LA LA Land

Glitzy Tinseltown

Los Angeles is sometimes called Tinseltown, a nickname denoting the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry.  It is also known as La-La land and "to be in La-La land" means to be in a euphoric dreamlike mental state detached from the harsher realities of life ( Merriam Webster ).

So it is with much ambition that I headed to La La Land on a 15 hour flight from Brussels via Zurich. The ride from LAX airport to the Kimpton Wilshire Hotel took another hour through the evening peak hour traffic. 

Hanging out in LA

Walk of Fame

The hotel was a small property, located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile section. Next to the hotel is a McDonald, very convenient for any peckish, travel weary tourist just off the plane. Close by were three museums, and a farmer's market called The Grove, which was within a 1km walk. 

The sunny Californian skies coupled with mild winters must be one of the attractions for its residents. There are over 10 million people in the LA county and many rich and famous celebrities have mansions in Beverley Hills and in the Malibu area.  After all, it is a land of opportunities as described in the 1990 Hollywood movie, Pretty Woman:

Beverly Wilshire Hotel

"Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don't; but keep on dreamin' - this is Hollywood"  

Batman missing..

Rodeo Drive, babe

Like a typical tourist, I descended on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visited the TCI Chinese Theatre, walked along Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and posed in front of the Beverly Wilshire, Four Seasons hotel.

My girlfriend, a long time resident of L.A., drove me around in her Mercedes SUV with her initials as the car registration plate. Her husband drove an open-top Mercedes Cabriolet so appropriate for the balmy weather, also with his initials as number plates.

I guess in California, you have to go with the flow.  Just last week, my girlfriend happen to sit next to Pierce Brosnan in a restaurant. Julia Roberts and Kevin Costner are people she counts as her friends ! During my stay in LA,  I hadn't spied any major stars except for a rapper who arrived with his body guards in the Versace store on Rodeo Drive.

Shake Shack

I tried the cult status burger restaurant "Shake Shack", shopped at Whole Foods, wandered around The Grove and Farmer's Market. Took in the Brea Tar Pit Museum which is a very interesting discovery, visited the LACMA museum grounds, attended two movie promo parties where people in the film industry jostled to be the "next big thing" and pretended to be or to know someone important.  I was told  that these days to be successful in Hollywood, one has to be a woman, black and gay.

On the way to Santa Monica Beach

As the Californian bush fires broke out during my stay there, my thoughts went out to the people whose homes were being destroyed.  I managed to visit Santa Monica beach but by this time, the smoke had enveloped that area too and I had to give Venice Beach a miss or risk getting road blocked.

Santa Monica 

I also did not visit Downtown LA as several people cautioned me about personal safety. Although I read that the local authorities had taken steps to spruce up downtown, still it wasn't an area to wander on foot alone. Iconic buildings like the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the City Hall, The Broad and MOCA museums and Chinatown and Little Tokyo are part of downtown. There is the infamous Skid Row, an impoverished area within Downtown which is a no-go zone. 

Movie Blitz - Girl 

LA is a special place, divided so drastically between the haves and have-not, it is like day and night, except that people hardly sleep here. There's just so much going on, the movies, the exhibitions and everyone wanting a piece of the American dream.