Friday, June 17
First impression on Los Angeles must be the efficiency that I rarely find in any North American city. By the time I went through custom, my luggage was also already sitting on the carrousel. After another 5 minutes, the hotel shuttle came and I was literally back in my room no more than 45 minutes after my plane landed.
Saturday, June 18
After picking up the car – even though it was a Chevy, but it came with an awesome sunroof, perfect for the California sun – I went to see the Hollywood sign near Beverley Hill. There must be a weekend concert, so I was detoured to some random roads and ended up driving up a steep hill which eventually brought me to the entrance of a ranch. Perhaps, it was luck, this ranch has a side entrance which leads to a short hike up a hill for one of the best views towards the sign. Sometimes, just following the off-beating track could actually lead to pleasant surprises. I spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the different exhibitions and galleries inside the Getty Centre. The architecture itself is marvellous and it current has on display the manuscripts from the medieval times – one of my favourite art histories.
Sunday, June 19
I went to the Chinese Catholic church near Chinatown and it is just a tiny little shelter behind another Italian church. The Chinatown immediately adjacent to it is even more pathetic. There is nothing special about that strip of land except for some random signs marking where the buildings are. I then headed down towards Pueblo De Los Angeles, which is just across from the Union Station. This tourist area has many Mexican restaurants and shops. I could not be happier when I found the nativity scene sculpture that I have been looking for many months. Though, I still wonder why skulls and skeletons are still the dominating decoration pieces amongst the many different shops and stalls. Despite it being sunset at the Santa Monica beach in Los Angeles, it was packed with tourists and local people simply enjoying the breeze coming the Pacific Ocean and gorgeous weather. It was the end of the route 66.
Monday, June 20
From the western-most part of California, I drove across for four hours to Las Vegas, Nevada. The temperature rose at least 20 degrees Fahrenheit within these four hours and by the time I got out from the car, it felt more like an oven than anything else in Las Vegas. The view on Hwy 15 looking towards the city centre from the south was absolutely eye-catching. With different architectural styles from literally different parts of the world, and these buildings were erected from a desert land with nothing else acting as background, it is perhaps another man-made wonder of the world. The town centre just south of the strip is not popularly promoted, but it definitely worth the visit.
Tuesday, June 21
In other to beat the desert heat, I headed out early in the morning to explore the strip on foot and by 10am, when the sun came out, it was quite unbearable to stay outside for a long period of time without taking periodic rests in shady areas. In the afternoon, I took a short trip to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon on a 10-seater propeller plane – the view from several thousand feet above was magnificent – especially when I saw the depth of those valleys and gouges.
Wednesday, June 22
Another less visited natural treasure near Las Vegas must be the Red Rock Canyon, which is just 30 minutes to the west of the strip. The 2 hour scenic drive within this canyon brought me to various points to admire the natural wonders. I spent the evening seeing the different elaborate shows outside the hotels on the street – ranging from a huge musical fountain to an aggressive eruption.
Thursday, June 23
I left Vegas early in the morning and headed back to Los Angeles hoping to beat the afternoon rush hour. In the late afternoon, I went to the Greystone Mansion just off the Beverley Hill and also to Venice Beach. This beach was rather disappointing with very little shops and action.
Friday, June 24
I drove along Hwy 1, hugging the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to San Diego and stopping at the Laguna Beach town. The San Diego old town is very traditional and it definitely has more to offer than the actual city centre. After lunch I hopped on the San Diego trolley and headed to the border. Standing at the turnstile, I hesitated for a while before I walked across to Tijuana, Mexico. It was only a 5-minute walk on foot-bridge linking (or separate) San Ysidro fro, Tijuana. I think the States prohibits any habitation near the border so it was nothing but just grasses on the US side. However, Mexico apparently has no such regulations, so houses are built right up to the border. The first impression when I crossed the international border was shocking. I literally felt as if it was day and night between the two sides. Tijuana is a rough city and I did not stayed for too long before I headed back.
Saturday, June 25
After my noon-hour flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the first thing that I noticed was how cold San Francisco was for late June. It was gloomy and windy as I walked from the subway station, through Union Square, before finding my hotel. The city was preparing for the Pride Parade on the following day, so it was packed with people – interesting people from different walks of life.
Sunday, June 26
I gave myself extra time in the morning knowing that the service for public transit will be interrupted because of the parade, but I still missed the last streetcar, so I took an expensive cab ride to Pier 33 to catch my ferry ride out to Alcatraz. It was a beautiful day, and when I was waiting in line, I bumped into a CDNIS alumnus. Alcatraz used to be a state penitentiary before it was converted to a National Park – and now being occupied by seagulls! The bus tour around San Francisco in the afternoon brought me to various landmarks within the city – and of my favourites – the Painted Ladies near Alamo Square.
Monday, June 27
I was picked up from the hotel before the sun rose that morning and headed to Yosemite. Unfortunately, this national natural treasure – Yosemite – is rarely visited by any organized tour. It is by far the highlight for my two weeks and I personally think this is even more beautiful than the Grand Canyon. I could see myself spending another day or two in there.
Tuesday, June 28
The only day that it rained and it rained all day. I went to Burlingame and explored this little town just south of San Francisco and did not do anything else because the weather deteriorated.
Wednesday, June 29
I went to Palo Alto, by the recommendation of my friend. It was another small town just like Burlingame, but it is also the city where Stanford is located. The main road, University Road, has many upscale shops and obviously over-priced cafes. Stanford University has a very subtle entrance but the palm trees along both sides of the road with lushly green fields definitely paint a very relaxing atmosphere. In the evening, I went to the Google headquarter in Mountain View – dined in their cafeteria. That city block is more like a micro-city.
Thursday, June 30
Time to head home – Toronto is still where I call home.
0 comments:
Post a Comment