Day 21 - Hollywood

Now it is time for us to explore LA a little in the few days we have left.

So of course, the first things are Hollywood and Beverley Hills.  We programmed the Big Sign and Hollywood in to the GPS and off we went.  Straight into heavy LA freeway traffic - but we're starting to get used to it.  Keep up the speed when you can, make sure you know where you are going.  The GPS really helps here.

Except that it doesn't know about recent changes.  So we ended up finding our own way around Hollywood Hills looking for the Big Sign.  We knew it was in Griffith Park, but with so many road closures we couldn't get near it.  But we did get close enough for a photo.

Then down in to Hollywood itself and park the bike to go for a walk along the star-studded sidewalks.  LA hasn't seen any rain for many months so everything is a little dusty.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed walking along recognising a name here and there.  Soon we came across Kodak Theatre, which, as well as a theatre, has become a shopping and eating mall, with its own nice view of the Big Sign.  We spent a couple of hours here.

After munching into a single piece of the hugest pizza I have ever seen, we headed down Santa Monica Blvd to Rodeo Drive.  Up and down the road a few times until we found a park, we then went for a short walk amongst these super exclusive shops.  Not even bothering to go inside.  Personally, I was much more at home at WingStuff, but it is good to sometimes have a look at another side of life.

That was about it for the day.  By the time we battled the freeways full of peak traffic back to Redondo Beach, we'd had enough for the day.  The evening meal was at a restaurant called Rockin' Baja Lobster, which served seafood in buckets and huge marguerites.  Very different, and very nice.

That's all for now, except we did take a few pics today:

Easy to get lost in here
 and in here with twisty back roads on steep hillsides
but we eventually found The Big Sign.
I'm shown here performing The Picard Manoeuvre.
Did he ride a motorcycle?
Two famous bears
Now he did ride a motorcycle
Theatre and shopping mall
We swapped cameras with a couple from Philadelphia
The Big Sign from Kodak Theatre
Charleen tried to tickle him.  But he preferred a tip.
One on a Harley, one on a Honda 1000
Now this is a yankee meal.
HEY!!!
Rodeo Drive is very neat and clean
The Beverley Wiltshire Hotel
Prada is so exclusive, they don't even bother to have their name on the store.
Via Rodeo is a nice little lane with some big names in residence.  Pity they couldn't afford the whole statue though......
Charleen and MMbear hang out at Rodeo and Wiltshire
Then we contended with a freeway full of traffic to get 'home'.

Next Day