We arrived in LA and took the shuttle to our hostel. We went out that afternoon and walked along Hollywood Boulevard. Initially I was really unimpresed as it seemed really run down and not as glamorous as expected. However, we continued walking until we reached the Avenue of Stars which we studied hoping to spot famous names! We strolled along the boulevard soaking up the cheesy but fun atmosphere, taking pictures of everything and watching the many street performers.
Unfortunately the following day we had to move hostels so we took the bus to Melrose to stay at Banana Bungalows. We took the bus and on the way we saw Michelle Phiffer receiving her 'star' for the walk of fame. After arriving at the hostel and putting our stuff in our new room (which by the way had the most awful smell) we decided to walk down Fairfax Avenue to go to The Grove, a very nice shopping area set around a fountain. The shops were a treat and I found a really nice shop which I bored Arber rigid as I shopped in there for an hour! We both then went shopping in Abercrombie and Fitch but I think the atmosphere in there made Arber a little uncomfortable which I found funny...it could have had something to do with the fact we were greeted at the entrance by a topless male model and the place was full of topless men in pictures. After an exhausting day shopping we took the number 2 bus to Downtown LA to go and see a Dodgers game- unfortunately however there was no match on so we headed back!
The day after we went to Disney Land! I was very excited as Arber had never been so I wanted him to experience the magic! We took the shuttle to the park and I felt like a child walking through the gates. When we first arrived we headed onto the Star Wars ride and then to the Innoventions workshop where Arber was thrilled to see Asimo- the robot from the Honda Adverts live! From there we headed to Fantasia Land for some Princess spotting- I came over all childlike and was not happy with just getting an autograph book for Arber's niece Buena but had to buy myself one! It was so much fun having our photos taken. After lots of chasing characters, getting autographs and acting like I was 10 again we went to watch the parade and it was amazing! I loved every moment of it, the floats were beautiful and we had lots of fun. Unfortunately our shuttle left before the night parade but it was such an amazing day and I think Arber had as much fun as I did. That evening we just headed to Orbit Hostel and watched a really funny comedy night which was a fun way to end the day.
We only had two days left in LA and that meant one thing...lots of shopping! We spend time shopping in Melrose Avenue and Sunset Blvd before heading to Santa Monica to enjoy the beach and more shopping! We took a walk down the pier and checked out the Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant. The beach was lovely with gorgeous white sand but the wind meant it was a little chilly for sunbathing. We went to see the Simpson's movie in the evening before heading back.
On our last day in LA we headed to the Beverley Centre to check out Macy's & Bloomingdale's before catching the bus to Rodeo Drive. We walke down the street hoping to do some celebrity spotting but no such luck & took some pictures of us posing on Rodeo Drive. From there we took another bus and headed towards Venice Beach, it took us a while to make it there as we kept getting distracted by cool shops. We arrived there late in the afternoon and walked along the promenade which was full of weird and wonderful people and things! We had dinner at a beachside restaurant & enjoyed some delicious food & milkshakes!
The following day we left the hostel at 6.30am to catch our flight to Cancun.