Everything I like….

Wednesday morning I woke up late and relaxed. Took a free Comfort Inn coffee to go, and my first visit was the Silver lake 5 minutes north of the Hotel. Nice view over the Lake to the Hollywood sign. Enviable the people who live here, nice apartments, with lot of green, not too prententious but with nice views in the hilly streets. Blooming bird-of-paradise flowers in the front gardens make me remember the climatic affinity to siciliy, where my mother lives and we also have a bird-of-paradise flower which must be blooming right now, whereas in Munich we have 20 cm of snow and – 10 degree celcius.

View from Silver Lake district to Hollywood sign and lake.

I had no concrete plans for the day, just some ideas like Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and Downtown L.A.( which I wanted to visit more in detail because I have always avoided it, in my previous three L.A. visits to go downtown L.A.). I returned from Silver Lake with a small stop at Echo Park.

Echo Park: I liked this view so much that I have been here at least three times (near my hotel).

Due to the sunny weather I decided to start with Grifith Park, Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Downtown L.A. could wait till the evening. Driving along Sunset Boulevard (from my hotel) to Hollywood I could soon see the Observatory and the Hollywood sign. Fascinating the palms everywhere along Sunset Boulevard. I took a drive up to Grifith Park and enjoyed the marvelous view to the Hollywood sign from the Observatory, where construction is still ongoing.

The sign.

Comign down from Griffith park I drove around the residential area below the park. The houses and front gardens here looked similar to the ones in Desperate Housewifes and I saw mexican gardeners with their pickup trucks everywhwere. Either they were pushing a a lawn-mower or they were watering flowers.

I wouldn’t mind living here: Below Griffith Park, North Hollywood.

From Here I continued through Hollywood Boulevard and St. Monica Boulevard towards Beverly Hills for a stroll through Rodeo Drive (can’t deny that I had some slight hope to see some famous Hollywood star during morning shopping, but didn’t turn true).

Didn’t find my favourite boutique on Rodeo Drive, …

Next I went back via Sunset Strip and St. Monica Blvd and turned South onto Fairfax Avenue, crossing a jewish quarter and a korean. Lot of colors and people around, lot of green front gardens, nice area too. I drove south some miles and then returned back north up to Farmer’s Market. Comparable to Munichs Viktualienmarkt a vivid open air market where I tried Pastrami sandwich and discovered Light my fire: a small hot sauce shop with hundreds of different hot chili sauces of every taste and flavor. I bought 4 sauces for 35 USD, for example a raspberry-jalapeno sauce for Christiane, and a “Mango Meltdown” and a “Fucking Hot sauce” for me. Not far from here is Melrose avenue were I went next, a pitoresque colorful fashion boutique mile. I checked out some Jeans store, but they didn’t have any Jeans below 180 USD so I decided to wait for another opportunity to buy me a 40-USD-Levis my obligatory USA-vacation-souvenir.

Colorful boutiques in Melrose Avenue

After this I was ready for Downtown L.A. Being hungry I started in China Town where I hoped to find some Dim-Sum diner: I was told that Dim-Sum is served only in the morning and for Lunch (don’t know if its true). I left disappointed and hungry for El Pueblo the old L.A. initial colony. Meanwhile it has get dark. I continued my tour on foot to see Angels flight, the Bradbury Building, the Grand central market and finally the L.A. Central Library building. Was quite dark and little bit of Batman movie atmosphere in those dark streets with those high buildings.

Strolling through Downtown L.A.

I was still hungry and decided to end the evening with another drive back to Hollywood where I parked my car on Hollywood Boulevard near Graumans Chinese Theater (12 USD parking flat rate), were I had a walk through the handprints at Graumans, the Kodiak Theather complex and the walk of fame with the stars, before dining at a Hamburger Restaurant opposite of Graumans.
On my way home to Comfort In Hotel I took a last nightly view to the Downtown Skyline from Echo Park: Good Bye L.A. tomorrow I am driving to Long Beach and then back to Las Vegas. (my mileage today: 70 miles driven)

See the complete Photo series of this trip on my Homepage

Related Posts:

• New Mexico Roadtrip day 2: Mon 28th Jan 2008 Zion N.P.
• New Mexico Roadtrip day 1: Sun 27th Jan 2008 Las Vegas
• Carnet de Voyage Day 9: Sat February 4th 2006
• Carnet de Voyage Day 8: Fri February 3rd 2006
• Carnet de Voyage Day 7: Thu February 2nd 2006

When I woke up this morning, I regreted to not having booked two nights here in NewYork New York Hotel. I liked this Hotel and the room very much and I had the best sleep of the whole trip. But I had decided to pass the last night in another Hotel: The Tropicana, just over the street.
So I had to checkout and with the luggage in the trunk I drove to have a Goodbye Breafast Buffet in my favourite Breakfast place: the Bellagio Hotel. For 15 USD including tax, I got best juice and coffee and toasted Bagels with salmon, pancake with Syrup and large selection of fruit and a lot of other premium stuff. (It was my last day here). After breakfast I needed a walk and went to the strip and walked around to say Good Bye to the strip. Then I decided to visit another Comic shop on Rainbow Boulevard, but it showed to be not good and I didn’t buy anything. I continued driving around stopping in a Starbucks drive-through for a Mocha Cappucino (venti) to go, and continued to drive through the roads stopping at a Tower Records where I also didn’t find anything I liked. My plan was to see the Red Rock canyon this last day, so at about 10:00 am I drove to this place which is only 17 miles east of the strip.

Scenic drive in Red Rock Canyon.

In the red rock canyon I stopped at the several viewpoints taking the scenic drive and I made a longer stop at Pine Creek Canyon. Here I made a 2 1/2 hour hike towards the canyon and the creek and back. It had become very hot this last day here in Vegas: about 71 degree F (felt like 25 degree Cel.) The sun was shining and the sky was blue: I didn’t want to return to cold Munich the next day. I left Red Rock canyon at about 3:00 pm and continuing driving around casuall through the streets in Las Vegas, stopping whereever I saw something interesting.

I decided then to check my Emails in the Flamingo Business center, which I had used already the first time. Then time has come for check-in at the Tropicana Hotel, and when entering there I regreted again for not having stayed at New York New York Hotel. This Tropicana was so old and greasy: I didn’t like it from when I entered.

My Hotel room wing in the Tropicana: Excellet view to car park.

I also got only a third floor room with view to the car park. And I paid even more than I had paid in the New York New York. O.k. left the luggage and immediately went out onto north strip for a diner at Bellaggio, and afterwards again a walk along the strip passing Bellagio lake with the nighly fountain show, going up to Treasure island were the Pirate show just ended, crossing strip and entering The Wynn Hotel, that new 5 star Hotel admiring that big waterfall and the lobby. Then I walked down on the strip over Paris, Venetian to Aladin for a last walk through the desert passage. Then back to my car in the Bellagio. It has become late and I took a last drive to fill up the car, so that I didn’t have to do this the next morning before leaving the car at the rental station. Then I went back to Tropicana, got all my stuff out of the car for packing the luggage for my flight home to Munich on the next morning.

See the complete Photo series of this trip on my Homepage

Related Posts:

• New Mexico Roadtrip day 2: Mon 28th Jan 2008 Zion N.P.
• New Mexico Roadtrip day 1: Sun 27th Jan 2008 Las Vegas
• Carnet de Voyage Day 9: Sat February 4th 2006
• Carnet de Voyage Day 7: Thu February 2nd 2006
• Carnet de Voyage Day 6: Wed February 1st 2006