After Hollywood Hill, we headed back to Hollywood Boulevard for a much-needed dose of tacky souvenirs and postcards.
Being in LA was very fun for me, the same way it is for an American going to Paris, I guess. I read so many mystery novels and thrillers set in this city, including Jonathan Kellerman’s books, that I felt I knew it. Yet it surprised me. For instance, I had no idea it was so spread out: once you fly over the mountains bordering the city, it never seems to end. It is also very flat, there are only a few tall buildings downtown, the rest just look like endless suburbs.
The city is also quite laid-back. I mean, here we were, strolling the Walk of Fame, but between the many tourists and the tacky souvenirs (think hundreds of plastic yellow Oscar statues) you would have never thought this was one of the movie meccas. Not that I care much about the show business, whenever I read People Magazine (usually at the hair salon) I can never tell who is who. But still.
Southern California in general and Los Angeles in particular is too big and too busy for this old man. My idea of hell is trying to find the right exit lane on a LA freeway. Once was enough.
Ah, that’s the general idea I get as well, that LA is so flat and spread out. You should watch the David Lynch film “Mulholland Drive” and this fact is very much emphasized, because he has plenty of shots that pan out to the LA basin.
Great memories 🙂 The only place I regret not visiting in LA was Downtown, it looked like a lovely gritty place but it was way to far from where I was staying !
The thing that got me about my visit to Hollywood, years ago, was the ordinariness of it plus it seemed just a tad seedy and run down.
I really like your nighttime photos. They make the city come alive.
Everything looks so sparkly and glitzy. I love the entrance of the Chinese Theater. Looks cool! 😀
What time was it? It looks less busy than I would have thought.
great shots!! It Looks better in the pics than real!. What I remember most about my tryp to L.A. was the amount of homeless that maybe had a dream in the begining!!! It was a sour sweet experience. But still I would come back again and again. I am wishing to read more about your tryp and suddenly have my memories back. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I lived in L.A. for three years. It all depends on where you go – Hollywood Blvd. and Venice Beach are pretty touristy spots and kinda grungey and seedy. There are some very very exclusive areas where you can see the money that the movie industry brings in (Malibu/Santa Monica and many other places). I enjoyed living there. It is so multifaceted – not to mention the great weather.
@Tulsa Gentleman – It is big but I didn’t find it so busy compared to let’s London or Paris. I guess it is so spread out…
@Linguist-in-Waiting – Never seen the movie… oh wait, I did but I didn’t quite get it!
@Cynthia – We haven’t been either because it is far but it looked interesting.
@Yogi – I feel exactly the same! It looked so… ordinary. Not in a bad way though.
@kyh – I know!
@Em – I was around sunset, so 6 pm.
@miss – We didn’t see so many homeless… actually, more in Korea Town than anywhere else. But I see what you mean. Thank you for your input!
@Kathors – The weather was great for December! What spots would you suggest? We will be back in LA on the back from Australia in a couple of months, I’d love advices from someone who lived there!