Los Angeles

Overlooking LA

Sometimes I feel
Like I dont have a partner
Sometimes I feel
Like my only friend
Is the city I live in
The city of angel
Lonely as I am
Together we cry
— Under the Bridge, Red hot Chilli Peppers

Back in October-November 2007 I visited my aunts in Los Angeles, California. My cousins showed me around town, a place where they lived nearby was the venue for Oscars Awards – The Kodak Theater from there you can see the Hollywood Sign, a famous landmark in the Hollywood hills area of Mount Lee in Los Angeles. The sidewalk of the Kodak Theater was the Hollywood walk of fame. There embedded with more than 2,000 five-pointed stars featuring the names of not only human celebrities but also fictional characters honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to the entertainment industry. The central business of LA called the Downtown Los Angeles are mostly buildings, we just hang around at Starbucks hoping to see a glimpse of celebs.

Hollywood Sign

The following day my friends and I went to Disneyland Resort’s/Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. An outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment area, themed after a garden walk. There’s so much to do there than just go for a ride.

The following day was spent at Universal Studios – a movie studio in the Universal City community of unincorporated Los Angeles County and is the original Universal Studios theme park. Woody Woodpecker is the official mascot. Universal catered for more matured patrons. I still can’t forget the rides especially Jurassic Park and Revenge of the Mummy. It also includes a studio tour where I saw Wisteria Lane’s Desperate Housewives, CSI, Jaws, Fast and the Furious, and Alfred Hitchock’s Psycho movie set. We ended the day with a Japanese dinner at the Block, an open-air shopping Mall at Orange County.

We went clubbing while we were there. Like the open mic club where anyone can go to the front and does their thing (mostly rap). My cousin’s friends are going to perform we got tagged along for the support. There’s so much ranting, cursing and teenage angst in that place. They talked so fast by the time they are done I’m still digesting the words or at least, crunching what they are trying to put across. It was good stuff though because it’s all new to me. The other club was the one where my cousin held her birthday party. Candyman showed up as a guest and performed ‘Knockin Boots’

Hollywood Walk of Fame shot from Kodak Theater

My cousin held the annual Halloween party at his house and a lot of his friends attended the event with their costumes on. It’s  such a big deal event because others went the extra mile for their costumes with makeup, props and whatnots. While one white dude couldn’t care less than just putting a black sock on and walked around butt naked. Because of the noise, neighbors complained and cops came and that’s how the party ended.

Sta Monica Pier

Apart from the stroll around Santa Monica Pier, we tasted the nachos at the strips of Santa Monica Boulevard. We also went to see what was inside of George C. Page Museum. For most of the days, it was spent wisely at the factory outlets where Guess, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Fossils, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren at low, low, low prices!

Notes:

Candyman, is an American rapper and record producer who was one of the many crossover rap stars of the early 1990s, although his success was extremely short-lived. He is best known for his one-hit wonder, “Knockin’ Boots”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q76IlF5HES0