I’m not sure LA really gets its due. When I told friends I was off to the Californian city for some ‘me-time’, many couldn’t see the point of a trans-continental journey ‘just to take a few cheesy photographs in front of the Hollywood sign’.
I had no dearth of reasons though. For one, it was five years since my last American traipse. I missed the hyper-friendly shop assistants, the bucket-sized coffees and the air of sanguinity that prevailed. The newly opened ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ at Universal Studios was another big draw. Then there was the whole movie aura. I was going to get to gawk at celebrity homes, walk through iconic TV show sets and go on 3D simulated studio tours…whoever said the touristy couldn’t be fun, huh.
For sure, all the attractions were on point. However, as enough has been said and written about each one of them elsewhere, I’m going to dwell on those experiences that brought an extra dimension to my LA sojourn.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Staying Local
My stay with an LA resident, and a friendly filmmaker at that, took my trip enjoyment quotient a notch higher. As a solo traveller, it was great to come back ‘home’ after a hard day’s studio hopping and give another human a download of my exploits. And the movie buff in me was more than pleased to be regaled, in turn, by insider tales of what goes on in the power corridors of the movie world.
While it came to me as no surprise that there was more to Hollywood than what meets the eye, spending time with my host provided a better perspective on what it actually meant to be in the entertainment business – of fortunes that changed overnight, of dreams that faded away and of hope that refused to die. With it, the understanding that ‘Hollywood’ was a state of mind…that the part-time actor who was my guide on the celebrity home tour and the talented street performers who brave the sun waiting for their moment in the sun are just as much a part of this larger-than-life construct as the A-listers whose ‘stars’ dot the boulevard.
Joshua tree national park
Noah Purifoy desert museum
Hitting the Desert
As a big city dweller visiting another big city, I was keen to get out of the metropolitan area, at least briefly. Now I had been to other urban centres in the region before and was spoilt for choice as far as day/weekend out options were concerned. I remember hitting the road ever so often from San Francisco, heading for Sonoma one day and Yosemite another. The Vegas stay was no different with the Grand Canyon being a no-brainer. However, with LA I struggled. Most ‘recommended’ trips were to coastal towns that promised still more sun and sand. Coming from a place famous for its beaches, these options were not attractive enough to lure me out of the city. Ultimately, having to rule out a Death Valley camping trip because of time constraints, I opted for a quick jaunt to the Joshua Tree national park.
The inspiration behind the name of U2’s hit 80s album (which, admittedly, was the only context in which I had heard about it up until that point), Joshua Tree national park is part of the Mojave Desert and the only natural habitat of the distinctive Joshua tree. The topography along with some interesting rock formations makes for an enchanting landscape and on clear days you can see as far as Mexico from the vantage points. We hiked some easy trails and unearthed intriguing petroglyphs while lizards of varying denominations surveyed the panorama from their stony perches.
The drive from downtown was about three hours long and we made a few interesting stops en route, most notably a quirky outdoor desert gallery by renegade artist, Noah Purifoy. The searing heat notwithstanding, this trip made for a pleasant hiatus from the hustle of LA.
Alpacas at the ranch
Vasquez rocks
Seeking the Wild West
Ranches often conjure up images of red-blooded cowboys engaged in Mexican standoffs out in rural Texas, but turns out they are somewhat of a thing in Southern California as well. The ranches that is, not the standoffs.
Luckily for me, an old pal has just bought into the ranch dream and invested in a 14-acre beauty 50 miles north of LA. My inner cowgirl thoroughly enjoyed the tractor-driving, alpaca-feeding routine and to be in surrounds where local shops were not Walgreens or 7 Elevens but Fox Feed equestrian supplies and the like. The nearby Vasquez rocks, with the iconic Pacific Crest trail traversing through it, was an added bonus.
Before long, my time in LA was up and I was faced with the prospect of another 14-hour long flight. Sure there were more things I could’ve done, but for all the mainstream stuff that made me want to visit LA in the first place, the offbeat made it that much more memorable. Here’s to an encore.
Resources:
- I booked my stay through airbnb.com
- The Joshua Tree trip was organised through sw-adventures.com and the celebrity home tour through www.ultimatehollywoodtours.com
- The ranch I visited is located in Agua Dulce. Ranches abound in the area and some of them do host overnight guests.
This could help:
- If you stay close to a metro station, most of LA is doable by public transport with a few short taxi/Uber trips filling the gaps. Thanks to the newly extended Expo line to Santa Monica, even the beach is now only a metro-ride away.
- Uber works particularly well in LA, especially for airport pick-ups. In LAX international terminal, ride the elevator to the departures level, exit out and walk left towards terminal 3. Look for the lollypop sign that says ‘Ride Service C’.
- The metro is convenient but attracts more than its fair share of dodgy characters and some of them will approach you for money. They mean no harm, but a poker face and firm NO should put a premature end to the encounter.
- Universal studios gets super busy even on weekdays. If you are short on time, it’s completely worthwhile paying that extra bit for ‘front of line’ tickets.
- If the Hollywood sign, Sunset strip, Rodeo drive and Mulholland drive are all part of your checklist but you don’t have access to a car, be warned that they are some distance apart and not the easiest to get to by public transport. A good way to see them all is through an organised tour. Not only is the tour entertaining, but you can also mine the guide for gossipy anecdotes and restaurant recommendations.
- There is no water inside the Joshua tree national park. Bring all the water you want with you.
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