California 2025, Day 4, Shopping in Westchester, Griffith Observatory, and Glendale

Westchester Culver City

Of course, a trip to America also includes a visit to a shopping mall. On this day, we headed to the Westchester Culver City Shopping Mall. Mother and father largely bought necessities, while the kids picked out clothes and sweets.

Griffith Observatory

Afterwards, we took various freeways (including 405 and 110) to the northeast of LA to the Griffith Observatory. The short (!) walk from the free parking lot just below the Observatory was tackled without complaint by every (!) member of the Appenmaier family, allowing us to enjoy the view over LA fresh and lively (!). A little fact for film fans: the view over LA was enjoyed by naked Arnold Schwarzenegger back in 1984. I actually wanted to reenact this scene, but unfortunately, indecent exposure in LA can lead to up to 6 months in jail and fines of up to $1,000. It wasn’t worth it to me after all. Nevertheless, it was the highlight of our America trip so far for me.

Glendale

Since the kids declared a visit to 'Crumbl' mandatory, we made a slight detour to Glendale on the way back to the hotel. According to Google Maps, there was supposed to be another mall with a 'Crumbl' branch. This was more or less the case, but to get from the parking lot to the mall, you had to stroll through an elite shopping street reminiscent of Rodeo Drive, which looked more like a Europark theme area than real life. Fitting the theme park feel, there was even a miniature train you could have taken to drive down the street. And of course, private security forces in smart uniforms were patrolling here so that elite visitors could always feel safe. In stark contrast, we passed by some tent accommodations and alongside the freeways on our way back. As for the Crumbl cookies, I can only say: very American (i.e., very sweet and somewhat peanut butter-heavy) but also very delicious.

To be continued...

Kilometers walked: 11

Steps taken: 15,000