Adventures in LA

Hey Guys, 

Last Saturday I got onto to the plane at Oakland Airport and flew to Burbank for my final stop in Los Angeles. After landing at Burbank my cousin and I headed off to west Hollywood to stay with a very good family friend, who was kind enough to let us stay with him until I was able to move into my apartment. 

Our first few days of exploring the area were fantastic. We started off with a spot of shopping at the Beverly Center, which we walked forty minutes to as we had no car, before heading off on a night out at a stylish nightclub near sunset called Boulevard3. The club consisted of a large outside area with large water display surrounded buy fire burners, an outside cocktail bar and luxury VIP areas. There was also an inside section with another very large bar, podium dancers, a VIP section and a large dance floor. It cost about $20 to get in, which is pretty pricey considering in London nightclubs girls will always get i free. I was also a little surprised by the lack of people that were there considering it was Saturday night. Regardless of this is was still an awesome night.  

Aside from clubbing, another thing on my list to do in LA was a hike to the Hollywood sign. Although I have been to LA a few times I had never managed to make this trip as the people I previously came to LA with are not really the hiking sort of people. As this was something my cousin and I were both very eager to do, we decided to take the moderate trail up to the sign rather than the easy route, where you would only get to see the sign from the side angle. 

After only thirty minutes of walking up hill I though I was going to pass out. I was sweating profusely and with the sun beating down on my head I had to stop to take a rest. I don't think that going at two in the afternoon with only one bottle of water and no hat was one of our smartest of ideas. As I reach halfway to the sign I hear a very familiar English voice saying "nah I'm up the hill, where are you?" In a loud Essex accent. A little confused (as I'm thousands of miles away from England) I turn around to see Stacey Solomon, who I went to high school with and UK X-Factor finalist. 

It's funny how you can be thousands of miles away from home and you still end up seeing someone you know. After a very long two hours we finally arrived to the Hollywood sign. The view was absolutely spectacular. LA is a very busy and hectic city that at times it feels so overwhelming, but from up there it seemed like a completely different city. It was so peaceful and made me really appreciate how lucky I am to be living in LA.  

 For the final adventure before my cousin was to leave me we decided to go and visit my uncle in Orange County. I was so exciting to see my uncle as I hadn't seen him for over a year. I had also never been to Orange County before so I was eager to see as much of it in the one day as I could. 

We met my uncle in Huntington Beach before we headed over to 'Bolboa Island' to see the beautiful and very expensive houses and to take a ride across the ferry. The Island is like something out of a movie. The houses are all perfectly shaped with cute little terraces, where the residents can drink their coffee whilst watching their yachts floating on the lake. 

After taking in the beautiful view at Balboa we then headed over to Newport Beach to a have an interesting brunch of fish burritos. Although this didn't seem too appealing to me at first as it was only eleven-thirty in the morning and the thought of fish at that time made me feel a little nauseous, it was actually very delicious and gave me the chance to try something completely new.

For our final stop I was given the choice whether I would prefer to go to either Fashion Island in Newport Beach, which is one of the biggest shopping malls in OC or to go and visit the famous 'Laguna Beach'. This was a very hard decision, but I was very keen to go to Laguna Beach, mainly because I was always obsessed with Lauren Conrad and the TV show 'Laguna Beach'. So off we went to Laguna. Looking out my window at the breathtaking scenery as we approached the beach I felt like a little kid again. It was so beautiful and looked exactly like it did in the TV show. The beaches had golden sand with a row of cute little boutiques and bars. After taking along the beach and being taught how to squash the seaweed until it popped we ended our little trip in Nicks bar and restaurant. Although the area was extremely expensive, with its beautiful beaches and cute gelato shops it is definitely a place worth visiting if you are ever in OC. 

Boulevard3 West Hollywood 

Hike to the Hollywood Sign 

Nicks in Laguna Beach 

Laguna Beach