As mentioned, my first day in LA began with a freezing cold room and a red nose, not what I’d expected. Still, I was really excited for my first day in that big city and couldn’t wait to go out and explore. I took a hot shower and put on some of the warmer clothes I brought with me went to have the complimentary breakfast, containing a blueberry muffin and coffee, which was just right for me. I had my coffee refilled for the at least 5th times when I joined a group of Canadians that I had already met the previous night at their table. They were going to stay at a different hotel that night, somewhere closer to Hollywood, and as I couldn’t wait to go see Hollywood myself we made plans to head out together.
While they were packing up their stuff (they even went for a swim shortly before we left, entertaining everyone around the pool by doing wild jumps and flips) I sat outside in the sun and warmed myself up. I was relieved that it wasn’t as freezing during the day and it felt like heaven letting the sun shine down on me.
More like the weather I was hoping for!
The hotel’s shuttle bus dropped us off at the bus transit center where we had to take the bus to get to the the train station and switch trains twice – it took us fairly long… As they wanted to check in at their hotel I said good bye and got out at a random station and started walking. I wanted to see ”Walk Of Fame” and downtown Holywood in general, I wasn’t quite sure if I was headed into the right direction but remained optimistic, as was strolling along Hollywood Boulevard and after a while spotted the famous Hollywood sign =) The whole environment down south is so different from here at the east coast and I enjoyed it so much, the sight of all those palm trees gave me incredible pleasure. I was really happy I chose to go on that vacation and I was in a great mood. I stopped to eat at a little diner and after a while I saw the first stars on the ground – I had reached the Walk Of Fame. I was fascinated by the fact that I was walking around that famous place, it felt kind of like the first few times I went to New York. Moments like that are the highlights of my US experience and I’m proud to now be able to say “I’ve been there” whenever there’s something about Hollywood on TV =) I did some shopping and took everything in, amazed by the atmosphere. Well, here’s some pictures.
The guys from Quebec, at the train station. They had such a crazy style =)
Unfortunately really tiny… The Hollywood sign
Right where it’s at =)
The light was tough for taking pictures…
One of my personal stars =)
Walking down the Walk Of Fame
I knocked myself out there… I had the best time! I decided to get back on the train, it would take me a while to get home and the sun was already setting, I didn’t have a coat and prepared myself, as it was gonna get cold pretty soon… Fortunately I didn’t have to wait long for neither one of the trains nor the bus, but it took an hour for the shuttle bus to pick me up and my feet felt like ice cubes… When I got back to my room I had a roommate =) The first night I’d had the 8 bed room to myself, but now there was a girl from Pennsylvania whose flight to a ski resort in California was cancelled so she was stuck in LA for 5 days. I told her about how much fun I’d had the previous night and headed down to the pool to see if there were people around again. Shortly after Katey, the girl from my room, showed up and we sat there for a while, talking, until a guy joined us and gave me a good laugh: He lives in Long Beach, which is part of LA, and took a week vacation at the Adventurer (the hotel) because he loves it so much… We talked for several hours, ignoring the cold and had a really fun time! It struck me once again how interesting it is to meet people while traveling… Everyone’s from a different place, living a different life. You meet those people once and probably won’t ever see them again, you might even forget they exist… I just think it’s fascinating, somehow…
That night, we turned the heat on in our room and I didn’t have to freeze. I was dressed a little warmer and fell right asleep after that long and exciting day, full of new experiences and people. I can’t believe I had been worried about being lonely on my vacation, about going by myself… That’s the best way to meet people, and it certainly worked out for me.
Hollywood was definitely an experience. That first day in Los Angeles was fabulous, I saw a great part of the city and felt proud of it, for it was one of the places in this world I didn’t wanna miss visiting. Who would have ever thought that I’d be walking through Hollywood one day, feeling free and independent and enjoying myself so much that it’s impossible to explain… It was one of those days where I felt invincible, on top of the world, simply unforgetable!
