So as I await to be cleared for a visa to work in the US; a nervous proposition for a South Asian man attached to his beard, I have been distracting myself with living the life of a tourist again. Sonam and I have got our travelling shoes on again, and this last week we were accompanied by her younger sister, also killing some time before she starts working. So, the three unemployed amigos have been driving south this week, exploring more of California in all its sunny glory. Having Tanisha (Sonam's sister) around this week was great, she's easy going and fun to hang out with, but I feel so old when I talk to her. I find myself asking her about 'what kids her age are into' (what the hell?), or not knowing who these celebrities or 'famous artists' are, or just watching in awe as she tucks away a double bacon cheeseburger as I nibble on my no-cheese-no-fun-lettuce-with-more-lettuce salad. I just sit there with my metaphorical sour grapes and look for someone older to compare myself to. But that aside, great week!
As I eluded to there, after some heavy binging and eating in UK/Hamburg, I am back to eating healthy and trying to exercise a bit before the wedding. We enrolled to Soul Cyle, some spinning class thing which is hyped to be 'super amaaazing' (Insert LA accent please). It was basically just a regular spin class I found, just with lots of over the top 'woohoo-ing' from the class participants, and a distinct lack of air conditioning/fans. I'm not really sure why it's so hyped, but then I think the fact that I read some celebrities attend might be why it's developed such a brand. Don't get me wrong, its a really fun (painful) way of getting into shape, but it was kinda the same as any other spin class I'd been to. Well except for the instructor yelling retorical questions out to the packed class like 'whats everyone upto tonight?', or 'how're you all feeling?', or 'are you ready?!', or 'are you excited for halloween?'. Turns out the only correct answer to these oddly conversational questions mid class was to reply with 'Wooooooo'. The class obviously ended with a minute of self reflection and meditation, as everyone 'looked into their third eye' to find 'that goal that brought them to class today' and most importantly to 'give 110% both in here and out'. So many annoying things in those sentences, I won't even bother going into all that. Stripping away all the bullshit, I would definitely go back simply as that's the closest spin class, but I really wouldn't mind someone who actually told me when to turn up the resistance as opposed to asking me pointless questions. One thing I'm excited to try next week is a class called Box n Burn; a kickboxing class that does cardio and strength at the same time, and it'll be fun to take that class, especially as Sonam and my local friend Simon are going to join me. So, that accompanied by the weekly circuit training, occasional gyming, spinning and running should hopefully do the trick! Well it seems to be working so far, if the trick was to try to maintain exactly the same shape as I got here.. Grrrr
So one of the places we went to was Rodeo drive in LA, and checked out the surrounding Beverly Hills. It was as expected really; beautiful houses, lovely palm trees, ridiculously lavish shops, and men and women with botox dripping from their faces as if it wasn't designed for sunshine. Still, a great little day trip, and topped off by a trip to the Cheesecake factory, a classic 'TV restaurant' as I call it, one instantly recognisable to the tourist after years of product placement in sitcoms. Considering we didn't even get round to trying the Cheesecake, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the meal was, and how accommodative they were (restaurants in LA don't really tolerate substitutions or changes to their dish by us picky vegetarians), and surprisingly went up the leaderboard to one of the best places I've eaten at while I've been here. I'm sure people actually from LA would hate me saying that, but hey, credit where its due!
After a day or two sticking around LA, we decided to have a day trip to Laguna beach and San Diego. Laguna beach was an hour or so away from 'home' (more nomadic as the days go by), and about 20 minutes in Tanisha regretted her request of having the roof down in the car, as the wind of the Pacific Coastal Highway smacked her in the face and blew her hair in her mouth. Like I said, overrated. Anyway, Laguna beach was amazing; again more amazing to Tanisha as apparently there was some reality TV show many years ago that I have never seen, but apparently we could see Lauren, or Lizzy, or whosever's house from where we were on the beach. Still, as lost as I was on that front, I was blown away by the tranquility and simplicity of the beach. It is quite small actually, but incredibly beautiful, and its serenity was symbolised by the people sitting on their own, on benches that overlooked the ocean, simply reading a book, having a drink and enjoying the peace and quiet.
Next stop - San Diego! We approached San Diego as the sun was properly setting, making for some stunning pictures from Coronado Island, a little island separated by a very long and elliptical bridge from the mainland of San Diego. The views from there were amazing, and gave us a view of the buzz and excitement from a quiet and sleepy setting.
And when we made our trip back over the bridge, it really had a feel of a proper city, slightly different to the way LA feels as it is so spread out. It kind of felt like a Chicago with better weather. It had a vibrant and diverse crowd filling the city centre, mostly young people enjoying the very broad range of bars and restaurants available. I could really see myself enjoying that city, it felt closer together, more compact, like a proper city that I was used to being in, and yet still maintained that west coast beachy feel right on its edges. Maybe I got a slightly exaggerated view of the buzz, given it was the day before Halloween there were plenty of people dressed up and ready to celebrate. Still, I loved it, and it's definitely on the list of 'maybes' for places to live.
