This afternoon we drove around LA in a Lincoln Town Car – a bit smart! Toured a few of the spots via Santa Ana and Santa Monica Freeways, Rodeo Drive, Wilshire Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Strip, Hollywood Boulevard, some of the tree-lined residential streets of Hollywood and Beverley Hills, Pacific Coast Highway, Marina Del Ray and Santa Monica Pier. LA is extremely spread out and driving certainly allows you to appreciate this.
We wandered around downtown looking at the bronze and terrazzo “stars” on the “Walk of Fame” sidewalk outside the Kodak Theatre (home of the Academy Awards) and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (venue for many premieres). Also admired the HOLLYWOOD sign which can be viewed from various points for miles around the city. It was built in 1923 to advertise new housing and the original 50′ high sign read Hollywoodland.
Downtown LA was apparently very busy for Saturday maybe because of Columbus Day on Monday. Also strolled along part of Venice Beach with its eclectic array of shops and street performers – it was blowing a real gale so didn’t spend much time on the beach. The winds are a worry as at present California is very dry and there is concern about forest fires.
Certainly not enough time to see LA but a good quick overview and we then had to head to the airport to await our flight home.
