Los Angeles : Star- Gazing at Hollywood

Ep.63

6^th – 8^th November 2012.

“A life without FAME can be a good life but fame without a LIFE is no life at all.” – Clive James.

LAX – Los Angeles, USA.

Jack Sparrow

The Hollywood is finally calling my name. Haha! As a movie lover, Hollywood is a place where your dream seems to be real. Los Angeles, the city of angels, they said, is yet the closest port that my airlines flying to. It was November, autumn and that was my first west coast trip. I have never been experience the weather of west coast, come on, how much different it would be from the east coast? Damn! A lot!

California

Al Pacino. Elvis. Me.

It was supposed to be autumn already, I packed my jacket, jeans, and sleeved bloused, not to forget shoes. And soon as the aircraft has landed, I looked outside the window and DANG! It was super hot, I could even see the caterer still wearing t-shirt and short. Okay, don’t panic. Just after we passed the exit gate from the airport the famous LAX sign greeted me. It is large, towered by several palm trees and does scream “Los Angeles, Baby!” *well, not literally*. 

autumn?

It is always an after flight syndrome that you felt so tired and really can’t hold your eyes open during the flight and suddenly wide awake and fresh after landing. The hotel was located not so far away from the airport. And my best friend was already there on his desk: concierge. I grabbed some tour leaflet while I’m waiting for the seniors to be checked into their room, and without any doubt at all I would love to have a good clear overview of Los Angeles, City of Angels. I booked the tour for USD 96 and it would cover Hollywood, Marina Del Ray, Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive and so on. I rushed up to my room, took a bath and ready to go! *I made it a habit that I would never touch or even lay on my bed after long flight, otherwise, I would be completely knocked out*.

awkward pose!

I got to the lobby and ready to be picked up by the tour bus. And here we go! Los Angeles officially means the City of Los Angeles, often known by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. What would you expect a tour bus driver, also the tour guide, to be appeared in LA? Yes, stripes shirt with bow tie, that you could recognize even from a mile away. As soon as everyone gathered around, he explained about the rules and regulation and this and that. *skip the formalities*. Then he started to drive. He explained to us, the tour group, why LA airport called LAX, and the major facts about LA itself. It was amazing how this man be able to explained things non stop while driving around and still joking around. 

i wish that was mine

The first stop is Marina Del Rey. Marina del Rey is an affluent unincorporated seaside community and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California. The tour guide gave us 20-30 minutes here to take a look, and since it was quite early, some of the shops and stalls have not opened yet. I took out my partner in crime, my pocket camera and took some pictures. Marina Del Rey’s main features is the Fisherman’s Wharf. Fisherman's Village offers a view of Marina del Rey's dominant feature, the Marina, the world's largest man-made small craft harbor with 19 marinas. This is a quaint and adorable little area adjacent to the marina, which includes many places to eat (burger stands to expensive restaurants). There are also some businesses where you can rent equipment if you wish to partake in aquatic activities such as paddle boarding, sailing, and jet skiing. No time for the water sport, time to grab some bagel for breakfast instead. Ha-ha!

boardwalk

Ah, a guy from our tour group seems to be a little bit late than the agreed time. And the tour guide a.k.a the driver taught us how to play a game called, chase the bus. So he drove the bus slowly just like indicating that the bus is leaing, then this “late” man was running like crazy towards the bus. Once he reached the bus door, the bus move backwards, he chased backwards and the bus moved forward, and so on and so on for a several time. That why it was called chase the bus. Finally, when he got in the bus, we gave him a round of applause and we continued on our journey.  A short drive away, we arrived at the famous Venice Beach. Pam tree was everywhere and in this kind of weather it would be nice to lay out and catch some sun. And remember, I was the one that under impression that LA’s autumn is gonna be cold. 

Little Venice

We were given 20 minutes as well to spend here. For me, 20 minutes is enough to take around...few pictures, just a few, I promise. Ha-ha! Venice Beach is understood to include the beach, the promenade that runs parallel to the beach (“Ocean Front Walk” or just “the boardwalk”), Muscle Beach, the handball courts, the paddle tennis courts, Skate Dancing plaza, the numerous beach volleyball courts, the bike trail and the businesses and residences that have their addresses on Ocean Front Walk. The basketball courts in Venice are renowned across the country for their high level of street ball and numerous NBA players were developed or recruited from these courts. 

another awkward pose

Venice itself is a residential, commercial and recreational beachfront neighborhood in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California. In general its residents, are affluent and highly educated, with a low number of people living in each household. Most Venice residents are renters rather than home owners. Prominent residents of Venice include actresses Julia Roberts, Kate Beckinsale, and Anjelica Huston, John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Pepper, and many more. It was a nice place to be  that gave you this lazy atmosphere. 

catch me if you can

Here’s the deal. When you’re in other city, we always know what is down town and suburbs, but here in LA, Hollywood, which is more like suburbs, is even more crowded than the original downtown itself. The tour bus move to the place of fame and gleaming stars. We head on the Beverly Hills. But before that, we passed on Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California is a four block stretch of road north of Wilshire Boulevard and south of S. Santa Monica Boulevard. The Rodeo Drive that is so commonly known is the four block street that is filled with many luxury designer stores. Rodeo Drive houses some of the most sought after stores such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, Burberry, Coach, and much more. If only I got an unlimited credit card that I don’t even have to pay. Ah! The tour guide even took us passed the store in which Julia Robert treated badly in the movie Pretty Woman. The store went bankrupt after the movie was released. What a movie can do, huh?

