US diary: part 3: Los Angeles, CA

Leaving San Francisco was bittersweet for me, as always. First, I had such a fun time with my cousins there, cousins I rarely get to see. Second, I felt that the time we spent there was kulang pa. And third, absurd as it may sound, I would miss the weather. But leaving meant we were arriving at another destination! Exciting!

San Francisco from the sky: very organized!

Los Angeles was the next place in our itinerary. I must admit that this one city I could go without visiting, after all, it is too touristy for me. But at the end, I had to admit that I had tons of fun in LA too. Lesson: never judge a place until you’ve been there!

LA for me meant Hollywood. No surprises that on our first day, we went to where the stars are, hoping to see some of the celebrities we only get to see on TV and movies. Yun nga lang, at the end of the day, all we saw were Dr Spock [I don’t know his real name] and David Hasselhoff. Pwede na din.

LA = Hollywood. Here is were the famous stars frolic!

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Our first stop was the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Would you believe that the Walk of Fame spans 18 blocks? So many stars! So if you want to see each and single star, you would have to allot lots of time, especially that the impulse to have a picture taken with the famous celebrities’ stars is too hard to resist! He he! Picture dito, picture doon! [”OOhh, si Drew Barrymore, picture!” “Si Denzel Washington, picture naman!” “OMG, Julie Andrews! Picture!] If you do not have the luxury of time though, then you must make do with just a few.

We had fun looking at the names of stars on the sidewalk! Amazing that Wendy knew a lot, even the “oldies.” We shrieked when we saw the names of Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, Nichole Kidman, Jack Nicholson, and a lot more.

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Along Hollywood is Grauman’s Chinese Theater. For a popular theater, I had no idea of its existence until this trip. [Perhaps that goes to show how little I know of Hollywood]. They say that “to visit LA and not see the Chinese Theater is like visiting China and not seeing the Great Wall.” Ganun? Buti na lang pala nakita namin sya. This theater has been a cornerstone of Hollywood for 75 years and has been host to lots of shows and premiere nights.

The facade is indeed very Chinese. Kulang na lang ay sound ng mga gong, para ka nang asa China.

But you really won’t get confused whether you’re in China because just in front of the Chinese Theater are the prints of famous Hollywood stars. Here, we tried stepping into the shoes of Harry Potter stars. The hands and feet of Daniel Radcliffe are so big!!

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A few steps away from the Chinese Theater is the famous Kodak Theater, known more for its hosting the American Idol and the Academy Awards. The main theater was closed that day [bummer!], and there were no red carpets, but we were able to go inside the theater. Glamorous!

It was a coincidence that when we were there, it was the finals of the American Idol (Crystal Bowersox vs Lee DeWyze). Yun nga lang, umaga kami pumunta.

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Mawawala ba naman ang shopping sa Hollywood? He he! Of course not! Wendy and I bought memorabilia of our visit to Hollywood. At least, even though Wendy didn’t get to see Hannah Montana [Wendy told me to catch her if she faints if we see Hannah Montana], she will have a remembrance of this visit.

This is one of the bigger souvenir shops along Hollywood. Grabe ang stuff! Prices ranged from $5 (key chains) to as much as $50 (clothing).

You may even but an Oscar award! Oh diba? Meron dyan “Best Daughter”, “Best Employee”, “Best Tourist”, and a lot lot more! Wouldn’t it be great to take an Oscar home?

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From where the stars hang out, we went to where they live.

Beverly Hills: The home of the rich and famous. Walang binatbat Dasmarinas Village at Forbes Park!

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A street away from the Beverly Hills was Rodeo Drive. Yup, THE Rodeo Drive. It was just a stone’s throw away from Beverly Hills. Tipo bang pag naisip ng celebrities na they want to buy something, derecho agad sa Louis Vuitton or Chanel. O diba, bongga [kami SM Bicutan lang ang meron]?

We had no budget for shopping in these high-end stores. But strolling was free. So that’s what we did: we walked along Rodeo Drive and window shopped. I just looked at the stuff, not at the prices. Ayoko himatayin!

Rodeo Drive is not your typical “mall.” It’s like a whole street full expensive brands that celebrities patronize. Although I knew I wouldn’t be able to buy anything, I had fun walking along Rodeo Drive, always on the lookout for celebrities who might be there. Alas, we saw none!

