There was a certain dirtiness to the main area, cheap stores hawking tourist souvenirs, great street art, old and rusted weights machines at Muscle Beach, odd locals, and the general feeling of griminess. Kinda what I was expecting really...
We grabbed a quick breakfast (black coffee with a toasted (orange) cheese sandwich) and started off down the boardwalk. The apartments got nicer the further we ventured from the main strip, we ended up at the end of the Venice Beach pier before heading back to our car a few blocks back from the beach. We stumbled upon the Venice Beach canals, a great little detour that felt like another world away from the main strip. I got suckered / conned into accepting some homemade hip-hop / reggae records (for a $20 tip of course) from some street hustlers, hopefully they aren't expecting a record deal.
Our next stop was the Getty Museum in Brentwood. We ventured inland from the coast, skirting the city of LA. We decided not to wait for the tram to the museum and instead hiked the short distance up the hill to what turned out to be a stunning architectural building with amazing views to the city below. We could (and should) have spent the day in the museum, but we only explored the grounds. We wandered through the amazing gardens, savouring the views and generally being blown away.
We spent a few hours there before heading back down the hill and venturing into Hollywood for some touristy sight seeing. We found a park a few blocks away from the centre of Hollywood Boulevard and navigated the traffic, crowds and street performers / hustlers through the area. We were surprised at the number of 'Walk of Fame stars', it doesn't seem much of an honour when the stars number in the thousands. We walked past a few 'iconic' buildings (Madam Tussauds, the Hollywood Wax Museum, the TCL Chinese Theatre) but it was mostly crowded tourist traps so we pulled off the street into a burger joint for a well earned meal.
I had a single star in mind so we reversed our course back along Sunset Boulevard (a much calmer experience), only stopping for a cold brew coffee with a dash of hemp milk. Round the corner, outside of Iguana Vintage clothing store and next to Johnny Cash, was Steve Irwin himself. Mission accomplished.
We got out of Hollywood while we could, and went to perhaps the most touristy destination of all....
It was a windy road leading out of Hollywood and up through Canyon Drive, but it was a different side of the city and the surrounding houses felt a lot different from the rest of the city we had seen. We found a park and took a few photos of the iconic spot before we continued on. Cliched but worth it.
Our last destination was the Griffith Observatory. Only a few miles as the crow flies from the Hollywood Sign, but much more by the time you navigate the windy city streets and traffic. We made good time and arrived there an hour before sunset, but we weren't the only ones with that idea.
We reached the observatory and were once again spoiled for a view, we spent the next hour gazing at the massive sprawling city below as the light fell lower and lower. The hazy skies lit up in shades of red, purple and orange as the sun fell below the horizon, a beautiful end to a fantastic day.
We joined the slow progression of cars down the mountain as Bec had the unenviable task of driving all the way back to Corona Del Mar. We lucked out with the traffic and weather and we were both surprised at how much we managed to see. I'd love to spend more time seeing the art galleries and museums but I was more than happy with what we managed to see in a day.
Lots more photos here
