California Part Six: Los Angeles, Santa Monica and San Diego

April 2010

The next day felt very long, mainly because I discovered a new time in the morning called 7am. We did not get on. It takes a lot to get me up and out before 8am, but the prospect of the Huckleberry Bakery with the Gap Year Buddy’s family did the trick. By 8.30am the place had started to fill up so the early start turned out to be necessary.

After my breakfast of ginger cake, cinnamon rolls, strawberry pie and scrambled egg with fresh orange juice, we attempted to use a Mac to communicate with home (we are both PC people so that was easier said than done). Much frustration later, we left for Venice Beach. We found a small parking lot which charged us $15 but we could stay until 5pm so at least we didn’t have to worry about rushing back.

Parked up, we hit the Boardwalk – a hippie, artsy and colourful stretch by the beach. There were quirky shops and stalls with artists, musicians and street performers dotted in between. We got very excited at the sight of an American Apparel outlet store but sadly the discount was only small. Happily, however, the shop next door offered American Apparel at more backpacker-budget-friendly prices so I treated myself there. When I’d packed for my big trip, I figured I’d need lots of practical, loose-fitting, plain clothing that packed down small. Now I was in LA, I wanted something that felt more normal.

After some perusing, we found some lunch. It was expensive but we’d saved enough on clothes to justify it! I’d found that my UK bank card had played up in some places and refused to work but thankfully this time it worked just fine. Once we’d eaten, it was beach time. There was a recreation ground with tennis courts, a gym (aka Muscle beach), basketball courts and a skate park which drew quite a crowd. We spent some time watching some skating and catching some rays.

After we’d finished up at Venice Beach, we returned to the house for a lovely, homemade roast dinner before a trip to Cold Stone Creamery where we could customise our own ice cream. It was intense. Eventually, I managed to pick out an excellent combination: chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, brownie pieces and cookie dough. I was in heaven. We took our desserts back to the house and ate them in front of the telly.  Being under 21, night time activities were somewhat limited, but on this occasion that didn’t matter. Nothing could beat that.

The following day saw the sun come out in full force and we spent the day with the Gap Year Buddy’s family, before it was time for us to say goodbye to them and to our lovely stay in LA. We’d been very lucky but it was time for us to leave for San Diego. After a breakfast at Le Grande Orange in Santa Monica – consisting of English muffins – and a wander down to the beach, we were on our way.

We had wanted to stop off at Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach on the way and we programmed the sat nav accordingly but predictably we still got lost and ended up going in circles, so we decided just to head straight there, with only a stop off for petrol and Starbucks.

Again we were staying with more of the Gap Year Buddy’s family and after we arrived we all headed out for dinner at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto in Little Italy. The menu was perfect for the indecisive diner (aka me), as instead of choosing just one thing, you could choose to have two different half dishes in one. I went for lasagne and meatballs, which was great, but the portions were so big that all of us had to ask for doggy bags.

On our way back to the house, we drove along the river where boats-turned-museums were moored and which was lined by sculptures made by local college students. It was a lovely area at night.

When we got back, we crashed in front of the telly and were treated to cake with strawberries and whipped cream. It was so good that I was able to force it down into my already overfilled stomach. I was one happy foodie.

Read about the rest of my trip:

• California Part One: the journey begins
• California Part Two: a trip to San Francisco
• California Part Three: fish, food and detours
• California Part Four: the road trip begins and stalls
• California Part Five: sea, seals and Hollywood
• California Part Seven: animals, beaches and even more food
• California Part Eight: lakes, driving and farewells