What a whirlwind the past few days have been. From Merida Mexico, to a night in Las Vegas, driving Route 66, and now walking the streets of Hollywood Blvd. My friend and I both agreed, it was hectic but the best way to spend the last few days of our USA trip. It was the finale of our USA/Mexico travels!
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Los Angeles and Hollywood
Los Angeles was interesting. We could hardly believe we were actually in the city of celebrities, stars, and movies. It was an exciting feeling being here, however the city felt dirty and neglected. Or maybe just the area where we were staying? We booked a hotel in West Hollywood to be close to Hollywood Blvd, but after the first night, we weren’t sure it was the right location for us.
We decided to walk along Hollywood Blvd twice, once in the evening and again the next morning. Unfortunately, both times we felt very uncomfortable. We were approached a few times inappropriately by random strangers (who seemed high or drunk), and it was the first time during our trip that we felt a bit unsafe. It was a shame really.
So, after walking along Hollywood Blvd for 20min, looking at all the stars on the sidewalk and wondering why and when they lost their glamour, we suddenly had a great idea! Let’s catch the bus…
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The LA Tour Bus
I’m usually not a fan of tours, but we wanted to see LA, Hollywood, and the famous streets. And as the city is quite big, we thought it might be worth the money. And it was! The bus was small and open-topped, and so we went on this two hour ride, learning all about Hollywood. Before our special ‘Universal Studio’ appointment in the afternoon… (don’t tell anyone…)
From spotting the iconic HOLLYWOOD sign to driving past the Pretty Woman balcony, Michael Jackson’s house, and Marilyn Monroe’s home, it was incredible to see where so many famous actors lived. P.S. I finally know where Jason Statham and Brad Pitt live!
We drove past the Hollywood sign and Rodeo Drive, all in all, it was an amazing tour. The essence of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was all around us.
After our bus tour and a quick lunch we made it just in time to the Universal Studio and our date. We had tickets to the filming of the Voice Season 27 Finale. Obviously I can’t tell you much about it, and phones weren’t allowed in, but let me tell you.. spending the afternoon in a small studio with Michael Bublé, John Legend and Adam Levine from Maroon 5 was incredible. What a unique experience!
Once upon a time in Hollywood was awesome!!
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The last few days…
We were flying back from San Francisco so we spend the last few days driving up the California coast. From Santa Monica to Santa Barbara, Carmel, and Santa Cruz, I had planned to write a separate blog post about this part of the trip. However, the weather didn’t cooperate. Leaving behind a sunny day in West Hollywood, we arrived in Santa Monica only to find very thick fog. Which persisted all the way up the coast. Other than a nice lunch at the Rosewood Hotel near Santa Barbara, we barely stopped.
The temperature dropped to nearly 14 degrees, and we just wanted to keep driving. And so we did, all the way to Santa Cruz.
We settled in Santa Cruz for the last two days. It was really fun and relaxing. We had an amazing breakfast in Carmel, which was charming but also very cold, and spent the afternoon in sunny Santa Cruz. I had no idea the weather could be so temperamental on the California coast.
It was a shame, really, because I wanted to take more time to enjoy the little towns and this area of USA. Oh well, I guess it will be a reason to come back again. I hardly took any photos…
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And so…
… once upon a time in Hollywood…
And so, after three weeks, our trip to the USA and Mexico came to an end. Five states and two countries later, it was time to head back to Phuket! It was an amazing journey with an amazing friend. What a fun experience! Somehow I know I will be back this way to explore USA and this part of the world more… most likely sooner than expected. Stay tuned.. x
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