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19 Sep 17, 08:10 PM
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Imagineer
 
Join Date: Oct 12
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Our West Coast Adventure - May 2017 - Day 15: Leaving Hollywood, Santa Monica and Long Beach
Index can be found here
Thursday 25th May 2017 Steps: 16,812 Miles: 6.9 The alarm went off at 8am but with each day that was passing I was getting more and more tired so there was no getting out of bed before 9am! On finally dragging myself out I devoured the orange juice and oat bar from the mini bar (Paul really didn’t get a look in with these freebies!) We were moving on from Hollywood today and onto our last stop at Long Beach so it was that time again to pack up everything and check-out of another hotel (by this point we had become pros and had certainly got it down to an art!). Before we checked out we took one last trip up to the rooftop pool as we wanted to get some video footage of how lovely it was there… although it has to be said it certainly didn’t look quite a glamorous today what with the grey stormy clouds looming!    Just before 11am we were making our way down to reception with our cases to check-out which was a nice smooth process. We had a total of $132 to settle up which was the $44 per night valet charge for the 3 nights (there was no resort fee at the Andaz thankfully, that would have been criminal on top of that parking fee!) Before leaving I grabbed two slices of the lemon cake (making the most of the freebies until the very last minute!). By 11:30am we had the car back from valet and all the cases were packed into the boot and we were hitting the road. We had decided to make another stop up at the Griffiths Observatory before leaving Hollywood as despite the cloud it was a much clearer day and we were hoping to get some better photos of the Hollywood sign than we had managed in the smog yesterday! It was very busy again trying to get parked but after a couple of circuits we managed to secure a space on the road. We managed to find a pay machine that accepted cash this time around but it didn’t give change so we coughed up $5 instead of the $4. Thankfully the effort was worth it though as it was a much clearer view and also a nice couple offered to take a photo of the two of us together.       With lots of photos snapped we made a move at 12:50pm as it was time to hit the road as we had planned to make a stop at Santa Monica on the way to Long Beach. Unsurprisingly we hit the standard LA traffic so didn’t end up arriving there until 1:40pm. We headed straight towards the pier where we found a perfectly located car park.   As we were both feeling rather hungry at this point the top priority was getting some food in our bellies and on getting to the beginning of the pier we found Pier Burger which seemed like a good place to stop! Paul went for a cheese dog and I chose a cheeseburger and then we shared a portion of fries and a large Coke. Really tasty but apologies I don’t seem to have any note of how much it cost, but from what I remember not too much!   Coming out of Pier Burger we headed directly opposite to have a look at Bubba Gump… despite the poor experience at the one on CityWalk a couple of nights earlier our love for this place is still strong, and we of course needed the obligatory bench photo!   I also couldn’t miss the opportunity to have a photo taken with the Bubba Gump shrimp… a life highlight right there!  After a quick browse in the gift shop (but not buying anything) we decided to take a stroll up the pier. I couldn’t resist snapping a shot of the pigeon man… apologies to anyone with a bird phobia, enough to give you nightmares!        There were a few souvenir stands set up along the pier and we made a stop at one and picked up yet another magnet for Paul’s Mum ($6) and also a set of coasters for ourselves (2 for $8)  We made it all the way to the end (a much shorter trip than getting to the end of Southend pier that’s for sure!). After taking in the lovely view we then made our way back to the shoreline, making a brief stop in the arcade where Paul couldn’t resist a go on the basketball game.     On leaving the pier we crossed over the road with no set destination in mind but found ourselves at Santa Monica Place where we found a variety of shops.    Amazingly we weren’t really in the mood for shopping so continued to walk through and found ourselves on 3rd Street Promenade which in essence was like a high street with more shops.     Continuing on we found ourselves making our way back towards the seafront, making a quick stop in McDonalds for a large Coke ($1). Making it back to the start of the pier we stopped to take some photos, all that cloud from earlier was slowly starting to break and it was feeling much warmer now.       As time was ticking on and we had to start making our way to Long Beach we decided from there to make our way back to the car, stopping on the pier to admire the beautiful beach views.       Before getting into the car we stopped by the car park machine and settled our outstanding charge of $9 ($3 per hours) and by 4:15pm we were pulling off the pier. Before getting too far we had to make a quick stop for gas where we filled up with $15 worth. We popped the address of the hotel we were staying at in Long Beach into the sat nav and were pleased to see it was only estimating a 35 minute journey time, meaning we would still have some of the afternoon and the whole evening to explore once there. This was completely wishful thinking though… as soon as we hit the highway we were subjected to the most awful traffic (probably not helped that we had now hit rush hour). This was our view for what felt like forever…  It was such a painfully slow journey and despite using the car pool lane we really weren’t getting anywhere fast… we lost count of how many times we heard James Arthur on the radio, what is it with US radio stations repeating the same few songs so excessively?! We eventually arrived at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach at 6:30pm… what should have been a 35 minute journey took us 2 hours and 15 minutes… ouch! Let’s just say we were both very relieved to finally get there (as was my bladder!) Luckily it was a nice smooth check-in process at reception and we were soon making our way into our last hotel room of the trip, located up on the 14th floor. Once again, just beautiful!      On booking this hotel we had also upgraded to a harbour view which was totally worth it as the view really was stunning with the Queen Mary visible in the distance.  Having lost so much time to the damn traffic we were keen to get out and explore Long Beach before it go too late so after a quick turnaround we were ready to head out by 7:15pm. Making our way through the hotel reception we properly took in how lovely it was, much more corporate than the other hotels we had stayed in up until now but stunning nonetheless! We also had a quick peek outside at the swimming pool (which sadly we never had the time to use!)            On leaving the hotel we spotted that the Pike Outlets were directly opposite…talk about our dream hotel location! We of course headed straight in that direction!    We made a stop in the Converse store where they had a great offer of 40% off everything so we ended up coming away with a pink pair of trainers for me, the cutest USA pair of trainers for baby and some shorts and a t-shirt for Paul. I don’t seem to have noted down the individual prices but all a bargain with the discount, particularly the baby trainers which worked out about $11! (I had seen them in a Converse store earlier in the trip and loved them, at that price they were impossible to resist!). The guy who served us was also super friendly and we ended up chatting for a while as it turned out he and his girlfriend had annual passes to Disneyland… totally the dream! He also said the pink trainers I bought were dope; don’t think anything I own has ever been referred to as dope before so maybe I am cooler than I think!  With that little bit of retail therapy over we then had a lovely stroll around the marina, and ended up stumbling across yet another Bubba Gump! Yes, another bench photo to add to the collection!   There was no shortage of restaurants on the marina so we were struck with the standard dilemma of choosing somewhere to eat and obviously being our last night the pressure was on to pick somewhere good! After looking at the menu outside we settled on P.F Changs. Now in our many visits to the US we have never visited one of their restaurants and to be honest and have never really noticed them so potentially a risky decision but we both fancied Chinese food so were willing to give it a go!  On getting inside we were seated at a lovely spacious booth at the back of the restaurant. We ordered drinks, a Coors Lite for Paul and a coconut cooler for me (possibly the best thing I drank that whole trip, it was so delicious!)    On inspecting the menu our eyes of course became too big for our belly and we ended up ordering quite a feast of food… Paul went for the chicken lettuce wraps, pork dumplings, kung pu shrimp, schezwan style asparagus and noodles. I was slightly more reserved and ordered the sesame chicken and the chilli-garlic green beans. Unsurprisingly we did not make our way through all of this food, dessert was not even an option!     The food was all delicious and we were both very pleased with our decision to go there, definitely one of the best meals of the trip (and somewhere we will definitely return to on future US visits!). Feeling very full we somehow managed to roll ourselves out of the restaurant and as it was only 10:45pm we decided to grab a drink before turning in for the night… venue of choice (or Paul’s choice)… Hooters! We got seated in a booth and Paul ordered a hurricane cocktail and I went for a mango lemonade.    We were back in the room by 12am, and after a day of walking around in flip flops I was feeling pretty grubby so decided on a quick shower before bed whilst Paul flicked through the channels on TV. It was into bed by 12:45am and very soon after that I was sound asleep! So that brings us to the end of our last full day on the West Coast! Despite the horrendous traffic we had a fab time taking in Santa Monica and arriving in Long Beach with an absolutely delicious dinner… a very good day all round! Tomorrow it’s time to head home, but not before taking in more of what Long Beach has to offer! Day 16 can be found here Edited at 09:19 PM. |
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19 Sep 17, 09:14 PM
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Disney Dreaming :)
Join Date: Jan 09
Location: Aberdeenshire
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I cannot BELIEVE the cost of parking at these hotels! And people have the cheek to moan about WDW parking costs!
 So glad you got clearer photos today - amazing views of the Hollywood sign! That photo of you and the Bubba Gump shrimp is just too sweet  Love it!Santa Monica pier looks lovely, as does your hotel at Long Beach! Only YOU could ignore an incoming gorgeous sunset to go shopping  Those pink fluffy clouds would have kept me out to watch them turn red. Hehe!  Ahhhh so glad you loved your meal. I had PF Changs on the list for Nashville, but we never got round to going! Next time! Lovely day (traffic jam aside) xxxx |
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19 Sep 17, 09:51 PM
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Imagineer
 
