Downtown LA
After surviving the Death Valley Drive from Vegas to LA, we spent the night in Oceanside. The next morning, we drove almost 2 hours to get to downtown LA!
Was very excited because I seriously thought that I would be able to spot some stars but no, not a single one. Plus, the weather was super gloomy! It drizzled on and off….
Found a place to park here for USD$10 for the whole day and got tickets for the Hop-on Hop-off bus. Didn’t really enjoy it because the bus was super late at the end of the day (I suspect it was due to the shitty traffic in LA). Think it’s better for people who wants to explore more places by switching lines and going to the beach.
While waiting for T to come back with my pullover because it was getting cold, I got approached by Mr Incredible to take a photo together.
I naively thought it would be free but just before another tourist helped to snap the photo (with my camera) he showed me a wad of cash in his palm and told me that I have to tip him afterwards. That sneaky bastard! Shocked, I asked him how much and he said it depends on myself and gave a gauge of $20.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME YOU IT’S NOT LIKE YOU ARE PRINTING THE PHOTO OUT FOR ME YO.
This explains my forced-to-smile face in the photos below.
In the end I only gave him US$3 and said he would have to wait for my husband to be back if he wants more because I have no more change. Obviously, he didn’t want to wait.
Anyway, unhappy things aside!
After T got back, we got on the hop-on hop-off bus and started our journey. Stopped at sunset boulevard even though there’s not much here because we were getting hungry.
After lunch we continued our journey and stopped near Rodeo Drive. But the thing is they dropped us so far away and it’s not possible for us to walk there if not we would miss the next bus. Another reason why I feel that taking the bus is a waste of money.
Well, at least we did manage to take some pretty photos along the streets.
The most exciting place for me was The Groove because the whole vibe there is so cheery. However, I spent most of my time in Forever 21 choosing some accessories so I didn’t get to explore the whole place. T insisted that we not spend over 30 minutes there in case we can’t view the Hollywood sign after the sun sets >:(
Really pretty right!
And below with some flowers 
And yes, we did manage to catch a view of the Hollywood sign! Very far away and after my 3x zoom this is what I managed to capture.
I had thought I would be able to take a photo next to it but it was only after I came back then I realized I would have to drive there. Well I can only blame myself for not doing enough research!
Ended the day with some shopping at American Eagle, Sephora, and Victoria’s Secret so that cheered me up quite a bit.
ootd: dress from ASOS, pullover from Aeropostale, scarf and sandals from River Island
sorry for whining so much in this post!
It was just one of the more disappointing days throughout the whole trip but I still did enjoy myself because it’s the company that matters <3
I lived in LA for only six months, and this is what I found. LA is OK, but it’s not a pretty city – at least not a place for which to get hopes up in anticipation. You probably would have enjoyed the Griffin Observatory more than downtown, and you would have gotten a better view of the Hollywood sign. Other than that, the most rewarding stops are probably The Getty Museum, Huntington Garden (Pasadena), and the Santa Monica Pier if you like the beach. San Diego is more visitor-friendly, I think, just because it’s smaller and easier to get around. Santa Barbara is prettier than those cities if you’re headed that direction.
globalexplorer1
January 24, 2013 at 12:11 AM
wow thanks for the recommendations! I will definitely check them out when I return in the future…I did head to Santa Monica the next day and it was lovely, will be blogging about that very soon!
whitepaperroses
January 24, 2013 at 10:01 AM