Sunday 1.09.2011

We awoke, showered and checked out. We ventured up to see the Circus Circus hotel which we had seen in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, but had never experienced in person. We decided to grab a quick bite to eat here before finishing the drive to L.A. On the way out of town we stopped for a photo op at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. I was amazed—there’s actually a turn-off and small parking lot they’ve built in the median for people like ourselves. We stopped for gas in Barstow….next stop Los Angeles!

We drove down Hollywood Boulevard to our hotel – the Roosevelt hotel, directly across from Graumann’s Chinese Theater. This is where the first Academy Awards was held, and continues to be a hotspot for celebrities.  There are even ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin rumored to appear. After settling in, we decided to head out to explore. My friend Kris had never been to L.A. so I did my best to give her a good taste of it in the 24 hours before she flew out. We went and saw the stars on the walk of fame as well as the hand/footprints. We also went into the Kodak Theatre where the Oscars are now held, as well as saw the famous Hollywood sign.

After changing clothes, we ventured to Gingergrass in Silver Lake which is a great Vietnamese restaurant with very healthy/fresh cuisine. We shared the papaya salad, braised kale, and clay currypot vegetables, all of which were fabulous. We then went out to the Santa Monica Pier to ride the ferris wheel and get our first glimpse of the ocean.

At night the roads were very empty so it was a nice time to drive around and get a feel for some of the layout without crazy traffic. We cut through West Hollywood, down the famous Rodeo Drive, and saw where the apartment and job would be, before returning to the hotel and settling in for the night.