Not all glitz and glamour in Hollywood

The homeless person begging on the street, the man driving past in his Ferrari, the young aspiring actress in the corner Starbucks and the evangelist preacher at the traffic lights are all part of the same culture in Hollywood.

We’ve spent just under a week in the entertainment capital of the world and from downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills and out to Venice Beach there was this intense feeling of pressure where ever we went.

There has been a lot to see during our time here, the iconic Hollywood sign, the Santa Monica Pier, Universal Studios, the hustle and bustle of Little Tokyo and the Arts District and a total fan moment walking straight past Mark Wahlberg in Target.

But the thing that struck me the most is the massive gap between the wealthy and the poor. A Mustang is just as common as a beggar on the streets – and there are a lot of both. I have seen poverty strike and disabled people before during my time in China, but never so many in one area, walking the streets we see on TV and in movies represented as one of the most glamorous and sort after places to be in the Western world.

The second thing I noticed was the number of people on the streets looking for fame – I know, not so surprising given where we were ­– but every second person was talking about some audition or some recording. L.A. is hopping with beautiful women and men strutting around in muscle tanks heading into a juice bar or protein supplement store on every corner.

Thirdly, as this is a budget travel blog, Hollywood and the L.A. surrounds are not cheap. I am yet to compare other costings around the country but other than 17c bottled water at Trader Joe’s we found things comparative with Perth, Western Australia, or more expensive considering the poor exchange rate.

I was also surprised by how unsafe I felt in L.A.

Grabbing a small wad of one dollar bills out on a bus the woman driver said to me, “you never ever get your money out like that, never ever get your money out like that ever, have you seen what’s on this bus?!” Looking around I didn’t think anything bad of the people sitting around me but felt extremely insecure and nervous after that and always held my things close.

Lastly transport in L.A. is not as efficient as I expected a major City to be. The L.A. area itself is much more expansive than people realise and to get to each tourist area can mean whole day trips. Hollywood is relatively easy to get to from the metro but to see the most of Hollywood (Beverely hills, Hollywood sign, Griffith Park) you would have to pay for a tour bus, which there are several of on every corner.

Santa Monica and Venice Beach are only accessible by bus and we found the bus system quite difficult as often buses didn’t come when they should have or at all. A trip home from Santa Monica to Hollywood took one hr and a half at 9.30 at night.

The best way to see L.A. would definitely be by car. A tour can cost between $US25-50 and last for a few hours. By car we drove to Venice Beach, back through the Beverley Hills and chasing the Hollywood sign through the Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park. For dinner we drove to Korea Town where we had a great sashimi plate from Sake House - yeah yeah I know that’s Japanese but it was still bloody good, a whole day car hire for $US70.

Overall I did enjoy Hollywood and agree it is a must see, you just don't need a whole week there.

If I go back I would make time to go see a show or a perforance at the Upright Citizens Brigade.

...

I've been in Pheonix Arizona now for a few hours, have already come face to face with a fully automatic weapon and ordered plate sized burritos and enchiladas. It's going to be a very American weekend.

#blog #travel #Hollywood #LosAngeles