Early start today despite staying in LA for another night! We had to be at the bus for 8.30am to go on the LA city tour! S they. Had to be up at 7am and really might have been better at 6.45! And they say this is a HOLIDAY! After getting ready they had enough time to get to the local Starbucks for a quick breakfast! The Marriott is lovely....but for such a big, exclusive type hotel as it is here....you get no other freebies! No wifi, no breakfast....unless you want to pay $20 each! So they went to Starbucks as it has a nice range of breakfast items! AND it has free wifi so I could plead yesterday's blog! However, I will do more of my photos tomorrow! As they expected....there were at least 10 other fellow bussers there all doing the same!
So..off we went on our tour! Saturday morning is a good time for the bus trip round the city as there are no business people trying to get to work! So the bus did a bit of Downtown round the high rises before heading off to the federal area of the city! The courthouses, the federal government buildings and the theatre district and museum district!
Despite the grand federal buildings they are not so good at looking after the people who fall on bad times! You could really notice the homeless people in the city! They congregated in parks and other open spaces while others opted for the more exclusive or secluded areas on the side of freeways or under the freeways. You can see many who scour the bins for tin cans, plastic bottles and other recyclable items! Some are well prepared and have tongs to help them so they don't have to handle everything in the bins! Many have their worldly goods in large bags or shopping trolleys and presumably it is difficult to sleep for fear of their belongings being taken.
The federal buildings were fenced off as apparently there had been demonstrations the day before about the condition of California! It has one of the biggest economies of the world but even they are finding life tough at the moment like everyone else! But, the money that gets cut is the money that might be used to try and provide services for the ordinary or poor locals.
We saw a variety of grand theatres and concert halls and the stunning opera house. We also went past a very modern Catholic Cathedral that is certainly very different to the Vatican!
Next we headed off for the more desirable zip code areas! Beverley Hills (Zipcode 90210), WestHollywood, Sunset Boulevard and the famous Sunset Strip! All looked lovely and the houses ranged from the nothing special to the fabulous! However, all of them were in the very expensive bracket. The one thing you soon realise with all travel is that the majority of these places are not any better than everywhere else....it is just their names are synonymous with the glitz and glamour of the rich and famous! The areas we saw, and we did not do the movie stars home tour, were not in the league of the likes of a home fit on the harbour front in Sydney or some of the classic areas of west London! But, they are Hollywood and so have a mystique and aurora about them!
Now let's be honest....the shops on Rodeo Drive were very upmarket and there were no £1 stores or even an M&S to be seen but it was not as big as you think from seeing it n TV, apparently they have resisted supermarkets or convenience stores in Beverley Hills as they do not want people to think they are common! There are also no graveyards or hospitals in the city limits soon no one really dies or is born there! They're too good for that here!
The clubs and hot spots of the rich and famous also looked quite seedy on the outside! They maybe different inside and they are not very big! But I suppose if they charge op dollar to eat and drink there then they don't need to be large, and they do not really want the ordinary joe soaps like us turning up to crowd them out!
So, they left the glitz and glamour of the rich and famous to head to Hollywood. They were going to see The Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame! Oh, and the sign! You know, the sign......The Hollywood Sign! The bus dropped them off and they all had our various instructions! Some were going on to the Universal Studio tour, some were going on the Movie Star Homes Tour while a few were either going to head back to the hotel or go their own way and head back to the hotel!
They were dropped off just off Highland, the main drag along the Walk of Fame! Firsts top was rose the sign! Now, talk about disappointment! They had been told where togo to see it...but did not realise that a pair of binoculars or zoom lense would be the best way to see it! So, I made an appearance and sat precariously on the lesge as the photo was taken! Unbeknown to A and L one of the families from the bus, the Knights, we're there also and so I had to endure the story of why I am on the trip! Why can't they just be upfront about me! Perhaps they should join BA - bears anonymous!
