Los Angeles!!!

6:00AM I set off for the airport. Check in was really easy everything going to plan. The flight left at 10:15 and arrived in JFK New York 8 hours later.
I had a brief 40 minute stop where I managed to glimpse the New York skyline in the distance - very exciting!
However it is somewhat soul destroying having to get back on board for another 6 hour flight when all I wanted to do was “be there”!!
I arrived after a 20 hour journey, at the hotel in Los Angeles, faced with some bright and cheery receptionist who seemed to think it was mid afternoon, when I knew very well it was actually the dead of night!

I flew out with my daughter and her friend, they would be spending their birthdays (12th &13th June) out here in Los Angeles and we decided we wanted to see as much as we could of Los Angeles today, as it would be the only full day I would spend with the girls, so we took a bus tour of all the places to see. I would highly recommend doing this as it gives you a great intro to LA.

We stopped first at Venice Beach - or Baywatch Beach if you like. The sea was too inviting to resist and yes, the water was warm!

We did actually consider swimming out to sea to see if the lifeguards actually worked, but there was a bus waiting!

Toured Venice (not QUITE as good as the REAL Venice but still very pretty!)

Then we went on to Rodeo Drive - how impressive is that??

This was Stella McCartneys shop, for all us Brits who were wondering where she has gone!

Of course we did the “Walk of Fame”!!

…and the Chinese Theatre.

Then we went up to the Griffiths Observatory for a better look.

Very hot up here!

I would have to say that as we stood looking over Los Angeles, the thing that struck us the most was that as far as you could see in any direction was…Los Angeles! …and I am talking miles and miles and miles!

Then on to the Walt Disney Concert Hall...

The tour took in many more places but I have far too many pictures that would bore you to death. However on the evening of the 15th we took a trip to the City Walk at Universal Studios. We booked cars to take us and collect us later.

Every shop front screams out for attention with neon lights everywhere and huge signs. This restaurant had a full size wagon and horses galloping across the front!

This water feature was great fun, you could sit here for hours and watch. The water squirted up from between the flagstones in dancing sequences but the whole thing only comes to life when the kids play in it - I am yet to be convinced that there isn't someone somewhere controlling this to torment the kids!

At night the place comes to life - more life! There is a really relaxed family atmosphere here, I would definitely recommend a visit!

Bubba Gump's Shrimp shop is fun!

This is the Hard Rock Cafe, full of memorabilia as you can imagine.

With a 78 foot neon Fender Stratocaster guitar at the entrance - just so you don't to miss it!

When it came time to leave, there had been a mix up with the cars and the only available car came to collect us. It was a HUGE black stretch limousine. Blimey, there we were with our shopping wearing jeans and sandals in a car like that - you should have seen the looks we got!