You wanna be a star (Los Angeles)

Member Name: HS28

Product:	Los Angeles
Date:	14/03/09 (162 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: sunshine, shopping, tours, parks, timezone

Disadvantages: not as glamourous as we think

The city of Angels

This is only my experience and an aim of my trip was to do all the touristy things! I used to work at Manchester Airport and as I had to endure seeing people go off on their trips around the world everyday I developed a bit of a holiday bug wanting to get away a lot so at the end of January 2002 I decided I wanted to revisit the USA me and my friend booked to go to Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Getting there and staying there.
We went with American Airlines from Manchester and he flights were quite cheap at the time of year and it was a connecting flight through Chicago to get there. What was strange was leaving a wet January England to seeing Chicago under masses of snow then getting to LA which was basked in sunshine. The Journey was ok even though up to 12 hours travelling time. We picked a 3star hotel near the Airport and Santa Monica for easiness as we knew it had a courtesy bus to Santa Monica and we would book the various tours around Los Angeles. Los Angeles was my kind of town and I was up at 6am everyday where as in the UK mornings aren't my thing! Everyday me and my friend were up early and excited to be seeing the various sights. The hotel did a mean breakfast and we would eat out way through the omelettes and waffles on offer. The courtesy bus that we thought we would use got booked up pretty quick so we ended up on the local Los Angeles buses. This was a bit daunting at first but once you knew where you were going it was fine and the bus drivers would prompt you on where to get on an off

Santa Monica and Venice Beach

We used the local bus to go to Venice Beach and Santa Monica. Santa Monica was good for shopping and at the time the dollar to the pound was good so I indulged in lots of new clothes and perfumes and make up. The town had an outdoor shopping street like the UK which is unusual for the US as they tend to be inside Malls. The beach at Santa Monica was long and empty as it was January but the sun was still out and the temperature was hitting nearly 80 degrees. The pier is famous in Santa Monica for being in many films so we wanted to see it and I was disappointed as it wasn't as good as good old Blackpool. What I did like about Santa Monica were the independent shops where you could get unusual gifts and make your own jewellery.

We walked along the beach from Santa Monica and without realising we must have walked a mile or so and ended up at Venice Beach. The reason we knew we were there was because of the jos-sticks and the muscle beach and I remember thinking this is really odd until it clicked. I liked the alternative style and unusualness about Venice Beach and it is a place you just have to see. Although getting the public bus out of there was a little scary as had to figure out the way back to our hotel.

Los Angeles in a Tour
On another day we booked a tour of Los Angeles which included the afternoon at doing a tour of the Movie Stars Homes and the price wasn't that expensive for what you got. We got picked up from our hotel and taken to the tour company depot then we were bussed out on a small mini bus for the day. First stop was Hollywood and I was disappointed with what we saw. Having watched the Oscars and many Hollywood films I expected it to be magical but it reminded me of Blackpool with all the tacky tourist shops and the Hollywood stars on the pavement were tiny in comparison so that was a bit of a let down. The tour took us to the Farmers Market which was a nice experience to see the alternative stores and we got some time out there too. Next stop was the Hollywood sign where we went up the hills to get our pictures taken at a point where the sign could be in the background. We also went down Rodeo Drive the street with all the designer names made famous by pretty woman. This was a bit of a whistle stop tour but I didn't feel I needed any longer in the areas we saw. The afternoon was a trip past the Movie Stars homes and the bus wasn't allowed in certain gated areas. The driver pointed out famous peoples houses but we didn't see anyone out and about and the houses were hidden behind their big gates and shrubbery. It also took us back to Venice Beach in the afternoon beofre going back to the coach depot.

Trip to universal Studios
We booked this through the same company as above and it was a day at the park. Unfortunately it was a Saturday which meant it was extremely busy. Using the company was easy and it meant not having to worry about transport or separate tickets to get in. One of the first things we went on was the Back to the future ride which was fun and then a wander around the various shops again inside the park. We went on the movie tour where we saw a lot of the old film sets and pieces like the Burbs, Back to the future, jaws and more. This was a nice little tram ride with special effects thrown in to try to spice the ride up. We didn't get on many other rides due to queue sizes though with it being the weekend so I would make sure you book in the week to avoid the masses. Outside the park there are more shops on universal walk and we ate out in one of the restaurants. I loved the shops here and made sure I bought plenty more souvenirs and film memorabilia.

Downtown LA
As I had been shopping way too much I realised I needed another suitcase for my spends so we asked at the hotel where to go. They said either go to the malls and pay out a lot or take a trip to Downtown LA. So we booked a taxi for a return trip to Downtown LA to the fashion district. This was a little nerve racking as two girls on their own but as I knew the taxi would pick us back up I felt ok. It is basically the place where you can get handbags/suitcases/jeans/t-shirts etc all at rock bottom prices. I came away with a few handbags and my new suitcase! We shopped for a few hours and found it safe and easy to get around and our taxi picked us up to take us back. I recommended this to some others who were going to LA but they accidentally ended up in the Jewellery Quarter which is a completely different experience!!

Food
For eating out in Los Angeles i found it cheap. As we ate the breakfast in the hotel we never really needed anything for dinner except a snack. We didnt eat out in expensive restaurants on the night but some nearby the hotel or in the hotel so i cant comment on those A list expensive restaurants. All i can say is that the steaks in the US are to die for and meals are inexpensive and soft drinks tend to be refillable.

Overall I found my visit to Los Angeles fantastic and the onward trip to Anaheim and Disneyland. The people are friendly, public transport was easy, prices were cheap and the private booked tours good. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't as glamorous as the TV shows but it hasn't put me off wanting to go back. The best thing about it is the time zone as I felt refreshed everyday and was an early riser tucking into the big American style breakfasts! In my opinion Los Angeles is a place every tourist should visit as it has the weather, the shops, the movies and craziness all mixed up. One thing i would definately say though is go out of season and out of the summer months when the smog and the heat will be at its worst. Jan-March are proably better as cooler and quieter.

Summary: for the tourist it is a place you will remember