Don't Forget Your Sandals

April 13, 2016 - Toronto to Los Angeles

We were chauffeured (Thanks Mom and Dad) to Pearson Airport (YYZ) Terminal 3 to catch our 7 PM West Jet/American Airline’s flight to Los Angeles (LAX). We could not believe the number of check points along the way, but it later proved very efficient to go through US Customs prior to departing Canada. While waiting to board the flight, we snacked on gluten free sandwiches we brought in our carry on luggage. We would suggest packing snacks and food to avoid the price gouging of the airport kiosks. Obviously, bringing beverages or liquids poses a problem, but we have never had any issues with bringing food into the airport.

We landed in Los Angeles at about 9 PM local time (3 hours behind Toronto) and made our way to pick up our baggage. To say the airport was busy is an understatement. Each baggage carousel had at least 5 flights listed for baggage collection. When we finally walked out of the terminal we were faced with traffic and Honk HONK horn honking! First impression - seriously aggressive drivers; way worse than Toronto. We later learned that Kobe Bryant retired that night (accounting for some of the insanity)… but traffic and horn honking are still a huge part of life in California. Luckily, our hotel (The Embassy Suites North by Hilton) emailed instructions for the complimentary shuttle. It was a painfully slow process as it took at least 30 minutes for the shuttle to exit the airport and reach our hotel located less than a mile away. Walking with all our luggage may have been faster! After checking in and updating some social media we crashed in the comfortable bed.

April 14, 2016 - Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

Waking up at 6 AM felt like a luxurious sleep in, since back home in Toronto the time would have been 9 AM. Being awake early allowed us to take advantage of the buffet breakfast included with our stay! If you’re going to be faced with spending $320 (USD) for a night’s stay, might as well take advantage of the included perks and do so early before the risk of utensils and food being contaminated by any crowds of sneezing coughing unhygienic individuals. 

The most valuable and appealing aspect of The Embassy Suites North is a Reception Concierge named Ed. Ed is native to California and his passion for his city is captivating. Understanding we only had a few hours before our next flight, Ed recommended Santa Monica and Venice Beach for a taste of California. We received instructions to access the Big Blue Bus - an intercity mode of public transit costing only $1.25/person (day passes also available). Alternatives would have been taxi or Uber, but we thought we would commute like locals. The only downfall - us - we were tourists trying to be locals standing at the wrong bus stop for 25 minutes wondering why buses kept passing by. We utilized the bus stop information number and moved ourselves 1 block West to a City Bus Terminal and 5 minutes later we were on ‘The Big Blue’ heading North on Lincoln Blvd to Santa Monica.

It felt adventurous to ride the bus and observe the population demographics, but sad to witness the poverty and homelessness as we passed through Venice. Hopping off the bus in Santa Monica, we walked West to the Santa Monica Pier, which also happens to be the end of Route 66. There was literally an amusement park with a roller coaster on the pier. The rest of the wooden pier was comprised of restaurants and kiosks (nicknacks). Nothing opens early on the pier, but the beautiful scenic views are always present!

Back on Ocean Avenue (the road running parallel to the ocean), we stopped at the Tourist Information Centre for free maps and honest advice. Top recommendations for food: The Misfit and the Italian Restaurant next door over on Santa Monica and Promenade (3rd Street) or walk further to Main Street for an abundance of restaurants with a more local feel. Unfortunately, The Misfit was still closed at 10 AM, but for anyone in the area it does open for lunch and dinner.

In our opinion, the best find on Promenade (3rd Street) was the Converse store - very cool decor and custom made shoes. At Converse, we loved chatting with Kat. After sharing our travel plans and our ‘Big Blue Bus’ journey from the morning, Kat laughed and shared that if we really wanted to get around like we lived in LA, we would be taking an UBER before we ever took ‘The Big Blue’.

…So, we hired an UBER! Important learning moment - UBER drivers will not stop to pick you up if you’re curb side near “Bus Only Lanes” (Risk = $1000 fine). We relocated to a side street and got in with Vincenzo. This guy is amazing - not native to California, but knows a LOT about it and provided an almost 30 minute narrative on ‘Cali life’ - speaking to the vibes within each region (Venice [artistic], Santa Monica [expensive; tourist emphasis], Manhattan Beach [similar to Santa Monica with a local urban feel], and Beverly Hills [elite; million dollar homes]); touching on politics and the prevalence of homelessness; and hitting on traffic as we moved past the backlogged 6 lane Highway 405. It seems in California, traffic is the perfect excuse for being late (“Cali time”). Vincenzo told us sheer volume was the problem and mentioned a plan for a train to cut through the city to ease congestion, but the residents of Beverly Hills have been refusing a train stop - apparently fearful the homeless will become their new neighbours. It seems Venice and its “beachfront property with ocean views” is the only tolerant region for those struggling socioeconomically.