Goodbye Nanna

Nanna and Ryder on the verandah

A day in Hollywood and Beverly Hills

We decided to take a tour to see the sights of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. It was one famous sight after another, Hollywood Boulevard, the Grammy's theatre, Mulholland Drive, the Viper Room nightclub (think River Phoenix), the Pink Taco restaurant, National Lampoon's HQ, Capital Records, Paramount Studios, Universal Studios, the Hollywood sign, Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Hills sign, the Hollywood Bowl and many more.

Hollywood Boulevard

Another view of the Hollywood sign

We also took a Stars Homes tour, mostly through Beverly Hills which was immaculately groomed.  To be honest a lot of the homes looked old or old fashioned, I guess they are flash on the inside!

Cooper & Ryder on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA.

Chillin' Out in Malibu

On our way back to Canada we flew via LA and decided to take a week to warm up in Malibu.  Malibu is about 45 minutes drive from Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). We arrived on Sunday morning and headed straight to Malibu and our condo which was right on the beach.  We were amazed at just how 'on the beach' it was, the waves washed right underneath it!  Our condo was on Carbon Beach, a once exclusive beach that was closed to the public.  It was a short walk to the historical Malibu Pier and close to nearby shops so we didn't have to drive anywhere.

Brekky on the deck in Malibu

As planned, we relaxed for five whole days on the beach with another day in downtown LA and another at the premium outlet stores.  We stayed on the beach until 7pm most nights, still swimming and watching the surf comp at Malibu's first point.  The surf comp was the Malibu Surf Association Invitational Classic so we got to see Tom Curren surfing, it was very cool. 

What I enjoyed watching most was the cool laid back style of all the surfers at the competition, setting up home in their campers and Kombies along the PCH, changing into their wetties, surfing then cooking their BBQ's on the on the footpath next to the beach.  It was a very cool, casual feel compared to across the road where everyone looke like movie stars shopping at upmarket stores like Ralph Lauren and Vintage Malibu.


Malibu Pier and Malibu First Point