Wanderlust: Day 2

Day 2 - We have organized a tour today starting at 10.30am, when we are picked up and transported to Hollywood Boulevard, home to the walk of fame and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre – not to mention an overload of hawkers trying to entice you onto their tours. The tour is to the Hollywood sign, along Mulholland Drive, Rodeo Drive – where we stop and go for champagne and oysters at the Beverly Wilshire and through Bel Air. Along the way various stars homes are pointed out ….ho hum. Johnny Weismuller’s (Tarzan) is interesting insofar as it has been abandoned since he died. He built a moat around the whole property but now it looks like it really is set in a jungle!

After we were dropped back at the hotel we checked out and took a cab to Santa Monica Beach. This is quite a way from Beverly Hills ($35 taxi ride) and is basically lots of shops down a centre mall which is overrun by buskers. Around the corner is the seaside and a brief walk brings you to the Santa Monica Pier that has a wonderful carousel and an amusement park …. I even saw “Voltar” – remember Tom Hanks in “Big”? Back to the esplanade and into ‘Del Frisco’s Grille’ for a drink and a bite to eat before catching a cab back to the hotel to grab our bags then straight out to the airport….. unbelievable traffic ….just as well we left plenty of time! Now sitting in the lounge waiting for our flight to New York.

I am still struggling with this flu….. L