Six months overseas and here we are down to the last three days! At the end of the Big Sur road trip we cruised into Los Angeles and to our apartment just off Hollywood Boulevard and nearby the Walk of Fame. Driving into town on a Saturday afternoon in some pretty heavy traffic we figured that all we had heard about LA traffic was true: its awful.

Rodeo Drive baby!

Cocktails at the Beverley Wilshire Hotel

Happy to take it easy for a few days we had very little on our to do list but managed to make each day count. LA is a tricky city to get around with public transport as it is virtually non existent, and the taxis were few and far between. We did have a car which you really need in this town, but then you have the issues of traffic and finding parking so it can make getting around a bit frustrating.

Taking a long walk along Melrose Avenue and a short taxi ride we made it to Rodeo Drive on a gorgeous day to marvel at how the other half shop and for Jane to reminisce about her favourite movie, Pretty Woman. The experience was topped off with champagne and cocktails at the Beverley Wilshire Hotel with a window table that provided the perfect people watching vantage point, an entertaining pastime in this city and especially in Beverley Hills.

A glimpse of the Hollywood sign

Mama on the Walk of Fame

Photo op with Oscar

Hollywood Boulevard from above

We walked the stars along Hollywood Boulevard too, Jane knowing many more names than we did and educating us along the way, and soaked up the general craziness of the Hollywood strip with buskers lining the street and people dressed as superheroes and movie characters asking for a few dollars to pose for photos. There was definitely a buzz in West Hollywood which was fun, especially with the Chinese Theatre preparing for Ben Affleck premiere one night, and our glimpse of the Hollywood sign up in the hills topped off another day where we felt like we were on a movie set.

Santa Monica Pier, the last stop

We got Jane on a roller coaster – her first ever!

Last day before home and we headed for the coast, although the weather thwarted our plans for spending too much time walking along Venice Beach, made famous by Baywatch. On Santa Monica Pier we met up with Mell and Dion again, fresh from a week in Mexico, and had our last supper together before heading home. In  an attempt to make one last US memory and give Jane another life experience to tick off, we coerced her onto her first roller coaster which actually offered excellent views of Santa Monica beach. A win-win! Although it isn’t a city we would rave about LA provided some great memories and a few quiet days before these two gypsies head for home.

LA on a cloudy day, from Runyon Canyon

Santa Monica Pier shenanigans

Parting ways at LAX our three US travel companions accompanied us to our gate as we were bound for Sydney and they for Brisbane. It’s been 19 days of laughs, adventures and so many special memories and all without any major hiccups; we really couldn’t have asked for more out of our first family travel experience together. Big thanks to Jane, Mell and Dion for making the trip over – love you guys!

And so, another lap around the globe is over for us. Time to regroup and reflect, earn some money and plan for the next one!