The whirlwind of LA

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I left you last time with a serious hangover, from which it took an entire day to fully recover. Los Angeles is restless and unrelenting (and so is Ben), so the first stop was The Guitar Centre (does exactly what it says on the tin), where even I was blown away by the size and beauty of the shop. The entrance on the 'sidewalk' is a mimic of the Chinese Theatre, with handprints of famous players embedded in the ground. We had a wander around the mini museum next door, full of memorabilia and relics of past music heroes.

Next stop on the Strip was Bootstar, a very dangerous place. Imagine the best boots you can, and now imagine an entire shop full from floor to ceiling of more of the same. And imagine us, with a healthy account (meant for eeking out over months of camping and travel) in this very shop. Of course, we couldn't resist and came out with two gorgeous pairs. They were on sale, I swear!

Quickly stocked up on hangover repair food at Mel's Diner, where I was once again transported into the movie world, listening in on a film deal going down at the table next to us. Ben was spotted by a passing tour bus as a writer. It's the glasses.

Drove through The Hills and Bel Air to the coast and walked from Santa Monica beach down to Venice, and back along the boardwalk. Saw some Baywatch-esque lifeguards, some excellent street performers and some of the underwolrd of Venice beach engaging in dubious activities too.

Finally got in touch with Ben Hill and headed to Guns n Roses hangout, Rainbow Bar and Grill for dinner.

Universal Studios

Just go. Go, go, go. The rollercoasters, the log flume, the 3-D movie, the House of Horrors, the Simpsons simulator, the Studio Tour, the special effects show, the pyrotechnics exhibition... it's just fantastic, and worth every single one of the 6700 cents it costs. Everything there is done to an impeccably high standard and with the best of the best in engineering, technology and attention to detail.

It was an exhuasting experience for us all, but Ben had booked tickets to see Gilby Clarke at The Viper Room months ago and there was no way we were going to miss it. Again, this was an example of how the Americans get the service and music industies right. The venue was clean, nicely done-out and didn't have that dodgy smell you get in similar places in the UK. Even the second support act were excellent musicians, the sound was spot on and there was enough space to move so you didn't feel like you were lining the pockets of the owners at the expense of your enjoyment of the evening. The following band were Semi Precious Weapons, a New York pop-punk band with an eccentric (to say the least) frontman giving the show his all in some fantastic outfits. There was no comparison, though, with the gig we'd been waiting for, for so long. Gilby Clarke and co blew us away with Stones and Beatles covers, some of his own stuff and even 'It's so Easy' and 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'. This was the stuff dreams are made of.

Heading North

Our last day we spent cruising LA with Ben Hill, and enjoying the view from the roof of his hotel, swimming in the pool up there and enjoying the classic tunes the DJ kept bringing out. We drove up to the Hollywood sign, where I managed to take an awesome photo of Ben where he almost totally obsucures the sign. It was emotional leaving Ben Hill at his 5 star hotel, although I'm sure he'll be well looked-after there.

We hit the road (the first journey on this epic trip) and were at our campsite in Morro Bay, CA 3 hours later where we are staying for a few days to explore the coast. Luckily, we took the last tent spot available at 8pm on a Sunday evening. Hmm.. maybe we need to book ahead in future!

The very beginning

Two days in and there already seems so much to write about. I will start this blog post with an apology for any typos - I am extremely hungover this morning after an indulgent night in LA.

On picking up our car we opted for an upgrade - we are driving around the US in a white Toyota Rav4 - it's pretty awesome. I wanted to drive it from the rental place to our hostel as we'd spent so much making sure I would be insured on the damn thing that it seemed like good sense to put this to use. Of course, after around 5 minutes I was pulled over by the police for not using the 'turning lane' to turn left. Just like in all the movies, that short whirring siren was switched on, I checked my mirrors, swore, pulled over and gave my best smile.

'I know you're out of town, lady, but you can't drive like that here'.
'Thanks, officer. I'm ever so sorry and I'll know for next time'.

Trying to cure ourselves from jetlag we walked out of our place, and round the corner to Hollywood walk of fame and saw all the stars. It was around midnight to our bodies, but everyone around us was at 2pm so we soldiered on and grabbed a few beers, crashing out around 10.

Yesterday, our first full day here, we spent.. shopping! Maybe it's this place, but everything we seem to do here feels like it's straight from a TV show/movie. Putting all the (many) bags in the 'trunk' felt rather 'Clueless' to me, although I'm sure Ben wouldn't agree.. I think he probably felt more 'penniless' after the spree!

Last night we went out on a tour around Hollywood, organised by our hostel. They put on two massive 4x4 limos (one Hummer) and gave us bottles and bottles of peach and strawberry champagne, plus a couple of cases of beer, then drove us to Rodeo Drive (we saw the balcony of the hotel room that much of Pretty Woman was filmed in - a cool $11k for one night in that suite), Sunset Strip and on to a club. Luckily, this was right next door to the hostel, or I wouldn't have made it home.

Today we're off to Universal Studios and hooking up with our friend Ben Hill (or Bath-famous DJ Dick Stroker). Oh, and heading for the obligatory tour of the guitar shops on Sunset...