After a typical US breakfast of Corned beef hash, hash browns and just the two eggs (it was the diet option), the whole city lay before me. Here, public transport seems to be an after thought, with a rather rudimentary Metro system and a fine collection of buses that would see me having to change every few stops. So, I decided to do what everyone advises against and walk!A cool humid morning changed to a blistering hot day as I trudged around all those streets that we know so well from music and the TV: Hollywood, Wilshire, Santa Monica and Sunset Boulevards. Lennox and Melrose Avenues as well as Vine and Le Brea, home to the infamous tar pits!
The day wore on and the sun grew hotter as I sauntered past various film studios and the homes of the wealthy. Luckily their servants were invariably using lawn sprinklers which kept me slightly cooler although I did get some odd looks. As the city is so vast everything seems to be several miles away from where you are currently standing. Eventually after walking much of the length of the star studded and tawdry Sunset past Graummans Chinese Theatre with the famous hand and footprints in the cement out front (Gene Kelly had tiny tootsies), I hopped on the Metro down to Union Station to witness the Conductor ringing the bell and shouting "All aboard"!
My only concession to Californification so far has been a fruit smoothie which contained: 2 apples, half a mango, half a pineapple half a banana and half a kiwifruit. Also wheat and barley grass, broccoli, spinach, green tea sprollina chlorella, blue green algae, garlic and of course Echinacia....er yum!
I am looking forward to getting the car in a few minutes and heading out of LA. However which direction to travel?