So, we moved from the viewpoint (and as I said viewpoint is a generous description) and headed off to the Chinese Theatre! Now, this is just a movie theatre, but long, long ago the owner, who we think was called Sid, got one or two of the then movie stars to come along and sign their names in concrete and leave hand and footprints so that people would come to see them! Well, this must have taken off as the whole front of the theatre is now a mass of the names of the stars from past and present! So, from what I could see there were hundreds of people milling about not looking at where they were going as they looked at the floor to see who they were standing on! If you add in to this the fact that everyone is trying to take photos of the signatures then you have a recipe for chaos! People bumping in to each other, people apologising for walking on to the area they were trying to photograph or others just merrily walking about not even aware of what other people were doing! But, it was fun!
Along Highland was also the 'Walk of Fame'. On both sides of the street there were stars in the sidewalk with the names of the rich and famous once more festooned on them! However, this time you had to have been nominated and sponsored to get your name in a star! A committee will decide if you merit your place in the 'Walk of Fame'! We saw hundreds of stars - most with names of people you would readily recognise! From the greats like De Forrest Kelley, Patrick Stewart, Clark Gable, John. Wayne and even Kermit the Frog! Well, to maintain the brotherhood of animals I had to have my photo taken on Kermit's star - even though it was a highly dangerous activity! Remember, I am only small and here I was sat on the sidewalk, which was heaving, and I have to wait for A to take a photo! Well, anything could have happened! I could have been squashed under heavy boots, skewered by a stiletto (although I hear some people pay for such things!!) or even worse kicked off the sidewalk on to the busy street to be run over by a Ferrari, tour bus or a passing garbage truck! Luckily I made it and lived to tell the tale!
However, things soon started to look up when my next photo call was with a certain Miss Lara Croft! Now, this was not like Madam Tausaud's in NYC last year! This was with the REAL Lara Croft! A walking, talking Lara Croft! However, she was with a Transformer which took the edge off of it a little! I put on. Y best smile and thought I was going to get a hug when she passed me to the transformer to hold for the photo! But, it was a great photo op! Other people there were Charlie Chaplain, Batman, Spiderman, Chewbacca and a rather scantily clad lady who I am not sure who she was! Now, although you MIT have though Chewbacca was a more appropriate choice of photo buddy I don't agree!
They then had another coffee stop before making their way back to the pick up point for the next part of the day - our visit to The Universal Studio Tour! Some of the group had set off on their tour of the homes of the ovie stars while we were heading to the place where the films are made! The guide got our tickets and showed us in to the theme park and told us the bus would be back in 6 hours time! If you are not here it will just go and you can get your own way back! You could, if so desired, take a shuttle from Universal down to Hollywood and then take the subway to Metro Station 7 which is close to our hotel!
So, in we went! 19 intrepid explorers with 6 whole hours to fill! What would we do?
Well, let me tell you - I am a British Bear! And we know the Brits like to que! Well, let me tell you which Q's I like! I like 'Q tips', I like snooker cues, I like people who mind their P's and Q's! What I don't like are queues! They decided, following advice from the tour guide Craig (pronounced Cregg!!), that the backlot tour was the best thing to start with! So, they dutifully followed the advice - along with a handful of the other inteepide explorers! Well, we queued, and queued and queued thinking we would never get on the damed bus, trolley, cart, buggy type vehicle! The sun was baking hot and we were corralled like sheep going to be dipped, or even worse, in a line that went up and down and up and down extremely slowly! At last, we made it to the covered section of the queuing area which at least meant we were not standing in the baking sun! But we spent an hour watching the same people pass by us incessantly as we zig-zagged our way to the front of the queue! Thankfully every now and then you went past one of their 'Cooling stations'! These were all over the vast theme park and they continually blew a constant spray of fine, cold water vapour to help cool you down! This was interspersed by park workers standing viewing the on going queue firing water cannons at people as they past! However, the best job we saw was the 'ball thrower and catcher' man! He walked up and down the line throwing a Velcro tennis ball to random people and getting them to throw it back to him so he cold catch it on his Velcro bat! Cool! But, how is such a job advertised and what do you put on your CV when applying for a proper job!
