This morning we said goodbye to Jim and the Chinese ladies on our way out to explore Los Angeles. Our first stop was to see the Hollywood sign. After a short drive the from the little suburb town of Alhambra where we stayed the previous night we were in Hollywood, with its iconic palm tree-lined streets and view of the mountains in the distance. As with everywhere else in LA, there was a dense layer of smog that obstructed distant views, but we were close enough to make out the sign a couple miles before we got there. We took some narrow winding roads that seemed to switch back endlessly through neighborhoods filled with expensive homes before we finally made it to a dead end with some gates that prevented us from getting any closer. Thankfully, a break in the trees revealed an excellent view of the sign, so we took our pictures and headed on to Hollywood Boulevard and the walk of fame.
Parking was a nightmare in Hollywood, and all of the Los Angeles really, but we finally managed to find a spot that would give us two hours to explore Hollywood Boulevard. We spent most of the time with our eyes glued to the ground, trying to spot the Walk of Fame stars that belong to some of our favorite celebrities, only diverting our gaze long enough to gape at Grauman's Chinese Theater, and Kodak Theater where they hold the Oscars. It was extremely crowded, but it was a fun experience walking around in a place I've seen so many times but have never been to.
At times it was pretty hectic with all sorts of street performers and costumed panhandlers fighting each other to impede our progress, but in spite of it all we managed to walk most of the street and find all the stars we were looking for (it took a particularly long time for me to find Scarlett Johansson's star, but it made it all the more satisfying when I did). Once we had our fill of the movie tourist crowd, we made a trip to Santa Monica beach, which no doubt had its share of tourists, but was large enough that we didn't feel suffocated by the densely packed crowd.
Santa Monica was beautiful, especially later in the day with nearly setting sun streaming shafts of orange light through the palm trees dotting the beach. It was here that we both got our first sight of the Pacific Ocean which stretched away in three directions as far as we could see. After taking a bike ride along the beach-side path I went out to dip my feet in the water and watch the waves roll in.
Next I came back to play around on what essentially amounted to a huge area of jungle gyms for adults. There were balance beams and pullup bars, swings, climbing ropes, and dozens of rings where people swung from ring to ring like something out of the circus.
Once the sun had set and our parking time had run out, we drove just a little south down to Venice Beach to get some dinner. Since it was dark, it wasn't quite as lively as I would have hoped, but it definitely was a stark contrast to Santa Monica. Venice is like the Little Five Points of beaches-- a place where all the hipsters and hobos go to hang out-- which gave it an interesting flavor that set it apart from the other areas we had seen so far.
We got some dinner at Mao's Kitchen right along the beachside highway, and had some more excellent Chinese food before heading out. Unfortunately the host that we originally had for tonight bailed on us at the last minute, leaving us too short of notice to call for Jim's aid again. So for the first time, we ended up paying for lodging at a Motel 6 along the highway to our next destination. The damage wasn't bad, and we each got our own beds, so everything turned out a little better than expected considering the situation we were in.
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