welcome to my future home

When they describe Beverly Hills was like an planetarium, where you can see the stars, well it might be true, even though I didn’t see one that day. Playground to the rich, the famous and the glamorous, Beverly Hills is the home of some of California's most opulent homes, hotels and personalities. Visitors flock to the Hills to experience the allure of Hollywood, world-class shopping, fine dining and of course star-gazing. Some of the houses were huge and luxurious, but some, were quite like a prison. Marilyn Monroe’s house, for example, to me, appeared to be like a jail, minimal window and very blocked. I guess instead of blocking all the paparazzi, she blocked herself out from the world. And there we go again to the Sunset Boulevard.

palm

Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California that stretches from Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in Pacific Palisades. The street is an icon of Hollywood celebrity culture and the phrase "Sunset Boulevard" is enduring shorthand for the glamour associated with Hollywood. To make it simple, it has been always this boulevard’s glimpse that comes in every movie when it wants to show you it’s in LA. Towering line of palm trees all the way to the end of the street and there you could see the HOLLYWOOD sign on he Hill. Damn! Beautiful!

Fisherman's Garden

None like other places, the tour guide gave us one and a half hour to spend here. He knew that we might lose the track of our time here with so many people around, so many souvenir shops and so many landmark building that I, most importantly, only used to see on my TV screen. That was the first time in my life that I stepped my feet on the walk of fame. It wont be the last one though. Who know that one day I’d have my name on it? We never knows what future brings, right? *kidding*.

Mamamia. Sound of Music.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is an internationally-recognized Hollywood icon. With about 24 induction ceremonies annually broadcast around the world, the constant reinforcement provided to the public has made the Walk of Fame a top visitor attraction. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is undoubtedly one of the most successful marketing ideas ever produced. I bought myself some souvenirs and took some pictures. It was quite difficult to stop and try to read the name of the stars on the walk of fame. I did took some with the name that I recognize. I mean the stars, I don’t even know the names that was supposed to be directors, or screenplay writer and so on. *such a shame* Anyway, I took pictures with Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Michael Jackson’s stars. I saw the China House that appeared in Iron Man 3, the four ladies installation at the gateaway, and many more. Well, I guess I could get use to it already. This view every day. *day dreaming again!*

this is something

That’s was Hollywood for me and we continued on to the Original Farmer’s Market for lunch. Its an outdoor eating and shopping area begun by farmers during the depression and The Grove which is an open air mall. The Farmers Market is next to CBS Television City (studios) where "The Price is Right" and many other shows are taped. The original Farmers Market no longer has any farmers selling their produce, so it's not really a farmer's market.   Nevertheless, the Farmers Market is a gem where you can get some of the best food in town and do some of the best people watching in the country.  What makes the Farmers Market wonderful is that it's outdoors and it has the feel of a country bazaar -- in other words, it has a street life, something lacking in many L.A. attractions.  The Market has several "gift" stores selling knick-knacks, clothing stores, etc.   More importantly, it has a wonderful assortment of food stands offering some of the most varied fare in town. I bought myself a good slice of lemon cheesecake at the cheesecake factory here and it was taste like a bit of heaven. Ha-ha! I have never been to heaven, though.

El Pueblo de Los Angeles

Last but not least, we stopped at El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Did I mention that west coast of the US was influenced by Spanish more. Well yeah, that’s the fact. Consisting of forty-four acres, this region is a historical re-creation of a typical Spanish village representing the origins of Los Angeles. I enjoyed spending an hour or so wandering around this historic area of old Los Angeles. Sure it's touristy but it still has the flavor of Mexico and the first building ever built in LA, that alone was worth coming for. The vibrant colors of the ceramics and woven fabrics, the musical performances and the aromas of Mexican Food cooking all added to our experience. Fantastic! By the end of the day, I thought that I would take a rest after I get back to the hotel, reviewing my picture in a hot tub. Owh, wait a minute, it was far from the reality.

Shrek me out!

As soon as I arrived back in the hotel, I realized that the shuttle bus to the shopping center would come in 10 minutes or so, I rushed up to my room, dropped all my shopping bags and rushed back to the lobby, waiting for the shuttle bus. I love US for the shopping as well. Those ports that always made me broke, other that European ports, are always USA ports. I bought a good deal of goodies, either for me or my friends’ shopping list. I went back to the hotel after it seems to be a very long last 48 hours, including the flight, the tour, and the shopping. I even fell asleep while waiting for the shuttle bus back to the hotel. As soon as I arrived, completely worn out, I dragged myself to the bath and fell unconscious (read: vast asleep) immediately.

yes i knew i love it!

The next day, I still pay another visit to the shopping center to do some touch up shopping, which means much more damage to my bank account. I spent the whole day shopping and pay back my sleeping time. That way, I would be recharged enough to operate the flight back.

“I chose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.” – Me.