On Saturday I got up pretty early again and went to have breakfast together with Katey. My plan for the day was is to take a bus to Santa Monica and I asked her if she wanted to join me. She decided to come with me so we called the shuttle and had it drop us of at the transit center. We got on a bus, it said “Santa Monica” on it, so we thought we should be fine. I was hoping it would bring us where we wanted to go, the areas we were riding through were not exactly appealing… But after a while we got to what had to be Downtown Santa Monica – little shops everywhere, everything clean and nice and beautiful =) We hopped off the bus and started walking and hit the 3rd Street Promenade which is practically like a shopping mall, with the stores all lined up, one after the other. There’s movie theaters and a food court, little restaurants and cafes, street entertainers and no cars. Smoking is not allowed in that area and people who make sure trash goes where it belongs, so it’s exceptionally clean!
It was love at first sight… I loved how the trees were lined up along the promenade, almost like an alley, they had all the great stores there and the gorgeous weather made it the perfect day! We were walking up and down the street, checking out the stores and trying to spot some celebrities – without luck… But on such a beatiful day that wasn’t too much of a disappointment!
The 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica
Dinousaur shaped fountain =)
After we had looked at walked along the promenade we decided to walk out to the Santa Monica Pier - after all we were in California, making it essential to go check out the beach. There’s a beautiful park before you can walk across a bridge over the major road along the ocean. Again, everything’s super clean and absolutely stunning!
Out on the pier you have a beautiful view over the ocean and the coast line. There’s an arcade, a few rides and people selling all kinds of typical vacation stuff – a typical tourist’s spot. The aquarium is out there as well.
Out on the Pier
By the time we headed back to 3rd street I was starving… I had seen a little cafe before that I really wanted to go to, they had crepes on their menu and I was craving something sweet =) It was a tough choice, as everything sounded delicious, but I ordered a dark chocolate and banana crepe, with chocolate ice cream =) I wonder if anybody besides me ever orders that… I got the full dose… Unforgetable, heavenly divine =) Katey had a chocolate croissant which looked scrumptious as well!
My lunch… Almost as beautiful as Santa Monica =)
Yes, I am happy… It’s unbelievable how excited I get about food… Although, that was more than just food!
After my belly was filled we did some shopping, I found all my favourite stores along the promenade and got myself a nice christmas present. Maybe it was because that whole day was so wonderful or the chocolate infusion made me careless – either way, I spoiled myself and got some cool stuff that I’m really happy with! Everything I got was half prize which made my day a whole lot better, if that is even possible…
Both of us were satisfied and delighted after such a fabulous day. Santa Monica really surprised me, it was filled with this fancy ambience and everything seemed brighter there, for some reason… Or maybe it was just because it was such a sunny day *haha*
We got back on the bus a little before sunset, tired from the excitements of the day, when suddenly my phone rang. It was Jessin, I guy from Sweden who had been an au pair here in Mass when I was in New York. He also extended for an extra 9 months and moved to Santa Monica just one week after I arrived in Nahant. My friend Hanna knew him and gave me his email adress so he could maybe show me around Boston but there was just too much going on with me just arriving and him leaving, so we never got a chance to meet up, but wrote emails every once in a while. I had told him I was going to be in LA and that he should call if he’s around and not too busy, but I wasn’t really expecting him too. When he offered to show me around a little there was no doubt I’d miss out on that, it’s so much better if you have someone to show you places you might not find at your first visit. Plus, LA is one of those many American cities where a car is a necessity.
So I went back to downtown Santa Monica but we didn’t stay there for long. Both of us were hungry so Jessin suggested we go to “The Grove”, kind of like a shopping mall, but mainly stores of the expensive kind. Their Christmas decoration was suppoed to be beautiful, they even have a “snow” show. Fake snow, naturally… Part of the Grove is the Farmer’s Market where you can get all kinds of food – and get lost… It’s outside though and, now that the sun was gone, it was freezing cold again.. I decided to get some pasta and we sat down to eat right beneath a heater so I wouldn’t be cold. I can’t really explain what happened that moment, but I was just unbelievably happy. I enjoyed my food so much that it made me smile and I heard myself talking and it made me smile even more. It was another one of those moments that made me realize how much I miss being among people my age and talk about real stuff and not just fake conversation to fill the silence. It was such a perfect day I could have cried… And there was more to come!
My flash didn’t go off that’s why it’s so blury… But that way you can see the lights better.
Lollllyyyy at the Grove =)
The Department of Water Power has set up a “Light Festival” in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, that’s right in the hills close to the observatory and the Hollywood Sign. The way it works is you just drive through the park and look at the lights – easy, right? And a fun thing to do when it’s cold out and you can turn the heat and the music on in the car – and have good conversation. There was a long wait, alltogether it took us maybe two hours.. But we were talking so much that it felt like much less and it didn’t bother us. I made myself comfortable in the car, putting my seet back and watching the night and talk, talk, talk… Boy, I have a lot to say, I discovered… =)
The light festival was fun, too. Christmas music was coming through the speakers on trees and I was laughing a lot the whole way. It was different, I guess that’s why I had such a great time.
My personal favourite: The “Tunnel of Light” *haha*
The observatory
I didn’t take too many pictures there, just so you get an idea. It was a deLIGHTful way to end a delightful day and I was entirely happy. I haven’t felt that way in a long time and once again I thought what a great idea it was to go on vacation in LA. It turned out to be such an incredibly time and I couldn’t have wished for anything more. As we were driving on the highway right through downtown Los Angeles, the music turned up pretty loud and all the lights around us I couldn’t help but smile. A smile that I couldn’t wipe off my face for quite a while and I only thought I don’t want this feeling to ever end.
There was absolutely nothing missing that day, it couldn’t have been any better, and neither could my mood have been. Seeing my self that happy was a surprise, which in turn made me think how sad that actually is. But there was just no room for sadness so I kept on being joyful. There should be more days like that in life, days at places that seem like Heaven on Earth… Or make you feel that way…
