Sheesh. It was not supposed to take three weeks to share this excursion. Next week, the reason why!
Los Angeles. The city of Angels. La La Land. The city where everyone lays on their horn when driving on the freeway. So nice to be here.
Let me backup for just a moment. When we bought all of the tickets for this trip there was one…let’s say minor inconvenience…we didn’t think about. Daylight Savings Time. Time to spring forward. The creator of morning zombies. Does anyone actually like this time of year?
Originally, we were supposed to arrive in LA about 9:30 pm on Sunday. Naturally, with the time change we thought we would be getting in about 10:30. Amtrak split the difference, allowing us to disembark roughly at 10 pm. We were a little tired but mostly excited to be there. LA station is quite lovely and large(!) making it easy to wonder where the heck you were and how to get where you needed to be.
In truth getting to the hotel from the station wasn’t awful but if I never have to be driven around that area again, it wouldn’t break my heart. Dave had booked us into the Millennium Biltmore for the night, a historic grand old lady of a hotel with a stunning entrance way and walking areas which we explored before retiring for the night at 11 pm. Nothing wakes you up like ogling over gorgeous decor. The room we were given was far less ornate than the common areas yet maintained a subtle elegance.
Monday’s itinerary was simple. I would work from the hotel room (to save on my leave) or from the coffee shop in the hotel until check out while Dave wandered loose to enjoy some sightseeing on his own (he has more time off than I do). Other than being sooooo tired, this turned out pretty well. Our flight was set to depart in the evening and my work was slow enough that I chose to stop early because I wanted the chance to see something other than the train station, hotel and airport. I had learned about a bag holding service that would watch our bags for a flat fee covering 24 hours which was fabulous because who wants to haul around their luggage?
After dropping our bags off we spent a few hours walking around Venice Beach. It wasn’t quite the ghost town Seattle had been but there was definitely a lack of people meandering the walkways and beaches. We began our exploration by strolling the canals of Venice Beach, taking in the beauty of some truly eclectic neighborhoods. I’m pretty sure each builder was trying to be as different from the surrounding houses as possible. There were personal docks and boats, both distinct and common, accompanying these differing residences.
Lunch was enjoyed at one end of the canal system in a sweet little Thai restaurant. The afternoon was so lovely and warm sitting outside was a delight in itself since Utah was still in early spring temperatures.
After eating, we made our way to Venice Beach proper. There is something about tourist trap shops along a shoreline that is both entertaining and repetitive. It’s so much of the same products at the same prices over and over and over yet occasionally you run across something different and interesting; a small bookstore tucked behind a popular restaurant or an Egyptian shop nestled between its more gaudy brethren.
Eventually though we had to pick up our bags and head to the airport for the short yet exhaustively long journey back to Utah. Thus our little getaway came to an end and it was time to focus on the impending nature of the week to come.
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