To state the blindingly obvious, I made it.

Thirteen hours spent at an average of thirty seven thousand feet over the Pacific have seen me turn back the time zone clock to spend a lazy Sunday in Los Angeles while the rest of my fellow Melbournians start afresh for another work week (sorry, last gloat I swear). But it is winter over here and as of right now, and most of this day, it's been raining and my Northface jacket has made an unexpected early appearance.

Speaking of jackets, that's certainly not what one needs when they board a delayed by an hour Qantas A380 with, as our pilot so technically put it, "Air problems". Fair to say no one knew the term, but it meant boarding a plane and experiencing takeoff like we were all in a slave labour sweat shop. It was a deadset sauna. Thankfully it cooled down once we reached cruising altitude and we were on our way, with comfort.

A ride from LAX international to downtown LA can cost you just eight bucks on a Flyaway bus, only on credit card, and along the way you get to see some of the less tourist friendly spots of South Central from the freeway. It might not sound that appealing to most but I was fascinated.

Staying in Chinatown has it's advantages. It's cheap and you can walk to pretty much anywhere in the city. But having said that it's probably not the best spot to hang around if you're a dominant English speaking Caucasian who's intimidated by being a minority. That's not me by the way. Having a browse through the el Pueblo Historic monument Sunday market was pleasant, despite the rain, but it's also a place one would want to brush up on their Spanish to communicate most efficiently with stall keepers. They had some pretty neat things there and everybody was nice.

LA is not a place known for their public transit but their Union station is a real gem. Walking into the foyer kinda made me feel like I was in the Hogwarts food hall. The high pitched timber roofs, classical hanging light features and historic feel to it was awesome. It's a place where I will head again tomorrow as the Amtrak's Southwest Cheif begins to take on the scenic route towards the east coast.

A lazy first day, including a soon to be attempted jet lag nanna nap, will be finished feet up watching the Raptors game on ESPN. NBA at night, Maddi. It'll blow your mind.

And I'll finish with this. A large Hershey bar, cheese and onion pretzel and packet of Tapatio hot sauce Doritos costs a grand total of $4.99. AND that is from a convenience store..... Good lord, help me.