Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Los Angeles

I finished my conference presentation on a late Saturday morning, checked out of the hotel and waited patiently for my two friends to arrive from Berkeley. Personally, I do think roadtrips make good adventure and are a good way to bond because there isn't much you can do inside the vehicle except to talk or torture the other with bad singing (like what otterboy did). However, 6-plus hours of journey can literally be a pain in the ass too, so I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their effort and endurance. And as you know, after continuous exposure to bad singing/talking, my ears get attuned to it and by the end of the journey, I don't think your singing is that bad afterall, my dear otterboy! Isn't that miraculous? :P

The first stop we headed from the god-forsaken conference hotel was Hollywood. From the screens, I always imagined Hollywood to be a glamorous platform, glittery and full of life. It turned out to be a disappointment because the Kodak Theatre was rather blah.(I think the bright lights of Vegas were even more glittery!)



Perhaps it has to be bland so that its stars trodding in can shine? Crowds were thronging the boulevard, making it quite impossible to spot the celebrities stars pasted on the walkway. We sauntered along, looking at imprints of celebrities (hands, feet and whatsnot) which I felt were rather pointless. But oooh, guess who I saw along the boulevard???



Mister V himself! Although the V-image dropped a notch when he requested a dollar in exchange for the picture, it was nevertheless the highlight of the Hollywood exploration. We left after a while to drive aimlessly among the Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive. My left eye was starting to sting like crazy, so I wasn't quite paying attention to any beautiful large mansions. Heh.

Nearing dusk, we arrived at Santa Monica. Can I just say that Santa Monica is one of the prettiest place I ever seen? With the sandy beach, waters, vibrant lights of a nearby amusement park and quaint cafes, the sight to behold was a pleasant one. Alas, the sun was already setting. Otherwise, I was quite certain the place would be much more fantastic being basked in the warm glow of sunshine. Of course, the experience would be much better without my stupid stinging left eye.

We left the beach area for a shoppping district at Santa Monica Place. There were rows of shops and restaurants, with the street steaming with people. It was pretty cool, though I am not quite a crowd person.

After a mediocre dinner at this fusion Thai-Chinese place, we strolled back to the car for our overnight stay at The Marriot which was booked for a ridiculously cheap price on Priceline. We needed to recuperate our souls for the Universal Studios adventure on Sunday.

More about that later.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oooh... Universal Studios.
Make sure you reach there early... then take note of all the timings for all the various shows and plan accordingly. It's possible to catch every single show possible in 1 day (even if there are many people + long queues).

The Mummy ride is still the best, I think. Make sure you catch Fear Factor Live as well. Get front row seats. Guaranteed entertainment (and puking for the faint-hearted).

3:13 PM  

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