Life in FNQ - Matto & Jess: Holidays - LA, Hollywood and Santa Monica

From the glitz and glamour of Vegas, to the wild majesty of the Grand Canyon, then back to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood!

I had originally not wanted to spend any time in LA. The city didn't hold anything for me. To me, it was just going to be a big, dirty, dangerous, scary place. However, when the time came to leave, I was trying to think up excuses to stay! LA, and Hollywood, was the real surprise package of the trip for me. I came in with such low expectations, and left with it cemented as one of the best places we stayed. The people were all so nice and friendly, and everyone just wanted to have a chat.

As we only had 2 nights in LA, we wanted to maximise our time exploring in our immediate area (2 blocks from Hollywood Blvd - right in the thick of things!). As such we declined the numerous offers of tours and such, and focussed on getting about on foot. Despite walking too far one day, we got to see a great cross-section of the area, from the glitzy star studded Hollywood Blvd and the Chinese and Kodak theatres, past the beautifully kept suburban homes of Melrose Ave, right through to the grimy and serious light-industrial areas, with the auto mechanic shops and other such blue-collar endeavours.

It's worth noting too that we never felt anything less than safe at any time of the day or night. We didn't venture too far at night by ourselves, but we certainly had no trouble walking the couple of blocks from our hotel down to Hollywood Blvd, or 4 blocks each way up and down the street.

Alas, after our 2 nights were up, we had to hit the road and begin our trip north. We had already picked up the hire car at LAX when we arrived, and had stashed it at the hotel for the previous two days. We headed out of the city via Santa Monica Blvd, down to Santa Monica beach. We stopped and had a wander around - down to the pier at the beach, and up through the town to do a bit of shopping. Since we had spent the last 2 days sweltering in 30 degree heat with jeans on, I splurged on two pairs of shorts. This proved to be an unwise decision, as the rain set in the further north we went, and the temperature plummeted, and I didn't get more than a day's use of them! Santa Monica itself was picturesque, and would be my pick of places to live, assuming you could afford it!