Los Angeles
a:Los Angeles
r:California
Last autumn I had to travel to the US for work and we chose to add a week of holidays afterwards. We decided to spend the week in the City of Angels - Los Angeles. The perfect spot for some November sunshine, especially when it is grey and miserable at home. The Californian sunshine never disappoints... We decided against a hotel on this occasion, booked our apartment via AirBnB, and chose Silver Lake as the place to stay. Our apartment was on a hill and out from the deck, we had an excellent view of this huge city. The apartment was part of a house where the owners lived too. It was easy to park on the street, in the summer there is a pool and it was within walking distance to all the cool Silver Lake hangouts on Sunset Boulevard. The perfect starting point to explore this huge city. I have to admit that I was never a big fan of Los Angeles and didn't understand the appeal besides the weather. I have been a number of times, but most of the time I travelled there for work. But since LA is Alex's all-time favourite city, he led the way and showed me his LA and showed me why he likes it some much. After only five days there I have to say I get it more and more. Here are some of the reasons why... I guess I have to keep coming back for more...
LA Breakfast
a:West Sunset Boulevard
r:California
For breakfast, we chose some of the many great restaurants on and around Sunset Junction. What a beautiful treat to have breakfast outside in the sun in November. And a personal favourite of mine when in America, is to start the day with a delicious omelette, fresh juice, and a cafe latte. And none of the restaurants we chose, disappointed. Try for example Millie's on 3524 W Sunset Boulevard or Sunset Junction Coffee Shop on 3916 Sunset Boulevard. There are so many to choose from!!
LA Things to Do
a:Abbot Kinney Boulevard
r:California
**Basketball** Sport is such a big thing in the United States, and we thought we should watch a game, any game really. We checked and found an LA Clippers basketball game on a Monday night. They play at the Staples Center in downtown LA and we managed to buy tickets. We sat really high up on the ranks and watched the Clippers play and win against the team from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Staples Center is home to many different sports teams as well as concerts taking place in LA and it fits over 19.000 people during a Basketball game. The game is everything, from great sports, cheerleaders, excited fans, and oversized food and drink portions. Just everything you would expect. Very cool experience and definitely one to recommend. **Santa Barbara** We took a day trip out to Santa Barbara to visit this picturesque coastal town. The city has just under 100.000 inhabitants and is the main city on the American Rivera. It is one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the whole of the USA and the Spanish and Mexican influence is still visible very much. We had lunch at the seaside and afterwards walked along the water, watched the skateboarders in the park, and took photos of the beautiful palm trees that line the streets. On our way back we stopped at the outlet mall "Camarillo Premium Outlet". For me, a visit to the mall is a must when in the US and this one didn't disappoint. Great choice of shops and great discounts to be found. **LACMA and the Berlin Wall** On our way back to Silver Lake and our AirBnB one night, we drove by the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), the County Museum of Art which we recognized from the movies. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard in Hancock Park. We parked our car and when we got off we stood outside a piece of the Berlin Wall. You can imagine our surprise to find this here, so far away from home. But this is actually the longest piece of the original Berlin Wall outside of Germany. It was part of the "Wende project" during the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We then walked to the museum to take pictures of the beautiful light installations which have been shown in many movies before. We didn't make it back to the museum during their opening times, but if you go during the daytime, this museum is the largest in the western United States with over 130.000 objects from antique times until the present day. **Abbot Kinney** On our last day, we visited Venice. It is located in the western part of LA with many different canals crossing through it, just like the original Venice in Italy. This part of town is famous for its artistic community and beach life. We parked our car to visit the famous street Abbot Kinney Boulevard first. In 1990, the street that was formerly called West Washington was renamed Abbot Kinney, named after the man who built the Venice canals. Now, this street is a big attraction to locals and tourists alike. There is a fantastic selection of shops, restaurants, wine shops, and galleries and a street that has history and relevance for today at the same time. After some retail therapy, we walked to Venice Beach for some last sunshine before heading home to winter in Germany. Beautiful large beaches where many people spend their days with sporting activities, reading, playing with their kids, or just relaxing while listening to the Pacific Ocean.
LA Places with a view
a:Malibu
r:California
**Point Dume** On our return from Santa Barbara, we stopped in Malibu to visit Point Dume during sunset. Absolutely spectacular! Point Dune is a sand dune within the Point Dume State Beach Park. We parked by the water and climbed up the dune for the most incredible view of Malibu, the whole coastline, and a beautiful sunset. Stunning scenery, romantic setting, and absolutely fabulous photos afterwards. **Griffith Observatory** We visited the Griffiths Observatory, which located on the south side of Mount Hollywood within Griffith Park. People come up here to enjoy the views of Los Angeles, to see the famous Hollywood sign, and to visit the planetarium and the hall of science. This building was also used for many movie sets like Terminator and Charlie's Angels. **Getty Center** The other viewpoint we chose was the Getty Center. It is located on a hill and when you get there, you park your car and take the Getty tram to get up to the museum. The Getty Center was opened in 1997 and is home to a part of the collection from the J. Paul Getty Museum consists of approximately 50.000 pieces of art. They range from classical art to sculptures and photography. Located within this complex are the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Leadership Institute. The complex also has a beautiful garden area and on a clear day, you can see as far as the Pacific Ocean, the mountains of Big Bear City, and downtown. All are absolutely worth visit!
Death Valley
a:Furnace Creek
r:California
The destination for our weeklong vacation is LA. On our way there, we drove from Las Vegas to Death Valley for a pit stop which takes only a couple of hours by car. The further out of the city of Las Vegas you drive, the quieter it gets. We stopped on our way to take pictures of the endless roads and impressive landscape, it was so pretty and so typical for the area. Taking in the beautiful scenery while driving and not being able to do anything else but looking out of the window, priceless. After a couple of hours, we arrived at the only town in Death Valley - Furnace Creek where we stayed at The Ranch Art Furnace Creek, a hotel that is a working ranch at the same time.
Bad Water Basin & Golden Canyon, Death Valley
a:Death Valley
r:California
**Bad Water Basin** We didn't waste much time on arrival and drove to the saltwater lake "Bad Water Lake" which is located 85m below sea level. Walking from the parking spot on to the salt lake field was amazing as we had never seen anything like this before in our lives. a stunningly beautiful landscape, amazing colours and you can look as far as your eyes take you. This was one of the few times in my life where I somehow felt a total sense of freedom. This is a very unique spot and very high up on my personal recommendation list! **Golden Canyon** We also stopped at the Golden Canyon, from where you have stunning views of the whole valley. At the entrance of the canyon is a convenient parking lot and once you leave the car, you walk straight through the beautiful golden rocks of this canyon. The Canyon is easy to walk, you see many different rock formations and you can either walk in and back or you walk a loop which is approximately 4 miles long. Very pretty!
Sand Dune & Father Crowley Point, Death Valley
a:Death Valley
r:California
From Death Valley, we drove on to LA. On our way there we stop at the sand dunes of Death Valley National Park. It is a protected area and no vehicles are permitted. The highest dune is only about 100m high but the dunes cover a vast area. Impressive sight! For lunch, we stopped at Panamint Springs Resort after driving down a long road which phenomenal views. After some real American burgers, we continued our journey to stop at one last Death Valley viewpoint. Be sure not to miss this! It is called Father Crowley Point and you have to walk approximately 15 minutes from the parking lot to get to the edge of the viewpoint but this is definitely more than worth it. We only came across 3 other tourists and had the whole place to ourselves... Which felt likes the whole world was ours alone... Amazing!!
