California (part 1): Los Angeles | Dreamers and All The Odds

(An interesting wall near the famous Pink Wall, which seems more photogenic for us)

Studying in a place as cold as -27 Celsius degree in the winter, I always try to opt for warmer places to spend my Winter Break. After getting to know the East Coast (and realizing it's not any less freezing) the previous holidays, I flew to California this year for a warmer shelter. My first destination is Los Angeles.

Our AirBnb was about 20-30 minutes away from LAX, located at the top of a small hill. To reach the house, we had to hike a long and steep driveway (which brought my daily data in Apple Health app from 17 to 22 floors climbed). This height of the secluded house, surprisingly, gave us a bird's eye view of the city.

(View from our house)

As we chatted, it turned out the host was a Vietnamese-American who immigrated from Da Nang since he was very little, and has lived in L.A all his life. He was super excited to know we were also Vietnamese and immediately gave us a tight hug. Although it was already late at night, he kept on talking about his stories, introducing L.A hidden treasures, and expressing his perspectives about life.

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Unlike the East Coast, L.A doesn't have widespread buses or trains network that can take you to multiple places. Since there are tons of freeways that make two nearby places seem distant, the easiest way to get around is to either hire a car (and deal with finding parking spaces) or take Uber/Lyft (and pay higher for rush hours). For my trip, my boyfriend and I were lucky to have friends that drove us around. When we had to take Uber/Lyft, the fares were split up as we traveled in a larger group.

For every travel, I normally prioritize exploring that city's hidden beauty, since it might be more representative of the local culture. L.A was different! Since tourism generates huge revenue for the city, most places are exploited to attract visitors from all over the world. What's more interesting in L.A touristy spots compared to other cities is the creativity, from street artists, street performers, to costumed characters and merchandise stores. Strolling along Walk of Fame, we were surrounded by Batman, Lady Shiva, BumbleBee, Joker, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, and other characters I couldn't name. Most of them would ask where tourists were from, and fascinatingly, spoke a few sentences in local languages and posed for pictures. These efforts were not for free, though! Apart from this, a lot of tourists also paid to have their names laid out on an empty star. Smart business idea don't you think?

(Mickey Mouse at Hollywood Walk of Fame)

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L.A is famous for its beaches. We got to see Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and Huntington Beach, but the first two stood out to me the most due to their distinctive vibes. Walking down Santa Monica boardwalk, there were a lot of lone singers, whose only assets were a bucket, a microphone, and an old, makeshift speaker box. I didn't think they take singing seriously, but rather tried to earn money by attracting people's attention. There was one guy who was half-naked and repeated Shape of You all over again. Instead of touching the right notes, he purposefully sang as if he was rapping or reading the lyrics, while dancing around and joking with tourists.

(Santa Monica Pier/Beach)

In Venice Beach, however, we encountered a very different atmosphere, as if all the strangest things converge here. As we just entered, a group of "artists" (what they called themselves) surrounded us to hand out their CDs. I'd been told not to take anything, since they would sign the disks without asking, then demand money for the signature. Along the street, weed and tattoo stores were everywhere. A group of kiddos were skateboarding. A married couple smoked while telling dirty jokes to a group of audience, their little kid sitting in the back. A Japanese lady, without caring if there was any listener, sang a Japanese song with a money bucket in front. And the most scary thing to me: a half-naked man holding a white python on his neck (with its tongue sticking out), while riding the bicycle one-handed. Imagine if he fell off and that python escaped!!!!

Also, one funny thing was the lack of clean restrooms here, which frustrated me when I needed it the most, especially after consuming too much water for lunch. Not even one store had a private restroom for my emergency! Lucky us, after a joint effort of the group to locate a decent toilet, we managed to sneak in that restaurant and release ourselves...

(Venice Beach Boardwalk)

Another stunning place that got me in awe was Griffith Observatory; more interesting, this was where La La Land was filmed. When we arrived in the late afternoon, there was no parking space, so we had to leave the car further down the hill. From our location, it was roughly a 15-20 minutes hike to the entrance. The walking path was steep, sandy, rough, and overlooks a huge valley. Scary as it sounds, the view was actually gorgeous, especially around sunset. The disappearing sun turns fiery red, while pulling a purple curtain down on the blue sky.

(This photo can tell I'm not over-describing its beauty)

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Talking about our travel companions, this trip was particularly special since we were reuniting with 4 other couples. Living in a lovebirds nest was so much fun! Despite some small fights that occurred due to itty bitty conflicts (common couple's things), I truly appreciate being on this trip with all of them! It was great bonding time, from not-so-early breakfast to late-night board games and deep talks. If any of you are reading, thanks for the memories and hope to see y'all soon (of course, in this same line-up)!

(My favorite photo of the squad from Griffith Observatory)

(Another cute photo at UCLA Campus)

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After setting foot in this La La Land, I can see why people call it the land for dreamers. Everything can happen here, even the weirdest thing a tourist can ever see! Everyone has a space to express their true self, even those with the strongest personalities. L.A's definitely a great place to travel, but maybe not my ideal location to settle down. Let's see what San Francisco has for us in the next couple days!

My favorite attractions: Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach, LACMA, The Last Bookstore (downtown), Griffith Observatory, and UCLA campus. A day trip to Orange County is worth the time too if you're starving for authentic Vietnamese food!