USA West Coast Roadtrip - Day 12

Today we have to wake up at 7:00 AM already, because our flight departs at 10:13 AM from Los Angeles International Airport, LAX. By 7:30, we have packed everything and are leaving our hotel.

A glance at the Waymo app reveals that the airport is supposedly outside of the Waymo service area. I didn't expect that. Plan B is to book a ride through the Lyft app, but this is supposed to cost 70 dollars. Now Plan C comes into play: we take the metro for 1.50 dollars, having to transfer and feeling a bit tense because the planned time buffer is quickly shrinking. We arrive at the airport just before 9:00 AM. I had already completed the check-in online the night before, so we only need to go through security. There are hardly any other passengers here, so we arrive well before boarding starts at the correct gate.

The plane takes off on time and we leave the City of Angels. It’s probably more of a Zombie City, given the countless drug addicts and homeless people.

After a good hour, we land in Phoenix. Since we haven't eaten anything yet, we treat ourselves to a pizza each and then head to the rideshare pickup points to order an Uber or Lyft taxi. Since Andreas has no previous experience with booking, he wants to try it himself and is successful in doing so. For about 38 dollars, we are driven to our accommodation for the night in Glendale.

We then walk straight to the concert arena, which is only a 20-minute walk away. There is already a long line at the merchandise stand. Andreas waits in line while I try to find him something to drink. He gets a Fanta. By the way, it’s 10 degrees warmer than in LA; here in Arizona, it’s desert climate.

I take an Uber taxi to downtown Phoenix and look for the tourist information. I’m handed a city map of the downtown area, which also marks a walking tour to the city’s most interesting sights. I now stroll along this tour. There are a few architecturally interesting buildings, a church, and some smaller museums. Overall, Phoenix, as the capital of Arizona, doesn’t have much to offer touristically.

Around 6:00 PM, I take a taxi back to our accommodation and eat something (store-bought pasta salad). Public transport is actually nearly non-existent here, at least if you book an Airbnb in a suburb.

Tomorrow morning, we want to go to Phoenix together one more time, but I fear the best part of the city is the airport, to leave it.