Los Angeles and Huntington Beach

After the compulsory programme at Pacific Park, I took a stroll along the Santa Monica Pier, stopping off at Pier Burger for a delicious burger and a local IPA.

Refreshed, I made my way back to the rental car. As I still had plenty of time, I decided to take another dip in the Pacific Ocean, which fortunately wasn’t quite as cold here in Los Angeles as it was in San Francisco.

As I had two days in Los Angeles before heading on to Orange County, I had a bit of the usual tourist programme on the agenda. From Santa Monica I drove straight to Hollywood, whose heyday has probably long since passed. Not only do the stars of the stars decorate the Walk of Fame, but there are also an extremely large number of empty bars and restaurants on both sides of Hollywood Boulevard, which gives a run-down impression. Every now and then you come across one of the old theatres, but that’s about it. Interestingly, the image that Disney and Universal give of Hollywood in their theme parks is much more appealing.

After a stop at the local Hard Rock Café, I drove on to Lake Hollywood Park to take a picture of the Hollywood sign. The drive to the park was a highlight as the roads are very narrow in places and hug the hillside beautifully. After taking some photos of the Hollywood Sign and Downtown LA, I was drawn to the nearby Griffith Observatory. I had hoped to take some pictures of the illuminated Hollywood sign, but the city is saving a bit of electricity at the moment, so I was left with the illuminated Griffith Observatory, from where you also have a great view of Downtown LA.

During my stay in LA I stayed very cheaply at the LA Crystal Hotel near Long Beach. Although I later found out that the location wasn’t quite so favourable, I didn’t see this as a problem due to the closed underground car park. The room itself was quite modern by American standards and had by far the most comfortable beds of the whole tour. With that in mind, I can definitely recommend staying here.

The next day I took the train to Los Angeles. Here I first had a look at Little Tokyo and the local China Town before going to the actual city centre. I particularly liked Grand Central Market near the Angels Flight funicular up to the Financial District, where I had lunch at Maple Block Barbecue. Architecturally, the Los Angeles City Hall and the elegant Union Station are well worth a visit.

In the afternoon I drove on to Anaheim, where I spent the next four nights at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Orange County, which was really nice. On the way I stopped in Huntington Beach for a short walk along the pier.