"LA, Hollywood, and the Sunset Strip..."

(in the words of Huey Lewis) "...is something everyone should see..."

 

I started out by parking my car at a station at the end of the Gold Line and took the Metro into downtown.  The train system is very nice, by the way. 

Got off at Union Station and walked over to Chinatown.  I really liked LA's Chinatown, better than the one in NY or Philly.  Different plazas to weave in and out of, and you could find anything there: shoes, clothes, handbags, watches, movies, bedding, luggage, fruit, jewelry, etc.  A lot of the shops had merchandise set up outside on the streets too because the weather was so nice. 

Walked through El Pueblo de Los Angeles- a little plaza with Spanish music, food, and merchandise carts- and over towards the Historic District of downtown.

  








Not too far stands the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and it is a church design like I had not seen before- very modern with clean lines.  It's backed by a steel tower from the Music Center that can be sen through large etched panes of glass along the side of the Cathedral grounds.

 

On the way in towards the middle of downtown, I passed the LA Times building, the Civic Center, and around Pershing Square.  It was different to see, but not a bigger or more exciting city than Chicago!

Hopped on the Metro Red Line at Pershing Square and took it to Universal City.  I just wanted to stroll through City Walk and see how it compares to Orlando's City Walk.  Of course City Walk is always more stimulating at night with all of the buildings lit up and music and events going on, but the colorful array of restaurants, stores, and attractions is still great to see in daylight too.

Back to the Red Line and off again to Hollywood.  Hollywood Blvd's Walk of Fame was spread over a stretch than is longer than I had expected!  I almost made it to the end before dark and then turned back to get some night photos near the Chinese Theater.  The Kodak Theater, El Capitan, Chinese Theater, and Hollywood and Highland Center (along with the Hollywood sign) were all so great to see.  I didn't get very many good pictures of the Chinese Theater, nor did I see the hand prints of the stars in the cement, because this week was some filmfest and the movie premiere of Love and Other Drugs was going on.  The sidewalk from the Hard Rock Cafe to the corner had been blocked off.  (no, I didn't get a glimpse of any stars)

 

That night I stayed with members of Bill's family near Pasadena- only about 15 min from where I had left my car.  It was so nice of them to put me up!  They live in a really big, beautiful home in an area not far from a canyon/ woodsy area.  They have a pool that frequently gets a furry visitor... a bear actually likes to take afternoon swims there!

Tomorrow is supposed to be another day in the 90s... perfect to check out some of the beach cities.