Coming from Australia we are used to long distance travel but getting to LA can take a while ….. however it is certainly worth it! Planning your trip is essential — not only to obtain your visa with plenty of time to spare but also to know what you would like to do in the time permitting.
I am going to take you on a whirlwind journey around LA in 48 hours where we stayed on touch down and exiting the USA from LAX airport — you really can do so much but as mentioned before you have to have a clear idea of what you would like to cover off and stick to a plan as you can get sidetracked easily. With my trips it is important to see as much as I can in a short period but I do like to mix it up a little — enjoying some sophistication with action!
A great area to stay is in West Hollywood, initially I stayed at Hotel 850 SVB such a cool spot you enter to black and white tiles and are offered a glass os champagne in a vintage glass and was told that at 5pm I could join other residents on the roof terrace for complimentary cocktails and cheese. This was the beginning of my realisation that hospitality was the name of the game and I was in!
Flying in and out of LAX Airport allows you to have two bites of the apple so I made sure I had 48hours both entering and leaving the USA in LA which maximised on what I could do. So back to my master plan.
I decided to do lots of walking around West Hollywood and spent a day with a superb guide from the LA Bike Shop called Ally who hired me a wonderful ebike so I could keep up with everyone, I knew this trip was not for the faint hearted and we would be covering about 40 km setting off from West Hollywood, travelling to Santa Monica and Bel Air to view the stars homes with plenty of stops for the guide to explain what we could see and which movie star lived in the home we were viewing. Then we were off to Venice Beach, passing Muscle beach etc to get there, riding past long beaches with lots of open spaces and a few beach boutiques on the waterfront predominately selling t-shirts or food and juice. You had to navigate passed a few roller bladers but overall it was a fun route. At Venice beach we had a picnic lunch and a healthy juice and then carried on along dried up dams, over bridges to return back. We passed so many areas that had been used for film sets such as for the Green Hornet, Grease and more… which added to the fun of the day. I talked to Ian Lynch back at the shop later and learned a lot about their passion for creating such amazing rides using great talent and well oiled bikes.
In the evening we enjoyed a wonderful Mexican dinner at the Pink Taco (featured in the pics above) which boasts a wonderful menu, terrific frozen mango margaritas and a great chilled vibe. This is located at the foot of Chateau Mormont, 8221 Sunset Boulevard where we were to stay on our return.
Walking around the area is lots of fun and you can walk past some of the most notable band hangouts that you have only heard about in the movies such as The Troubadour, Santa Monica Boulevard.
When in Hollywood yes you can walk to the big Hollywood sign but so many areas allow you a superb view of it from afar so it really depends on how much time you have. Rodeo Drive is a must, lots of Lamborghini’s driving around and lots of people enjoying retail therapy I was definitely pulled into my beloved PRADA. If you have watched Pretty Woman and enjoyed Julia Roberts with the rags to ritches story filmed around Wiltshire Boulevard then you must check out the Wiltshire Hotel and perhaps sit in the bar and have a glass of champagne and watch the world go by. You obviously have to do the walk of fame and count the stars (if you are lucky you might see one being laid).
Rounding off the day back at our hotel was wonderful Chateau Mormont has old world charm it has been used for many movies, is frequented by many music artists and for people that want to be seen. There have been rock and roll artists plunging to their deaths and back in the day it was the place to host a party in your bungalow or by the pool. The private car park is a whose who of super cars and is choca with so much to see. Our mini-suite overlooked the famous courtyard where we took most of our meals and people watched — from rappers to old world stars everyone was enjoying their time out.
Note: This trip was taken pre Covid and would love you to enjoy a little escapism now and plan your trips for when travel is permitted.
Hold the Prosecco 
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