Los Angeles - Pics & Wheels

Mission Inn looks different in daylight / morning sunlight (and not as good as at night).

From Riverside we drove 76 miles to Santa Monica Pier, where the route finishes (or maybe doesn’t… there is some debate about that, with Mel’s diner claiming this end as well). The drive was not too bad despite morning traffic – but we were able to use the car pool lanes which probably made a huge difference to our average speed. We walked on the pier, met a guy called Ian Bowen, who owns a kiosk selling Route 66 souvenirs (and certificates) and is a big supporter of the Mother Road’s revival.

From Santa Monica Pier we went to Mel’s diner on Olympic Blvd, the place where Route 66 used to end. Back during Mother Road times, it was called the Penguin coffee shop; then it was used for a dental practice for many years before being bought and reconverted to a diner. The food was very nice, including the Schwarzenegger-inspired protein-rich shakes. The also have a fish tank with décor inspired by Route 66.

The drive after lunch was not the most pleasant. The freeway was hellishly busy. We ended up taking an early exit, a decision we didn’t regret as that took us past Newport Beach which was quite interesting (especially the fact that they had an oil pumpjack and a refinery just across the road from it, and oil rigs easy to see not that far offshore).

We spent the evening on Balboa Island which is quite a nice place. The atmosphere reminded us of Mandurah. There were lots of American flags everywhere (as it was getting close to 4^th of July), very friendly people, interesting shops, lots of dogs, some boats, the ferry crossing to the other side of the peninsula enclosing the island. Luckily we got to see a hummingbird here (as well as hummingbird hawk-moths). We had dinner at Wilma’s and then went to one of the icecream places to try a Balboa bar (chocolate coated frozen banana).

Next day we spent a couple of hours at Petersen’s museum where they have some really interesting displays, including arty stuff.

We couldn’t leave LA and not see Beverley Hills, so we drove around some of the streets where celebrities are meant to live (but didn’t really get to see the houses as most of them are in high-fenced, gated enclosures). We then walked along Hollywood Boulevard and saw some of the celebrity stars before heading to Rodeo Drive with its expensive shops and rich Asians out to be seen. Our guides surprised us with another Frank Lloyd Wright building that I didn’t know was there, Anderton Court Shops.