Hello again,

Before going back to the hotel we went through the Chinese Market near the hotel and I got myself some sunglasses. We were planning to drive to Santa Monica and the day promised to be very sunny.

Back at the hotel we took the car and started to drive west, towards Santa Monica. We decided to skip the freeway and instead drove over Wilshire Boulevard, a long street which led all the way to the beach. It took us almost half an hour more to take this route than to take the freeway but we got to see the coolest and most beautiful buildings of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica this way.

Eventually we ended up near the coast and decided to try the Pacific Coast Highway. This highway was a little less stressful as the freeway but we turned around quite fast. Mostly because we noticed the Santa Monica Pier.

Getting near the pier was quite easy, finding a parking spot was a little bit more tricky. We found a great one though and went out exploring the beach. The pier itself was quite large with a rollercoaster, an arcade hall, and much more on it. Around the pier were lots of bars and cafés and we sat down at one to get a drink. There was a skateboarder trying to jump off the stairs leading up to the pier so we sat there and watched him for a while. After he finally made it we ordered some really really tasty burgers and decided to head back towards the hotel.

Trying to beat rush hour wasn't easy at all, especially since there were some major accidents on the freeways and everyone tried to take the regular roads. We tried to reach the Sunset Boulevard because this would take us through the hills of Hollywood, past some of the big celebrity houses. We did quite well in avoiding most of therush hour traffic and when we reached the hills the roads were quite clear.

The Sunset Boulevard led us back into the city where we had trouble with rush hour again. After some time we found our way to the Hollywood Boulevard, driving alongside the walk of fame. The part in front of the Chinese Theater and Madam Tussaud was closed off so we took a right back to Sunset Boulevard and continued our way to the hotel.

If anything I'm glad we skipped the freeways today and focused mainly on driving along the Boulevards. We saw a lot more of Los Angeles this way and I also enjoyed the driving a lot more.

See you tomorrow at Griffith Park!

Jeremy

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P.S. Still can't upload pictures, the site seems to be updating?