The next day, once errands were run, exercise trudged through, we decided to check out the next hot sport in town; Basketball! We looked for official Lakers tickets, but got after no luck on the official website, we got really lucky on Stubhub, picking up some VIP suite tickets for a bit of a bargain. So, as it turns out, Kobe Bryant, the face and complete brand of the Lakers, is still pretty amazing, but defensively they're pretty awful. they were up against the Dallas Mavericks, who as it happens, are relatively awesome. All in all, it really wasn't that close a match, but to my amazement, the stadium still packed out right up to the nose bleed seats, and no one really got up till right at the end. It seats a mere 20,000 people, tiny compared to a football game, but they play so often, they really don't need to sell out that big a stadium to rake in the ticket receipts. We had a really fun evening, all lined up in Lakers jerseys, watching the Dance cam pan across the crowd, the Kiss cam pressuring awkward couples, the cheerleaders, the half time entertainment acrobat, the american food, the celebrity spotting (Stevie Gerard), and the guy who tries to throw a basket from the half way line to win a ridiculous amount of money! A complete american experience!
So Tanisha left the other day, and Sonam has been back on her studies for today, so I was left to my own devices. A quick run later, followed by watching Man Utd scrape to a win, I went into Santa Monica to grab a bit of lunch. On my way back to the car, I saw a horrendous thing (well aside from my parking ticket); rain! It was drizzling! I noticed people looking to the sky as if Godzilla was coming, start sprinting to their car, or the nearest coffee shop, completely unprepared for this natural disaster. I decided to do the latter - I'd already got a parking ticket, I may as well make the most of it. Huckelberry Cafe is a name that rang a bell, a place famous for its brunch in Santa Monica, and as it was right next to my car, I decided to pop in and grab a drink before heading back. As I sat down, I encountered my first celebrity sighting; Larry David from Curb your Enthusiasm. And curbing my enthusiasm is what I ended up doing. As much as I'd have liked to approach him and get a picture, I realised he looked kinda grumpy, as he always seems to on TV, and plus I didn't really want to open with 'Hi, I'm a big fan', and then not really be able to back it up with actual knowledge! Anyway, after a sneaky picture and a coffee, I drove home surrounded by panicy LA locals, running from their Godzilla, probably trying to find shelter at home.
Oh, and finally, Urinal update. I keep seeing this, can anyone explain what the hell is wrong with the people making these?? Why are they designed for midgets?
Right, thats enough for now, off to San Francisco tomorrow, may the travels continue!
As I eluded to there, after some heavy binging and eating in UK/Hamburg, I am back to eating healthy and trying to exercise a bit before the wedding. We enrolled to Soul Cyle, some spinning class thing which is hyped to be 'super amaaazing' (Insert LA accent please). It was basically just a regular spin class I found, just with lots of over the top 'woohoo-ing' from the class participants, and a distinct lack of air conditioning/fans. I'm not really sure why it's so hyped, but then I think the fact that I read some celebrities attend might be why it's developed such a brand. Don't get me wrong, its a really fun (painful) way of getting into shape, but it was kinda the same as any other spin class I'd been to. Well except for the instructor yelling retorical questions out to the packed class like 'whats everyone upto tonight?', or 'how're you all feeling?', or 'are you ready?!', or 'are you excited for halloween?'. Turns out the only correct answer to these oddly conversational questions mid class was to reply with 'Wooooooo'. The class obviously ended with a minute of self reflection and meditation, as everyone 'looked into their third eye' to find 'that goal that brought them to class today' and most importantly to 'give 110% both in here and out'. So many annoying things in those sentences, I won't even bother going into all that. Stripping away all the bullshit, I would definitely go back simply as that's the closest spin class, but I really wouldn't mind someone who actually told me when to turn up the resistance as opposed to asking me pointless questions. One thing I'm excited to try next week is a class called Box n Burn; a kickboxing class that does cardio and strength at the same time, and it'll be fun to take that class, especially as Sonam and my local friend Simon are going to join me. So, that accompanied by the weekly circuit training, occasional gyming, spinning and running should hopefully do the trick! Well it seems to be working so far, if the trick was to try to maintain exactly the same shape as I got here.. Grrrr
So one of the places we went to was Rodeo drive in LA, and checked out the surrounding Beverly Hills. It was as expected really; beautiful houses, lovely palm trees, ridiculously lavish shops, and men and women with botox dripping from their faces as if it wasn't designed for sunshine. Still, a great little day trip, and topped off by a trip to the Cheesecake factory, a classic 'TV restaurant' as I call it, one instantly recognisable to the tourist after years of product placement in sitcoms. Considering we didn't even get round to trying the Cheesecake, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the meal was, and how accommodative they were (restaurants in LA don't really tolerate substitutions or changes to their dish by us picky vegetarians), and surprisingly went up the leaderboard to one of the best places I've eaten at while I've been here. I'm sure people actually from LA would hate me saying that, but hey, credit where its due!
