The last time we wrote, we were preparing for 4th of July. We understand the irony of two Brits celebrating the independence of a nation that gained that independence from defeating, well, us. However, 4th of July is more than just a celebration of America’s birthday, it’s a celebration of freedom and an excuse to drink and who doesn’t love that right? We hit up Santa Monica Beach in the morning, savouring the sea air. We ate at a great place called Bubba Gumps and practically filled up on shrimp. The thing we always forget about the States are the portion sizes, and S confesses to hiding some of his shrimp in a napkin so it appeared he had eaten more than he had. The waiter was full of banter and we felt bad. He was also kinda cute (that was S). Now, Bubba Gumps is inspired by the film Forrest Gump so our waiter/waitress (the latter was new so was being trained) treated us to a Forrest Gump quiz. Thank God for A and her compulsive film watching as S was pretty bad. We got a perfect score of 3/3.
After lunch we donned our Stars and Stripes underwear and prepared to party in West Hollywood with a bunch of Americans and the friend who was putting us up. It was awesome! All day drinking, BBQing, games of corn hole and general merriment make for a good party. Oh, and sparklers! How could we forget? S and A felt like celebrities with the constant attention – ‘oh my god! I love your accent, where are you from?’ A was asked if she was from Ireland… No comment.
Surprisingly, we felt perfectly fine next day. Our friend, let’s call him SB, had to work on the 5th which sucked for him but we decided to set off for Venice Beach and Pier to check out the apparent freakshows who parade up and down the boardwalk. We walked past Muscle Beach, took in a skate park, and was offered marijuana for medicinal purposes more than once. Did you know marijuana goes well with ice cream? No, us neither.
The beach was perfect, and the weather just right. Considering there are floods and rain that would cause Noah to start reaching for the wood back home, we are appreciative of every piece of sunshine. The tan is coming along nicely.
Driving back to SB’s we noticed a school that A thought looked very familiar. After a thorough investigation we found out it was the school that was used in Grease. A posed for probably too many photos outside doing the ‘well-a-well-a-well-a’ dance move. S expressed the same enthusiasm when he discovered Britney filmed her debut video at the school.
After overdosing on vitamin D all day, we headed back to SB’s apartment and took him and his roommate out to dinner as a thank you for having us. We went to a great diner called Swingers and had delicious shakes and food. The diner was used in the film Knocked Up in the scene the morning after the two characters do some knocking up. Thank goodness there was no awkward ‘I’ll call you’ chat at our table and we left feeling totally stuffed and about to burst. After dinner we and SB decided to go to West Hollywood and party with our American gay brethren. S and A literally had vodka on the rocks all night because it was more or less 5 parts vodka 1 part Sprite. The best bit about the night? Practically naked buff dancers on the bar in the Abbey. A couldn’t hide her blushes (and eyes).
Heading home, we all decided to strike a pose next to the Beverley Hills sign. Cue 25 photos and A’s best pout. S decided to recreate a scene from Scary Movie by running through the sprinklers next to the BH sign. 10/10 for Mr Mackenzie who managed to keep his composure and run elegantly while being sprayed with water. I don’t know if the residents of BH would agree though… We also went and got Sprinkles cupcakes…at an ATM! Cupcakes from holes in the wall? Why doesn’t this happen more often? A is ready to pitch the idea to Lord Sugar when she gets home ©
Our first Friday in the City of Angels saw a return visit to the beach at Santa Monica. The sun was out in all it’s Californian glory and we soaked up the rays while admiring the natives to Santa Monica. In the morning we made our way to a lovely little diner on Washington Blvd called Maxwell’s. If you ever go to LA you should visit. The food was delish. A finally got to sample some Mexican food which everybody had been raving about. After chilling on the beach at Santa Monica we made our way to visit the house that is used in American Horror Story.
After our initial challenges navigating the roads of LA we now have it down to a fine art; we are now experiencing the same road rage that some LA drivers display extremely well. We’ve been flipping people off and hooting the horn left, right and centre. S even ran a stop sign. Accidently.
We then headed back to SB’s where a gathering was in full swing for a trip to Venice for First Friday. We experienced a short LA bus ride to a strip in Venice that is lined with food trucks and packed bars and clubs to celebrate the first Friday of every month. A and S became quite excited when SB told them that Bill and Sookie from the hit HBO TV show True Blood lived in the area. Cue a rendition of ‘Sooooookieeeees’ for about 5 minutes.
We decided to take advantage of the food trucks on offer along the street. S opted for fish and chips from a truck called ‘Cod Save the Queen’. You can take the boy from Scotland…… A decided to make up for her lack of fruit and veg by having a slice of salad pizza. It shouldn’t work but oh my god it does! After some drinks in a bar and a walk home we hit the sack to rest ahead of our coastal drive to San Francisco. Which we have almost completed. We’re currently checked into a hotel and about to rest up for the final leg of the drive. We’ll leave you with a picture of part of the Pacific Coast Highway.
Much love,
S&A
la-ny2012 