Tag 254: Los Angeles

The sun is low as we reach the 'Santa Monica Pier' and thus the end of historic Route 66.

The first week of our road trip is behind us, and after six days in the Wild West, we arrived in Los Angeles yesterday. The second largest city in the United States defines itself as a film metropolis on one side and home to over 400 street gangs on the other. As tourists, we have been walking on the narrow line between fame, wealth, luxury, crime, and poverty in the past few days. From the somewhat unspectacular 'Hollywood Sign' to the villa-filled 'Beverly Hills' to the unaffordable 'Rodeo Drive' and the overcrowded 'Walk of Fame'. The huge, noisy, colorful, and expensive city certainly has a lot to offer for tourists whose wallet is looser than ours. For low-budget travelers like us, it's another checkmark on our bucket list and an interesting sight, but that's probably all.

We park our car on the huge wooden pier. A small amusement park with roller coasters and Ferris wheels, food stands, tourist attractions, singers, performance artists, and lots of people. We treat ourselves to a hot dog and stroll in the yellow rays of the afternoon sun on the famous pier. Back in our apartment, we cook dinner and end the evening with a bottle of wine. Tomorrow our road trip continues along the California coast.