.  If you would like to dine here, it’s essential you make a booking or you’ll be waiting a while for a table.  Our group weren’t to sure on the menu when we arrived and therefore when the waiter arrived to take our order he suggested we do what most locals do and allow him to order for us. 

The food was amazing, he ordered things I would never think to order and our bill at the end of the night with a tip was under $25 US each.