p.s. I did use paragraphs and headings but it's not playing ball! Saturday and Sunday - City of Angels After an 11 hour flight from Heathrow (I thought it was going to be about 6), where we had to leg it to the plane on account of our browsing the duty free (man, I am unfit), we made it to Los Angeles. But there were adventures before we stepped out onto American soil. Firstly, we were stationary for a bit whilst they sorted the entertainment, which had overheated whilst on the ground (cue sweaty arse and beating heartbeat)…no films and oh yeah, what else has overheated, engine, wings(?!)…but eventually we were airborne and I was sat by one of the exits so plenty of leg room. Cash was not so lucky and sat in the middle seat between two other people (one who liked to lean her head on his shoulder; the other who liked to adopt the foetal position to sleep) and a youngster in front, who Cash had to explain “That resistance you are feeling as you try to lower your chair back are my knees!” Food on the plane was pretty standard but the service was good – you didn’t have to wait for long before they came round with a drink or a snack. So…I had a couple of Tiger Beers, some pretzels, a steak pie, a waldorf salad, a lemon cheesecake, a cheese pasty, some more pretzels, some coffee and a milky ice lolly, washed down with coffee and beer. Secondly, after arriving at LAX airport, we had to wait quite a while to get through customs and after a couple of hours, we were out. We then had to wait about an hour for our courtesy shuttle but chatted to a few other holiday makers from other parts of America, who were lovely and so friendly. I did not pull out the accents just yet, although they did think I was from Australia….f**k yeah! Success mate! Once we reached the hotel, we decided to have a power nap before heading out, with episodes of diners, dives and drive-thrus on in the background for inspiration. This was about 5pm local time. We didn’t wake up until 3am in the morning, absolutely starving and with nothing to eat. Everywhere was closed! We counted the minutes until 630am, where we rushed down to the breakfast room. The food was absolutely amazing – this could have been because we were faint from the lack of food the night before but I was happy! Typical American offerings – omelettes with cheese sauce, biscuits, bacon, sausage patties, pancakes, muffins, bagels, cereal, toast, coffee, juice, milk, yoghurt and cinnamon cake. Cash tried something that looked like oatmeal but was actually a meaty gravy! He still ate it with syrup though. Yeps, a white savoury sauce based breakfast good that you usually have with a savoury biscuit was being eaten with syrup and would be for the next few days too!
Rental Car – check, Sat Nav – check, a whole day ahead of us – check, Hollywood here we come! In the words of Ace of Base, I saw the sign (from a distance) and it was surreal. Having seen it so many times in films, it felt weird being in the same place as it. We got lost a few times and ended up going north of Hollywood to have a taco for our second breakfast at the well known Taco Bell. We had a volcano taco, which contained chilli con carne, cheese and lettuce in a red taco shell. Was a bit messy to eat but still tasty. This was in a place called Burbank. We then made our way back to the main Hollywood strip, which by 10am or so, had become a vibrant metropolis with tourists and holidaymakers. We walked down the walk of fame, took a few pictures, found an Irish bar and had a Blue Moon for $6, which was delish. A bit like Hoegaarden (hee hee) in taste but a little darker in colour, served with a slice of orange. // Next onto Marina Del Rey as recommended by one of the customs officers This was a cute little fishing town with free live music on a Sunday and we took a little boat ride around the Marina to a sandy beach, where you could have BBQs and play volleyball. On the way back, we stopped at Winchell’s for a donut, bagel and some coffee. I had a glazed donut - 8/10 - followed by a May Ball rectangular donut with a light coffee icing - 5/10. Cash had an onion bagel with avocado, bacon, cheese and mayonnaise – 7/10 and a free nutty donut - 6/10. We then took a little tour around the area, spotted where Venice Beach was and some other food outlets that looked good then made our way back to the airport. We were in search of a burger place and were told that the place In and Out (hee hee) was very, very good. We headed round the corner and was greeted by a yellow and red sign with a sort of lightning symbol. They have three main things on the menu – hamburger meal, cheeseburger meal or a double double meal. I went for the cheeseburger and Cash the double double. It was really packed and the staff were working extra fast but the food itself was pretty standard. We are still in search of an awesome American burger! IN AND OUT on Sepulveda Cheeseburger Meal – 5/10 Double Double Meal – 5/10.
A short stop to the 7 Eleven gets us a couple bags of crisps, some 40oz Budweisers and we’re set for the evening. Asleep at 11pm. We’re still on UK time but getting better!
On MONDAY Breakfast then a trip to Walmart to see what all the fuss is about. It is massive but basically a supermarket that sells everything and anything at a low price. Apparently, the one we were in was a medium sized one, but it was as big as a school! Next onto Venice Beach. Beautiful people and lots of fishermen. We saw a shark that they had caught, which was pretty awesome and Cash ventured down to Muscle Beach (to give them a run for their money). We chilled on the beach for a few hours. Going on a Monday was a good idea as Sunday was totally packed and they raised the prices of the car park. After a couple of beers on a roof top terrace admiring the view, we headed down to an iHop – My stack of 3 pancakes was an old fashioned one with maple syrup and 2 streaks of salty goodness – 6.5/10 Cash had a 4 stack of blueberry pancakes. Both dishes came with cream and extra sauces at the side, plus a jug of coffee – 5.5/10 //Beverley Hills was next on our list. Think 90210 and the secret hope of seeing Jason Priestley but sadly, he wasn't there! We did see something being filmed but have no idea what it was or who for! This place was very empty and quiet, with everything looking clean and ‘perfect’. The houses were amazing and huge! We didn’t see many people here, only a few other tourists. We stopped off at the local University library, for a wee and some cool air, and this was very nice. After an hour of walking around and looking through the shop windows of things we couldn’t afford, we headed home. What shall we have for dinner - We popped into Sizzler’s, which was just around the corner but after having a Miller Lite, decided to find somewhere else to eat as it was very much a Harvester with salad bar. After a quick chat with Pedro (don’t know if that’s his real name) at the reception desk of the hotel, he tells us about this place called Truxton’s which is about 15mins walking, he tells us not to walk. We get in the car and we’re there in 30mins, with a few minor detours along the way! We were not disappointed. The food here was reasonably priced and the service was amazing. Everyone is so friendly that you can’t help but smile back! FOOD EATEN Truxton’s Monkey Bread to share – 7/10 Cash Original BBQ Brisket sandwich 8/10 + Anchor Steam Ale 7/10 Sarah: Pat’s Pastrami 8.5/10 + Fat Tire Ale 6/10. I took half of my sandwich home to have for breakfast, which was just as good, if not better now that the sauce had really soaked into the bread! AWESOME! Tomorrow is our last day in Los Angeles before we head off to Las Vegas!
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