Los Angeles, California was the first port of call on my trip. It is an enjoyable place to stay, especially if you're interested in the entertainment business or just want to relax on the beach. I stayed in Santa Monica and Venice Beach for about a week. Santa Monica is a bit more upmarket and has the famous pier with a Ferris wheel. Venice on the other hand is plain crazy. Especially on Sundays when there beach walk is full of entertainers. You can spend all day just watching performers and entertainers go about their business.

The only gripe, quite a major one, is that public transport in the city sucks. Getting a bus for any great distance is out of the question. It takes roughly two hours to get to Downtown LA from Santa Monica. Also, the people you meet on the buses tend to be from the poorer portions of the populations. Whilst I never felt threatened the few times I did get a bus, it can be quite an intimidating experience. In LA, everybody drives. Having said that the Greyhound buses are ok and a cheap way of moving between cities.

I also stayed a few days near Hollywood Boulevard. This is quite a let down. Apart from the stars on the pavement, the names of which were mostly unknown to me, and Mann's Theatre, there is not a lot to do here. It's quite run-down nowadays as well. Next it was on to San Francisco for a bit of cable car joy riding.

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