After a day or two sticking around LA, we decided to have a day trip to Laguna beach and San Diego. Laguna beach was an hour or so away from 'home' (more nomadic as the days go by), and about 20 minutes in Tanisha regretted her request of having the roof down in the car, as the wind of the Pacific Coastal Highway smacked her in the face and blew her hair in her mouth. Like I said, overrated. Anyway, Laguna beach was amazing; again more amazing to Tanisha as apparently there was some reality TV show many years ago that I have never seen, but apparently we could see Lauren, or Lizzy, or whosever's house from where we were on the beach. Still, as lost as I was on that front, I was blown away by the tranquility and simplicity of the beach. It is quite small actually, but incredibly beautiful, and its serenity was symbolised by the people sitting on their own, on benches that overlooked the ocean, simply reading a book, having a drink and enjoying the peace and quiet.
After a quick bite of delicious Mexican food (have to say, the best cuisine in general out here, if a little repetitive for a veggie), we made our way to sunny San Diego. We stopped off slightly before San Diego at a little town with a view called La Jolla (as I found, it is NOT pronounced how it is spelled, more La Hoya, apparently). This is where I first got a glimpse into the Halloween craze I was going to witness for the first time from an American perspective. I mean, halloween in the UK generally means a little bit of fancy dress (optional), maybe a house party if you're above 16 and trick or treating if you've got kids, and generally a few scary movies come out. Well, its kind of like that here, but on steroids. Think parade instead of house party, think 'sore thumb' if you don't wear a costume (I found that out the hard way), and think armies of kids strolling the streets for free candy.
So anyway, La Jolla was superb. the views were stunning, and we got there just before sunset, so a perfect time to admire the vastness of the ocean. We also happened to stumble across a very friendly seal or otter, who was super keen to jump out the sea and pose for photos in front of us tourists.
Next stop - San Diego! We approached San Diego as the sun was properly setting, making for some stunning pictures from Coronado Island, a little island separated by a very long and elliptical bridge from the mainland of San Diego. The views from there were amazing, and gave us a view of the buzz and excitement from a quiet and sleepy setting.
And when we made our trip back over the bridge, it really had a feel of a proper city, slightly different to the way LA feels as it is so spread out. It kind of felt like a Chicago with better weather. It had a vibrant and diverse crowd filling the city centre, mostly young people enjoying the very broad range of bars and restaurants available. I could really see myself enjoying that city, it felt closer together, more compact, like a proper city that I was used to being in, and yet still maintained that west coast beachy feel right on its edges. Maybe I got a slightly exaggerated view of the buzz, given it was the day before Halloween there were plenty of people dressed up and ready to celebrate. Still, I loved it, and it's definitely on the list of 'maybes' for places to live.
The next day, once errands were run, exercise trudged through, we decided to check out the next hot sport in town; Basketball! We looked for official Lakers tickets, but got after no luck on the official website, we got really lucky on Stubhub, picking up some VIP suite tickets for a bit of a bargain. So, as it turns out, Kobe Bryant, the face and complete brand of the Lakers, is still pretty amazing, but defensively they're pretty awful. they were up against the Dallas Mavericks, who as it happens, are relatively awesome. All in all, it really wasn't that close a match, but to my amazement, the stadium still packed out right up to the nose bleed seats, and no one really got up till right at the end. It seats a mere 20,000 people, tiny compared to a football game, but they play so often, they really don't need to sell out that big a stadium to rake in the ticket receipts. We had a really fun evening, all lined up in Lakers jerseys, watching the Dance cam pan across the crowd, the Kiss cam pressuring awkward couples, the cheerleaders, the half time entertainment acrobat, the american food, the celebrity spotting (Stevie Gerard), and the guy who tries to throw a basket from the half way line to win a ridiculous amount of money! A complete american experience!
So Tanisha left the other day, and Sonam has been back on her studies for today, so I was left to my own devices. A quick run later, followed by watching Man Utd scrape to a win, I went into Santa Monica to grab a bit of lunch. On my way back to the car, I saw a horrendous thing (well aside from my parking ticket); rain! It was drizzling! I noticed people looking to the sky as if Godzilla was coming, start sprinting to their car, or the nearest coffee shop, completely unprepared for this natural disaster. I decided to do the latter - I'd already got a parking ticket, I may as well make the most of it. Huckelberry Cafe is a name that rang a bell, a place famous for its brunch in Santa Monica, and as it was right next to my car, I decided to pop in and grab a drink before heading back. As I sat down, I encountered my first celebrity sighting; Larry David from Curb your Enthusiasm. And curbing my enthusiasm is what I ended up doing. As much as I'd have liked to approach him and get a picture, I realised he looked kinda grumpy, as he always seems to on TV, and plus I didn't really want to open with 'Hi, I'm a big fan', and then not really be able to back it up with actual knowledge! Anyway, after a sneaky picture and a coffee, I drove home surrounded by panicy LA locals, running from their Godzilla, probably trying to find shelter at home.
Oh, and finally, Urinal update. I keep seeing this, can anyone explain what the hell is wrong with the people making these?? Why are they designed for midgets?
Right, thats enough for now, off to San Francisco tomorrow, may the travels continue!
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