But we did see this very expensive car: A Bugatti. Car aficionados will be thrilled of this very expensive car. I, on the other hand, found nothing special about it, aside from its seemingly threatening engine. I actually had this thought that is was parked there precisely for people to swarm around it.

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I guess one of the more defining moments of my LA visit [and the whole US trip for that matter] was watching a live NBA game.

When I was younger, I loved basketball [and the PBA]. The least I could say is that I am not ignorant about basketball. The current players I may not know, but the rules and how to play the game, I certainly know. But more than that, the reason I love basketball is the thrill and fun of watching my favorite team. I guess I could say that basketball will always have a special place in my life.

I am not a Laker fan, but I would never say no to an opportunity to watch a live game. It was Game 5 of the Western finals: Lakers versus Phoenix. My friends and I trooped to Staples Center, hoping we could get tickets. The game was sold out, and our only hope was the scalpers. Bilib ako sa friend ko, isang tingin pa lang, he already knew whether a person was a scalper.

The famous Staples Center, home to the LA Lakers. Grabe ang mga fans dito ha, dibdiban ang pagka-fan! He he!

He approached a person, discretely of course [as scalpers are banned in NBA games]. There were LA police everywhere. This black man brought my friend to a nearby hotel for the negotiations [frightening when you think of it]. But after a few minutes, we had the tickets! Yay!

It was half-time when we went in. But I really didn’t care. All I wanted was to experience watching an NBA game. I was excited as we went in, more so when we found out we were about 10 rows away from the court! Wohoo!

I felt like I was in a dream when I entered the stadium! Parang di totoo! Lalo na when I found out that I was in the same stadium as Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Dustin Hoffman…aside from Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash!

I wanted to cheer for Phoenix at that time, but I was afraid of being mobbed by the very enthusiastic Lakers crowd! And who wouldn’t be swayed by their cheering? Grabe! Ang saya!

Honestly, I was too fascinated with the whole thing [and with taking pictures] that I forgot to actually watch the game! He he! Before I knew it, there was just how many minutes, and then seconds, into the game.

In the last few seconds, the score was tied. I was praying for an overtime, for an extension of the wonderful experience. But no, it was not meant to be. At 0.03 seconds [shown in the picture], someone in the LA team scored a basket, securing the win for the Lakers. Grabe ang hiyawan ha, after that basket!

So there, Laker fan or not, I truly enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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Another memorable trip was the one to Universal Studios. This was one we decided we should not miss simply because we had never been to Universal Studios. In fact, we could have done without Disneyland, but not this one. Entrance was cheap: around $80, good for 5 days, although I felt you wouldn’t be needing 5 days to go around this one. We got our tickets cheap, at $54, because my cousin is a California resident and got some discount. For most parks in the United States, residents get discounts. So if you have relatives, ask them to buy the tickets for you.

The famous globe of Universal Studios.

Hmmm…which one should we try first? As we had limited time, we had to maximize our stay and see which ones are worth visiting.

We tried Terminator 2 3D, Shrek 4D, and Waterworld…all fantastic shows. My parents, aunt, and Wendy loved everything! Shrek was especially funny because it was in 4D, and when Donkey sneezes, there was water sprayed on us. Of course, it was just water, but the mind tells you otherwise! Yuk! He he!

The best feature of Universal Studios has to be the Studio Tour. Here, you ride a mini train and go around the sets of movies and TV series. You get to see the props and equipment used in shooting. You also get to experience what it feels like to shoot a scene! We got to experience earthquake and explosions in one of their studios. Astig!

Clockwise from top right: banner of famous actors, actresses, movies; the train that takes the tourists around; our friendly “tourist guide”; set of one of the movies [I forgot!], where water actually floods the place; sets used in movies and series, set in New York; a scene from Psycho is reenacted on the original set; experiencing earthquake and explosions in a subway scene; Jaws set; “Desperate Housewives” set; The Grinch set; airplane used in War of the Worlds; and simulation of how cars fly and explode in movies.

It was truly fun spending a day at Universal Studios. I could actually say it was part educational, with all the simulation and being part of a movie! For me, money well spent.

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There you have it, a summary of our stay in LA. There is much more to see and much more to experience, of course, for a bustling city like LA. In addition, there are are beautiful cities beside it (eg, Glendale and Pasadena), so you won’t run out of places to visit.

Next stop: Las Vegas, NV

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Related posts:

US diary: part 1: San Francisco, CA

US diary: part 2: Glendale, CA