LA - Road Trip

Same hotel as yesterday. Therefore, the morning routine is also the same as yesterday. First, sleep in and then have a friendly conversation with the owner, which we of course combine with going to breakfast.

On the agenda today - another attempt to get a better shot of the Hollywood sign, Downtown, Venice Beach, and also the Observatory, which we will have to remove from the program in the evening.

Our owner asks about our day yesterday and recommends a route that we can slightly modify thanks to our GPS. We keep driving towards the big Hollywood sign and are happy to get closer. We drive through many small narrow streets, all of which are uphill. When we reach the top of the hill, we park the car, which is already an adventure due to such a slope, and get out. And what is the first thing we see? A middle-aged man in a Vfl Wolfsburg jersey. We chatted with him and like us, the Wolfsburg fans are on a road trip through the USA and have been on the road for 21 days. Very funny encounter. < br />

As we go further up the hill, we meet more Germans, most of whom, like us, are always surprised to hear their own language.

Finally, we have reached the top! We get a great view of the city and, of course, take closer photos of our Hollywood sign. With all the pictures in the bag, we head back to the car. < br />

Next stop, with a detour, is the shopping center 'Figat7th', located in the Downtown district. This area is characterized by many banks and the giant shopping mall, which extends over 3 underground floors. In addition, there are 5 parking levels below.

We spend a lot of time shopping and buying at a Wal-Mart-like store that is so big that it even has its own Starbucks. < br />

Through the shopping, we receive the parking card for $33 for 3 hours, reduced to $29, and then we only have to pay $4, so "foreign parkers" who do not shop or eat there are charged a lot. For lunch, there was the possibility to choose a store on a whole floor. We had chicken breast burgers and a salad for the two of us.

With a full stomach, we get in the car and head to Venice Beach. It is located slightly south of Santa Monica from yesterday. Here is the Muscle Beach - this consists of an outdoor training area with equipment, as well as an area for free weights. Venice Beach is known for this type of training opportunity. It is surrounded by a large skate park, tennis courts, basketball courts, and other opportunities for sports activities. Alongside, there is a long section of small shops that sell all sorts of stuff - wooden boards, skateboards, t-shirts. All that stuff. Once it gets dark here, you should have left the place, as there is an increased level of crime and, like everywhere else in LA, a huge number of homeless people find their home here. However, even in the daylight, you don't feel particularly comfortable, as someone is constantly trying to sell you something. < br />

A few special shops are scattered among all of this. They are called 'The Green Doctor' and for $40 they will give you a prescription for medical marijuana. Since California only voted for legalization by a referendum at the end of last year, the smell of it is considered completely normal on the streets. It has been legalized by law for "recreational use". However, it is still not publicly sold. < br />

As already mentioned, parking here is expensive, so we have to pay another $9 for 2 hours of parking and we head back towards downtown.

Originally, we wanted to spend the evening at the Observatory and admire the darkening, but the traffic jam on the interstate towards downtown ruined our plans. 6 lanes next to each other come to a standstill, and we lose valuable time at a snail's pace. Since it takes us too long to get home and we would also need another 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach the Observatory, which would be too late for a spot, we skip this point.

We enjoyed our perfect dinner at sunset - Pizza from Pizza Hut, of course with cheese in the crust. And so our last day in LA has passed. < br />

Tomorrow it's time to pack the luggage again - load the car - go to the airport - return the rental car - check-in and then enjoy the 5 1/2 hour flight to Orlando. Next stop: Disney World, wooohoo. < br />