Los Angeles
Our base for the next 5 nights would be the Staybridge Suites Torrance/Redondo. Not a luxury establishment, however this would be a base and the accommodation was perfect for us. In fact the layout of the hotel was really pretty, white painted wooden stairwells, winding paths, fairy lights at night and friendly staff, the pool looked nice and there was a patio where many guests were sitting out enjoying the evening with a drink, the most important thing for us was space and we had lots!
The priority on arrival is always food and sleep, the reception pointed us in the direction of a local shopping mall where there was a good choice of restaurants, only 5 minutes drive... perfect! We headed straight for a diner which offered shakes and burgers, a relatively quick option so we could head back to the hotel to sleep. No sooner had we started looking at the menu when the whole place started to shake and people were looking around at each other, honestly I thought I had imagined it but we had experienced out first earthquake! This was an aftershock from a quake a few days earlier, the centre was a few hundred miles away so there was no damage done thankfully.
Our first full day had been planned with precision. This would be a day of hitting the sights of LA and taking the photos! We drove to Santa Monica to start the drive at the very start of Santa Monica Boulevard and had our first glimpse of the beach, sea and famous pier. The weather was a little cool in the morning, unusual for the time of year but later people told us to be thankful of that. Our Ford Mustang now had the top down, perfect for drive by photo opportunities as we passed down Rodeo Drive, through Beverly Hills to Sunset Boulevard eventually reaching the Hollywood Boulevard. After parking up we headed for the Chinese Theatre, passing many "Stars" on the sidewalk, it is geared up very much for the tourists but I have to say it's good fun. Everyone was looking down so you have to be careful not to keep bumping in to people! There are more than a fair share of street artists trying to earn a few dollars, but that atmosphere was good humoured, a quick drink in the Hard Rock Café and off again!
After lunch our next visit was to the only house open to the public in LA designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, having been lucky enough to visit some of his works in Arizona this was high on our list. Hollyhock House is not completely restored, the entrance fee at just $7 each was well worth it though, it is manned by volunteers who are happy to show you around and explain about the history, the architecture and the furnishings... once finished it will be amazing. The location of Hollyhock House is on a hill with some parkland around it, unusual for LA as there are so many houses everywhere you drive, from here we had out first glimpse of the Hollywood sign.
So we headed to the Hollywood Hills, mainly to take in some of the amazing houses but also to head towards the Griffith Observatory where we knew there was a good view, the hazy conditions, busy roads and the fact we had a further call meant we didn't spend very long there. I think the Observatory would be on the list for any future trips to LA.
Our final stop today is at the La Dodgers Stadium. I bought tickets many months ago as a surprise birthday present for my husband. The heat had well and truly taken hold by this time of day. We thought this was a local match against the San Diego Padres however almost every single person there was a Dodgers fan in the blue and white shirts. We felt a little left out but not for long... once we entered the ground we were each asked our size and given a shirt! Little had I know when booking the tickets this was a "shirt night" for Cody Bellinger, they also do bobble head nights... glad we missed that one! The game was a little slow I have to admit, being a T20 cricket fan I have to say the cricket is more interesting! However the crowd made the game, there was lots of banter in our stand... people weren't precious if you kept getting up for food and drinks. In fact I would say this was all part of the game, everyone was friendly and talkative, big beach balls were being bounced all around the stands and many a Mexican wave went around.
Would we go again? Definitely!