The truth is to get from Rio to America isn't that easy. To fly from Rio you are limited to very few options and it can be quite expensive,that's if your not on one of the main routes. I read that there are only six destination that you can fly direct to Rio and after that you have to make connections. To get to LA I had to make two connections one in Peru and one in El Salvador. Though this was a nuisance it did allow me to get out of South America for a very budget price and by flying to LA it was significantly cheaper to go there than fly to most of the other states I had considered. I had made it my priority to go to the Grand Canyon and California is well placed to do this so Los Angeles seemed like a good option. What I hadn't anticipated was to fall in love with the place..I really did.
A lot had to do with finding a brilliant hostel in the centre of Hollywood which had once been the home of Marilyn Monroe. It had lots of character and history that added another dimension to my stay. That said i found Hollywood on the whole to be brilliant. I had heard a lot of bad stuff about Hollywood , people had said it's a dump...it's not what you expect, and that's sort of true...but what is there is so cool that it doesn't matter. If like me you like the movies then the place seduces you almost as soon as you see the Hollywood sign. The walk of fame is strangely fun to walk down, the Chinese Treater has it's own gravity that draws you in. Rather than ramble on and on the following is a list of things which I loved about my stay. 1. Staying in a brilliant Hostel 2. Searching out a good place to get a photo of the Hollywood sign. 3. Saying Iam not bothered about the walk of fame then spending half a morning trying to find Marilyn Monroes star. 4. Stumbling upon Elizabeth Taylors Star and watching all the tributes mount up. 5.Seeing Penelope Cruzes star being made and missing her by two days! 6. Watching a slightly average movie called "Paul" in the Chinese Theater which I might add boasts a HD experience like no other and renders the movie even more average! 7. Seeing the Premier for Sucker Punch. 8. Walking past Hellen Miren doing her foot and handprints and not realising what was happening! 10. Getting lost in the Hollywood hills when trying to walk back from Universal City. 11.Watching live music at howl to the moon and really bad comedy at another bar in Universal City. 12. Gong to see Bill Maher for free. Check this site out for free tickets. 13. Union Station 14. Feeling safe on the tube. 15. Visiting Compton 16. Seeing Superheroes on the blvd. The list goes on and on... And considering I wasn't fussed about going there there was so much I didn't do, I didn't go on a tour of homes, never visited Bel Air or Beverly Hills, didn't go Santa Monica or any of the beaches, Disneyland or Universal Studios. The place is packed with things that seduce you and I was gutted to leave but that said the places I went to after LA I felt the same about both San Francisco and New York play the same trick on me of trying to me a resident!
