4th of July - American Independence Day - one of the biggest dates in the US party calendar and we woke up late @ 10am! It appears that we both needed our beauty sleep for the long day ahead. We hadn't made any plans for the evening's fireworks but decided to go out and explore the city and see what comes out if it. We took the No.14 bus down to Beverly Hills and the Farmer's Market - a massive outdoor setup with dozens of food and fruit stalls. Decided then and ...

After spending a sleepless night in a stuffy, stinky, small co-ed dorm room, we had a quick free breakfast in the hostel kitchen, locked up our bags, hired bikes (I got a great "cruiser" - wouldn't mind something like that back in London!) and went cycling from Santa Monica down to Venice Beach. The morning started off misty and cool but later the clouds dissipated and the California sunshine smiled down on us. It was great to feel the cool Pacific breeze once ag...

OK, so Day 1 isn't exactly a full day in LA as our plane landed at 9pm, but LAX airport is such a maze of craziness (perhaps a forerunner of things to come), that it warrants it own blog. If only to just complain about it being the worst airport in the world!!!! Alright, so here's the list of what I hate most about LAX: 1. Signs: or complete lack of them. People, there is no excuse not to put up a sign to inform everyone where to go and how to get there! 2. No...