L.A.

Everywhere I have been people have told me horror stories about L.A. I have been here for just over a week and I like the place (controversial). The problems with L.A. are problems that haunt all major cities: dirt, litter, sleaze, pollution, traffic, public transport, unfriendly people. L.A. is different to everywhere else I have visited because it is so big. New York is big but it is focused around Manhatten Island and even there the main tourist and entertainment centres are from mid-town down. L.A. has several centres for entertainment and tourism. I have spent most of my time here getting the buses and subway around. People complain about the public transport here but I think the problems with it stem from the vast area it is trying to cover. If you live on a main bus line then you are fine and certain areas are covered more comprehensively than others. I find it amazing that there is such a big public transport system. It is also extremely cheap ($3 for a day pass). If you don't have access to a computer though you may have a problem because the system is so big you need to enter in where you want to go before you leave so you can work out which buses you need and where you need to change. The problem with all public transport systems is when you need to rely on it to arrive somewhere at a specific time. Luckily for me I was pretty flexible although I had to get a taxi on one occasion and I was left at Manhattan beach for an hour and a half waiting for a bus.

I have gone through alot of areas using the buses, and some decidedly dodgy ones at that, but nothing that seems any worse than in London. I haven't had any problems standing a bus stops at mid-night or walking home in Santa Monica or Hollywood. There have been a few arguments on buses about the disabled seating and people giving up their seats for the elderly. I did also manage to get involved in another strange situation with someone praying for me again. I got the bus from Santa Monica to Hollywood when moving accommodation and this girl started talking to me about my luggage. She then started asking about what I was doing and where I was going. She then asked if I would be her pen pal as she had a girl in Burma and a man in prison as pen pals already and a guy from London would suit the trio nicely. I tried to politely explain why sustaining a pen pal relationship was impractical but she kept asking. She then said she would pray for me. I am not sure what it is about my appearance that makes people think they need to pray for me, I may need a hair cut.

Traffic is bad in L.A. during rush hours (and the 405 freeway seems constantly congested), but what amazes me is that you can get around in a car. In all the other big cities I know of people don't drive because the city is too snarled up to do so.

I stayed with a mate of mine Matt from Uni. He has just moved to L.A. to start work in a fund investment company. He was living in corporate accommodation 5 minutes from the beach in Santa Monica. It was interesting to see all the challenges he was facing setting up a new life in a different country. The simplest things in the UK become hugely difficult in the US without any previous history of living there. It was cool to hang around with him and his mates. Santa Monica is a beautiful place. The beaches are amazing.

For the past few nights I have been staying in USA Hostel Hollywood. The hostel is very clean and nice. There is a bar and the facilities in general are good. I haven't warmed to the place though. The staff seem a bit 'too cool for school' and while they are helpful (especially an Italian guy) it all seems like they couldn't care less about you. There seems a large number of staff and I wonder if because of this they don't need to interact with those staying at the hostel. I wouldn't say this is a reason not to stay here though. Hollywood itself is a bit of a dodgy area. It is no worse than anywhere else. It is dirty and sleazy and there isn't anything to really do (unless you are into improv in which case its perfect). Lots of buses (and the subway) run via Hollywood so it makes it easier to get to other places.

While I have been in L.A. I have also visited Long Beach (Belmont Shore is a really nice pretty area), Pasadena (again pretty), Getty Centre (great views and lots of art), Manhatten, Hermosa, and Redondo beaches which are beautiful, and downtown L.A. The downtown area is compact. The Mexican area is quaint. City Hall is also worth visiting, the security guards there are extremely helpful, and you get great views from the top. I also got down to the La Brea Tar Pits (the ones with the Mammoths) and to Universal Studios. Universal Studios was good, though some of the attractions were disappointing. The tram ride around the lot and through some rides (earthquake, jaws) felt really dated. The Back to the Future ride again felt really dated and didn't last long. The Terminator and Waterworld shows though were excellent. It is all tongue in cheek (you need to be in the right frame of mind) but they were entertaining. Waterworld was kind of a pantomime on water with explosions and planes crashing.