04/10/2019 to 06/10/2019 - Los Angeles / USA

Arrived at Los Angeles airport, we were already received. Lukas, Ben, his cousin, and Jakob, a friend of Lukas, landed half an hour before us from Germany. For the next three weeks, we will take a road trip through the southwest of the United States of America together. We rented a car and hoped our many luggage would fit. The nice lady from the car rental company pointed to an area of the parking lot and said we should choose a car. Said and done. The car was actually too big for the booked category, but we should choose one ;-). With a big Ford Edge, we had enough space, only a view out of the rear window was no longer possible. Now we started to explore the metropolis. We drove to Griffith Park, visited the observatory of the same name from outside and could see the whole city. L.A. is so huge that no end could be found. We could also spot the city's most famous landmark, the Hollywood Sign, from here. Our next stop was directly Hollywood. We walked along the Walk of Fame, discovered many famous and unknown names on the pink stars and stood in the footsteps of Michael Jackson, Tom Hanks, and Donald Duck in front of the Chinese Theatre. However, we didn't meet any real celebrities. Although you are always stuck in traffic in the city, you need a car to get from A to B. The city is just too huge for public transportation. Nevertheless, we somehow made it to Beverly Hills and Bel Air to the rich and famous. We continued through the crowded streets to the beach. One of the most popular beaches is in Santa Monica. In fact, many people enjoyed the last rays of sunshine of the day. We strolled along the wide and sandy beach and then we went to the famous Santa Monica Pier from movies and TV shows. Crowds of people rode on the Ferris wheel, ate and drank at various bars and restaurants, or simply listened to street musicians. We enjoyed the special atmosphere and the view of the coast before we headed to Venice Beach. Things are a bit more active here. In the skatepark, many boarders showed off their skills, and the muscle men trained on the equipment set up between the beach and the promenade. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ralf Möller have also built their muscles here. The next day we delved a bit deeper into the Hollywood scene and visited the Warner Bros. Studios. We took a guided tour with a minibus and drove around the campus for two hours and didn't see everything. We learned a lot about film and TV production, could look behind the scenes of a sitcom, and walk through the houses and streets from movie scenes. In various exhibitions, we looked at the costumes from the movies Aquaman and Harry Potter and the vehicles from Batman. The props house was really impressive - lamps, animals, tables, pictures, decorative items - packed on 4 floors with all sorts of things. A great finish were the photos on the original sofas from "The Big Bang Theory" and in the Central Perk cafe from "Friends". In the evening, we were invited to dinner at Jakob's uncle's place. We sat in the kitchen, watched them cook, and more and more people who were also invited arrived. Everyone talked to everyone, everyone had a little drink, and we ate really delicious food. The atmosphere was really nice and we enjoyed the hospitality very much. Although Los Angeles does not have a classic downtown, there are still a few traditional and interesting things to see in downtown. We walked through the extensive and beautiful campus of the University of Southern California and strolled through the rose garden to Exposition Park. We spent a lot of time at the California Science Center in the park. Here, there is a lot to touch and participate in the areas of science and technology. The most outstanding exhibit is the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which is on display here. We then continued to Union Station. The large train station opened in 1939 and with its impressive huge entrance hall is often used as a police station in movies. Directly opposite Union Station is Olvera Street. Here, the roots of the city lie as "El Pueblo de Los Angeles". The street has been transformed into a Spanish-Mexican style and you can find souvenir stands and shops with typical Mexican souvenirs. We discovered an unexpected side of Los Angeles and spent a nice last day in the city.