Hi everyone from LA!
This morning I got up at 6 and got an uber to Reagan Airport. Whilst waiting for my plane the news was blaring Donald Trump news the whole time, ergh!
My flight was on time and we actually landed an hour early, which meant that we had to sit on the Tarmac waiting for our gate to open up for half an hour!! My back was pretty sore today so it didn't enjoy sitting for longer, but never mind!
I got an uber pool to Hollywood Boulevard. Thank goodness for uber pool in LA, I think this city is the worst I've come across in terms of getting around as a solo traveller. Everything is super spread out and the public transport is pretty much non existent. At first I thought the other passenger in the car was rude and demanding, but once we started talking he was actually pretty nice. Turns out he worked in security to do with Obama, and he's now quit his job and moved from DC to LA. He was telling me that for Obama's Inauguration in '09 there were 1.1 million people in the National Mall. Apparently this Friday they're expecting 500,000 people! And there have been more permits put in for protests in Washington than there have for Inauguration events!
As I rode in the uber memories from our family trip in 2005 came flooding back. The more I think about it, the more I can remember from the trip. We had such a great time and I'm excited to visit some of the same places as we did then!!
I could see the Hollywood sign from the uber and then we arrived at my hostel. I'm in a six bed dorm and for the first time all trip I'm in a hostel where the people seem friendly and happy to talk. There's a guy from the Netherlands, a guy from China, a girl from Finland and a really lovely guy called Perry from Brisbane in my dorm. It's comfortable and I like it here :)
I set off for a bit of a walk and quickly remembered why I only gave myself two nights in Hollywood. It's very tacky and touristy and there are people everywhere trying to rip you off. Thankfully my hostel is a bit out of the tourist zone, but once I walked up the Boulevard there were people everywhere!! I looked at the whole walk of fame and read all the stars, and also passed a few theatres along the way. It was about 15 degrees and I didn't have to wear thermals or my coat. I don't think I've ever been so excited for it to be 15!!
The main theatre along here is the Chinese Theatre, which has lots of celebrities' hand and footprints along with their names. I saw Shirley Temple, Harrison Ford and more!
Right near here I got my photo taken with Claire Trevors' star, which 12 years ago I had also done! It was a bit trickier today though because there were so many people around that I felt like if I let my guard down I might get pickpocketed. In 2005 I had Dad there to take it for me. Thankfully all was ok though!
On the way back I got a mac and cheese pie and salted caramel cookie, both of which were delicious.
This evening I joined a trip that the hostel were running - a free shuttle service up to Griffith Observatory. For anyone who has seen the movie 'La La Land' recently, this is where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling walk together and enjoy a walk and the sun rising over LA. I had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful view with some new friends I made along the way - Maddy who lives in Essendon at home, Ray from Sydney and Justin who randomly lives in a small town in Germany right near one of my friends!! We loved the view and also explored part of the observatory looking at telescopes and information about the planets and earthquakes and things like that. It was fairly crowded and ideally I would have liked more time. Never mind!!
I got back intending to go straight to bed due to the three hour time difference and having had such a big day, but I got a second wind and went out for a second dinner with those three that I met on the trip. We had a burger and a shake at Shake Shack because as Maddy put it "soon we have to go home and eat fruit again, so why not!"
Universal Studios and the NBA tomorrow!
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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