we had heard some bad stuff about LA from other travellers so didn;t quiet know what to expect. but when we arrived our hostel was nice, right on the star walk and directly opposite the kodak theatre where they have the oscars. we walked around the area and it was so strange, it's meant to be all glitz and glamour in hollywood, but it really isn't. the place was dirty and full of homless people, which really stands out next to the posh cars and resturants. it seems you either really stupidly rich, or sleeping on the streets. melrose area was good for shopping. went to look at sunset blvd thinking it would be nice but it's an even bigger dump than hollywood. but on a plus side, we were walking back to the hostel and there was a premiere happening right outside so we stopped to watch and we saw all the big stars there. it was a really bonus to see julia roberts tom hanks and nicolas cage!! that night we went to a few bars and to the comedy store which was excellent. some of the comedians we recognised especially the guy from mtv and some bloke whos got his own american show. shame about the last two acts though, one of whom had to be held back and litterally dragged off stage and the other who was not funny at all. good night though. not so good hangover the next day at universal studios though. the place is great though and worth the money. saw load of sets, and we drove past them filming desperate housewives. the rides are really great here and we watched shrek in 4d which was so funny, law was jumping like crazy especially at the 3d spiders. water show also had some stars in it from varous shows like csi desperate housewives and law and order. cracking day.