Highs, not so highs and observations from our 3 week West Coast road trip

[lottiesmum0]

Originally Posted by 400ixl

Goes to show how different people view places. Venice Beach has a nice lively beat to it, and there are some great places to eat like the Candle Cafe which does well priced food and some nice gluten free food looking out over the beach.

Yes it does in some places smell of weed, but that's to be expected with the type of place it is. It is certainly not overpowering though.

It is certainly not for those who want knotted handkerchiefs and deck chairs, but if you want to see the vibrant and youthful side of LA it's great. So it's what you want to see really. Santa Monica would be more suited to those who want a traditional pier and beach atmosphere.

Just wanted to put the other side as for many it's one of the best parts of LA. Certainly a firm favourite of LA residents that we know.

See more...

It wasn’t the smell of weed that informed my opinion- it was the lines of tents on the front with guys urinating openly in public and selling ‘rocks’ - to me that wasn’t a cosmopolitan vibe!
I am not expecting ‘knotted handkerchiefs and deck chairs’ (slightly patronising I felt). I was expecting a laid back vibe- but didn’t expect to feel unsafe or uncomfortable. My DH felt it had the atmosphere of Hollywood when he went over 20 years ago and it seemed that whilst Hollywood have attempted to improve the area (we were pleasantly surprised ) the issues seemed to have shifted to the Venice beach area.

[400ixl]

Sorry you had that experience, in the dozens of times I have been there including only a week ago, there have been very very few tents on the front. Last week there was only one that we came across. We have certainly never felt unsafe or uncomfortable on the main strip. The deck chairs was tongue in cheek, so apologies there.

Police patrol down the front every 20 minutes or so and move on the homeless who are pitching up there. This is more of an issue on the street behind Venice Beach, that's for sure.

The main boulevard from Marina Del Rey, up past the muscle beach and past the shops has generally been clean with street performers and small stalls on the other side between the walkway and the cycle track / beach.

Hollywood is very much the same, they are patrolling and keeping the main tourist area by the Chinese Theatre clean, but go a block back and the story can change very quickly. Along N Beverly Drive / Sunset it is a near shanty town unfortunately. But not too many tourists head there unless they are going to Will Roger Memorial Park, which I doubt many brits do.

Unfortunate you had that experience, but it is certainly not the norm for the main strip down Venice Beach.

[Pumba75]

Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for taking the time to share. Lovely to reminisce about some of the same places we visited last year but already started talking about returning and heading north. Lots still to see and you have given me more ideas. Thanks again.

M x

Ps glad it wasn't just us who thought that about Santa Monica!

[daytonababe]

Sounds like a fab trip

LA is very hit and miss my Husband hates it , he only goes because I like it 😂😂
Hollywood I’m not a fan off but places like The Grove , Beverly Hills , Griffith observatory , Huntingdon beach are just lovely

Venice beach I dislike too , I find it just grim , Santa Monica is ok but it’s the only place I’ve ever been where I’ve seen drugs being openly dealed and taken in broad daylight and not just once either .

[WileyCoyote]

Welcome home. Wow. Doesn’t this just look like an awesome trip ! Your Highs are fantastic. Look forward to reading all the details.
The lows are a bit meh ... sad Venice beach still hadn’t improved since we saw it. I thought it was like one giant public convenience . LA is crazy isn’t it. Great to see it but just feels grimy in every sense.
I think yours is the first trippy to mention loo seat size. I shall make a point to check this out now 😂 And the driving. Yeah. Terrifying at times.

Looking forward to first instalment !

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Pumba75

Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for taking the time to share. Lovely to reminisce about some of the same places we visited last year but already started talking about returning and heading north. Lots still to see and you have given me more ideas. Thanks again.

M x

Ps glad it wasn't just us who thought that about Santa Monica!

See more...

Thank you for reading! If you ever return, you must head up to San Francisco and along the PCH. Oh no, definitely not just you

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by daytonababe

Sounds like a fab trip

LA is very hit and miss my Husband hates it , he only goes because I like it 😂😂
Hollywood I’m not a fan off but places like The Grove , Beverly Hills , Griffith observatory , Huntingdon beach are just lovely

Venice beach I dislike too , I find it just grim , Santa Monica is ok but it’s the only place I’ve ever been where I’ve seen drugs being openly dealed and taken in broad daylight and not just once either .

See more...

Thanks for reading DB.
It really is hit and miss, we too loved Griffiths Observatory and The Grove. Maybe we should have had more time there to explore the more non touristy bits, there's always next time though!
See I think I got Venice Beach mixed up with Huntington Beach (don't ask how ). It really wasn't a nice area and the homeless situation I found really sad to see.
I completely forgot that Sam witnessed a drug deal whilst we were in Santa Monica, certainly opened his 14 year old eyes

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by WileyCoyote

Welcome home. Wow. Doesn’t this just look like an awesome trip ! Your Highs are fantastic. Look forward to reading all the details.
The lows are a bit meh ... sad Venice beach still hadn’t improved since we saw it. I thought it was like one giant public convenience . LA is crazy isn’t it. Great to see it but just feels grimy in every sense.
I think yours is the first trippy to mention loo seat size. I shall make a point to check this out now 😂 And the driving. Yeah. Terrifying at times.

Looking forward to first instalment !

See more...

Thank you Amanda, we had such a great time!
Got to get my backside into gear and start the report whilst it's still fresh in my mind.
Yes! That's exactly what it's like . We certainly won't return even if we go back to LA.
Ooh you have to! Report back to tell me what you think. I can't be the only one
I'm a regular on the M25 so I know what bad driving is like but wow, even I've never seen driving like it
Not long now until your trip!

[Sioux]

A great little highlights post to whet the appetite for the main report

I did a similar trip a couple of years back but sadly we had to change plans when they closed PCH due to the bridge collapse and mud slides, so this is still on my to-do list.

I loved San Francisco and biked over the bridge to Sausilito and thought I was going to die. I looked like I'd been dragged through a hedge in the photos When we visited Alcatraz we arrived on a day when the island becomes infested with literally thousands of flies so walking around outside was a challenge.

We also weren't huge fans of LA and I'm sure driving on the 101 took years off my life

The absolute highlight of our trip was Yosemite; it was utterly jaw-dropping and I was sad I didn't spend longer there.

There was loads of places we couldn't fit in and San Diego was one of them. Your photos tell me it's a 'must do' place to visit if we're lucky enough to make it back to the West Coast.

Thanks for sharing your memories, and can't wait for the full trip report.

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by smithlane

Thanks for reading DB.
It really is hit and miss, we too loved Griffiths Observatory and The Grove. Maybe we should have had more time there to explore the more non touristy bits, there's always next time though!
See I think I got Venice Beach mixed up with Huntington Beach (don't ask how ). It really wasn't a nice area and the homeless situation I found really sad to see.
I completely forgot that Sam witnessed a drug deal whilst we were in Santa Monica, certainly opened his 14 year old eyes

See more...

I think Connor was a similar age when we saw the first drug deal right near the pier

Then several more in the park area near it where all the homeless were sleeping


Huntingdon is Much nicer and feels far safer .