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!