La La Land

Looking out over LA from Hollywood Bowl

“Life is a highway I want to ride it all night long” is the famous line in Tom Cochrane’s 1991 smash hit. However, we suddenly found ourselves on a highway that we quickly wished to exit as we entered Los Angeles County from

the relaxed vibe of the Pacific Coast. A maze of whizzing traffic 8-10 lanes deep, interchanges at every turn, Steve went from tourist to  professional Nascar driver as he snaked all 38 feet of our RV between lanes of traffic. With his head on a swivel and hands white knuckling the steering wheel, we finally crossed the finish line when we arrived at Walnut Grove RV Park. Needless to say, a celebratory cocktail was in order. 

Settled in in the community of Northridge, just 23 miles outside of Hollywood,

we decided to stay for a couple of days and take in the sights and sounds of Tinsel Town. Hollywood certainly caters to the tourist and there were an abundance of tours that we could have taken but when you travel with your own wheels and you’ve got Google who needs to spend money on touristy stuff like that? So off we went on the motorcycle in search of the best place to see the infamous Hollywood sign!  Mulholland Drive, which coincidentally is also where many actors and actresses live, had a great lookout over Hollywood Bowl and the city of Los Angeles. After touring around the area we decided to

head straight for Hollywood Boulevard and take in the Walk of Fame. We walked both sides of the strip admiring all the stars of film and music, stopped into an Irish Pub and then headed on down to the Chinese Theatre. 

The sights along Mulholland Drive 

                   

The Walk of Fame

      

Located on Hollywood Boulevard, just a stones throw from the site of the Academy Awards, is the TCL Chinese Theatre. Known as the most iconic movie palace in the world it is  home to the most prominent red carpet movie premieres and special events and the place where ordinary people became Hollywood celebrities. Located just outside the doors to the theatre are the cement hand and footprints of major movie stars from past to present. It was

fascinating to stroll amongst the cement platforms, reminiscing about the

contributions these people made to the theatrical world and to our enjoyment. Many paid a huge price for Hollywood fame and some have seemingly escaped the cruel world of glitz and glamour. This stark reminder was most notably evident in the streets before us as construction crews and other “important people” were erecting the set of the upcoming Academy Awards and Yes!!! we did get a chance to walk the red carpet (while it was still covered in plastic)!

Home of the Academy Awards - The Dolby Theatre

Exciting times!

Time to head back to the RV. What should normally take a 25 minute drive ended up taking us a little over an hour and half because of the enormous traffic. Our second day in the LA area was a day to relax. We didn’t feel like battling that monster of steel and rubber again. Steve was still thinking about his missed opportunity to buy a factory made Taylor guitar and ironically enough The Guitar Centre was just up the road so we took a walk up “just to have a look” and came home proud owners of a new guitar and a free ukulele just for me! So now we are getting ready for OUR Hollywood debut! 

We were happy to have visited the Los Angeles area but we were just as happy to leave. Hollywood is Hollywood, nothing grandiose or extra special, in fact it really appeared old and dilapidated. In fact the sad reality was that just metres away from Hollywood Boulevard, under an overpass, were rows of tents and shopping carts holding the life possessions of homeless people. The thick smog that hugs the mountainside mansions of their overpaid occupants masks the true reality of the many ordinary people of Southern California. Time to head east!

Back to traffic once again!

Our navigation system as we leave Los Angeles!