Anyway, long story cut short, they made it to the END of the queue! They made it on to the vehicle and were greeted by the voice of a pretty, young dizzy blonde who told us she would be our guide for the tour! Now, the vehicle had four carriages and was quite a length! But never for, those unlucky enou to not be in the same carriage had a video link so they did not miss a thing!
The tour however was great! They saw all the sound stages still used today for many programmes like CSI, and travelled round the outdoor sets that are used when ever required! We were in NYC, a general city lot, a number of cowboy sets and also went through the devasted scene of a Jumbo 747 plane crash which was created for 'War of the Worlds'! All the sights were great but the lat one was spooky! We drove up and down Wysteria Lane, home of those Desperate Housewives! I must say, as a bear, that seeing things on film definitely enhances what is seen in real life and the street looked quite plain compared to how it appears on film! But we saw all the houses and hoped that one of them may come out the front door to see who was there - but no such luck!
Along the way we also passed the motel from 'Psycho' and witnessed Mr Bates placing a dead body in the boot of his car before chasing after the bus with a knife! We went past Amytiville Island where Jaws was filmed and almost got pulled in to the water by the fierce shark! Then we got stuck in a subway station on one of the sound stages just as an earthquake struck and the ground broke up before being submerged in wate just as a subway train Mae crashing into the station! However, the best part was going to the island where King Kong was discovered and witnessing a 3D fight between the dinosaurs and Kong with US right in the middle! It was a great piece of trickery and use of technology and had many of the passengers screaming for help!
After this they went a little bit more sedate by going to see the Shrek 4D experience! Princess Fiona, newly married to Shrek, is kidnapped by the ghost of Lord Farquhad and Shrek and Donkey have to rescue her! The 3D journey was enhanced by the shaking seat and flying water to augment the experience! Needless to say Fiona was rescued and they all. Lived happily ever after!
On departure from here they went for some food before going to visit Donkey! Donkey fromShrek was in his own booth and willingly posed for photos with tourists and spoke to them as they came and went! Well, I could not resist! I had to get my photo taken with Donkey! Well, to day he was non-plussed by me turning up and sitting on his ledge while A took my photo just took him by surprise! 'Am I getting to keep him? is he a present for me?' he asked? A informed him that I was a Scottishnear on my travels and wanted a photo with him! I don't know what everyone else made of it but I enjoyed my meeting with Donkey!
Next they went to the 'Special Effects' demo and this was great fun! A number of volunteers, but not me as no Teddy's were called for unfortunately, added to the fun of the session. They demonstrated how effects had been made on film over decades and decades and then went on to show how green screen technology means they can add in any background they like to what they film! However, the two highlights were the motion capture demo and a poor volunteer being filmed on green screen dressed as an astronaut and nbeing sent hurtling through the air by his girlfriend! It was a great show and I wish I had had the chance to get involved!
So, by this time it was after5! They needed to think about getting back to the exit and finding the rest of the crowd to catch the bus back! They really enjoyed their visit despite the constant QUEUEING! But I think they realised that they are not theme park people! They really enjoyed it, but the thought of Florida and doing this day after day would drive them insane! The crowds, the hustle and bustle and the constant QUEUEING are not something they would like to do regularly - but by saying that it was a great visit and the 6 hours whizzed by!
So we caught the bus and made it back then after a rest they headed back to the Bon Aventure hotel to go back to the revolving bar on the 34th floor! However, this time they had their meal there and rally enjoyed viewing the sunset over LA and managed more than one full revolution of the building! The stunning views, a pleasant drink and a nice meal made this a very romantic evening! However, for some reason I never made it out of the bag! Bah humbug!
Early start tomorrow! Bags collected at 7am and off by 8am and heading for Palm Springs and Scottsdale!
More soon!
Ted
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