Los Angeles is the land of A-list celebrities, the home to the notorious Muscle Beach and the city where anything seems possible. Ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to visit America. It has long been my bucket list destination and one that I am pleased to have been able to finally tick off. Growing up on a small island, it is sometimes difficult to realise your dreams and potential, I know that may sound a bit tacky, but I think that travel is important to expand the mind and it is good to experience different cultures. Guernsey is a very special place and one that I am proud to call my home, but sometimes it’s nice to get away for a bit.
I am not sure if it was playing countless hours of Grand Theft Auto on the PlayStation with my brother or watching American based films that sparked my interest in the USA, but luckily for me, my friend was living out in LA for a few months and this offered the perfect chance to explore it for myself.
I booked my flights, rented an apartment right in the heart of Santa Monica and I set off to see what all the fuss was about. Having never travelled further than Spain previously, even negotiating the airport was a challenge, (if you have ever seen the film, ‘Mr Bean’s Holiday’, that was me.) luckily, I made it on the jet and was on my way. The inflight food was decent, which is important as I like to eat, a lot, and I can now say that ‘Braveheart’ is probably one of the longest films, ever. After twelve hours of intermittent sleep, pacing up and down the aisles and chatting endlessly to the couple sat next to me, (I bet they were glad to get off that flight), I had touched down in The City of Angels. I caught a glimpse of a palm tree out of the cabin window, and I was excited. What didn’t excite me were the security checks, which seemed to take an eternity and made me feel like a suspected drug lord. Explaining where Guernsey is located was interesting too and I compromised on saying that I’m from England, to ease confusion and avoid possible arrest. I also bumped into celebrity Lily Collins (actress daughter of rock legend, Phil) through airport security and apologised for nearly knocking her iPhone off of the checking bay. I didn’t realise it was her until my friend told me afterwards, so if you’re reading this Lily, apologies that we didn’t exchange phone numbers…
My friend was waiting for me on the other side, and we set off on the highway to my apartment. The drive itself was pretty insane. Juggernauts, stereotypical vintage diners, police sirens wailing, completed with an overhead police helicopter searchlight. I felt like I was in the real life version of the computer game, Edgy.
The next day, after a good night’s sleep and getting acquainted with the coffee machine in my kitchen, I decided to take a stroll around Santa Monica. What struck me was the seemingly instant sunshine and heat, compared to home, madness! I had also underestimated the walking distances, (everything looks so close on Google maps), so the Uber app became my best friend. Santa Monica is an interesting town, it is a very affluent area, but wealth coexists alongside extreme poverty. One minute you will see somebody drive past in a new Lamborghini and the next, an elderly man living out of a shopping cart. I found this very difficult to take in, nevertheless, I couldn’t dwell too much.
On my list of things to do was to visit Muscle Beach, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and to experience an authentic American diner. Luckily for me, I ticked all of this off, during my two week adventure and I also visited Disneyland in Anaheim, (because I am a big kid).
Venice Beach was unreal, lined with giant palm trees, swarming with beautiful women and street entertainers and also some interesting characters, thrown in! I made a beeline for Muscle Beach, to see the famous gym. I’m not sure what I expected, but I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed with its appearance. The tired gym equipment seemed to be held together with gaffer tape and it was really quite small. Nevertheless, I was standing where the bodybuilding legends once stood, and I was happy with that.
Another thing that slightly disappointed me was the food portion sizes. I somehow expected the portions to be mountainous, but this is not the case in the health capital, where I paid $14 for a fruit smoothie, containing ingredients that I have never heard of before. That being said, the food was very tasty and the service was always delivered with a trademark American smile, so I can’t complain.
A place I would recommend to eat would be The Cheesecake Factory. These restaurant chain outlets are scattered all over the place, but I visited the one on 3rd street promenade. As the name suggests, it supplies an endless selection of cheesecakes to satisfy all tastes and a comprehensive menu of great food. Another favourite place of mine was Peets Coffee. Again, a chain business, but I frequented the shop on Montana Avenue. Apparently, my friend who lives in LA regularly talks to actor, Luke Wilson in this shop, but I didn’t see him during my time there. I was also told that the restaurant I dined in on Montana Avenue, hosted Goldie Hawn and her daughter, Kate Hudson the evening before. Again, my luck was low on the celebrity meet and greet front, and my chances with Kate, were dashed…
As well as food, I am an avid car fan, and LA did not fail in providing me with Instagram worthy images. Ferrari’s, classic Mustangs and even gold wrapped G Wagons, these sightings are ‘the norm’ in this part of the world, and you soon become immune to seeing these beauties.
During my final days, we decided to take a look through Beverley Hills and visit Rodeo Drive. Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany’s, all of the high end brands that you could possibly want, in one place. Even breathing here feels like your bank account is being debited.
Hollywood, for me was a slight anti climax. Don’t get me wrong, strolling along the walk of fame and standing in one of the most important places in film and musical history, is amazing, but as with all attractions, it is extremely commercialised and once you are filtered through a gift shop, you are then faced with the bleak reality of city life, on either end of the glamorous strip. However, a very interesting place and definitely worthy of the bucket list.
As with all holidays, the final days are a bit deflating as you face the long journey, back to reality. I managed to get in some barefoot, thought provoking strolls across the warm sands of Venice Beach, (yeah, I’m quite a deep person, at times) and reflected on my time in LA, with my friends. All in all, I am very glad that I made the trip and I certainly crammed a lot into it. I would highly recommend Los Angeles to people as a place to both feel alive and to be inspired. (The cheesecake is decent too).