Join Date: Mar 09
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I am terrified of pidgeons, how that man can do that I have no idea. I would have nightmares for a month
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20 Sep 17, 08:02 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Jun 09
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Lovely last day, we've never been to PF Changs either, must put it on the list!
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21 Sep 17, 02:31 PM
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
Join Date: Oct 12
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 Only we would miss a beautiful sunset for shopping... the addiction is real!  I can't believe this was our first ever experience of P.F Changs, I will be hunting them down forever more now... that coconut drink alone would make it worthwhile!  xxx
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21 Sep 17, 07:57 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 13
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Shorter and much nice than Southend pier that’s for sure! No Bubba Gumps here for one
 Another lovely hotel room and view, you definitely picked some good hotels for your trip. Your chinese meal looked delicious, adding P.F. Changs to my list of must eats! |
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22 Sep 17, 08:15 PM
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Imagineer
 
Join Date: Apr 15
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Sounds like another fab day with some great photos. Santa Monica looks lovely!
Those baby converse are so cute! Love that you sneaked in some shopping xx |
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24 Sep 17, 05:54 PM
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Apprentice Imagineer
 
Join Date: Aug 07
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Another great day, pigeons though - yuk!
PF changs looks yummy
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Emma 
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26 Sep 17, 11:05 AM
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Thread Starter
Imagineer
Join Date: Oct 12
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I still can't believe we have never tried P.F Changs before this... it will become a regular now no doubt, delicious!
I couldn't resist those Converse... it's going to be a while before baby can wear them but just too cute to leave behind!
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28 Sep 17, 08:54 PM
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Imagineer
Join Date: Dec 15
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Laughing at Rach loving the BG shrimp, as my first thought was "woah... creepy"
YES to the #usanumberone trainers for the baby. I approve! Not all that shocked that you loved the coconut drink - did you do your dance...? Dinner looked epic. I'm stuffed from my meal and I STILL want Chinese now. |
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