The End
Tuesday 5th May – LA
I have 5 days here and thus far, I’ve not done a whole lot. I’ve been at the Sheraton Downtown LA. For the Aussies that is yank speak for the CBD. It’s certainly not the flashest place in town but it’s been a great spot to finish off. All the people here have been fantastic. The fella on reception, who commented on my helmet as I was checking in and asked what I was doing thought “I was a bit crazy but a legend” and then gave me an upgrade to their executive floor and free parking instead of $26 a day. To the older Asian concierge who wanted to talk about Australia all the time and the bartenders who got to know me pretty well because I didn’t feel like going out at night. Fantastic people here and I highly recommend the place.
Saturday was a ‘down’ day – laundry, haircut from a lady from Ecuador who gave me a head massage for 5 minutes and not much else.
Sunday, was a bit of a fun day. I booked a tour of Hollywood, LA Downtown, the beaches, Beverly Hills etc.
Yep I went shopping on Rodeo Drive. I bought a coffee.
I met another guy from Oz. He was Cairns and a public servant who must have won the lottery or something because he was travelling around the world in business class. Also had a lot of fun with two African American ladies, Sheila and her sister, Denise. Denise is an ex NYPD Officer and they’ve both promised they are coming to Oz for a holiday soon. Yeah right.
The three of us went out for dinner on Rodeo Drive last night and got lost because my damned TomTom charger wasn’t working. A note of warning though. If you come to LA and decide to do a tour, do not use VIP tours.
The coach was filthy before we boarded and then the driver reminded us at least 6 or 7 times about giving him his 15% tip. Needless to say, nobody did. Some people even got off and gave him nothing.
Monday I had to fix a flat tyre on the bike. Can you believe it, I travelled over 6,ooo miles and nothing went wrong the Honda and then I pick up a screw in LA. Yeah, a screw in the tyre!!! At 3pm I finally handed the bike over at the drop point in Costa Mesa and I breathed a huge sigh of relief that both bike and rider were in one piece.
Tuesday, (today) I drove down to Disneyland at Anaheim in a Chrysler PT Cruiser. I arrived at 10am and was outta there by 2pm. This is not a venue to go by yourself. It’s a fun place no doubt but an old fart wandering around on his own...... I did my shopping for the kids and got out of the place, which was the only reason I went there.
Wednesday (tomorrow) I’ve decided not to bother going to any of the film studios but to an auto museum, something less touristy and then it’s back on the Qantas A380 Airbus for the trip home.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here in America, it has had its challenges for sure but all character building I’m sure. I’ve seen some fantastic sights from the glitz of New Yorks Times Square to the unbelievably beautiful Grand Canyon. Of the cities that we’ve visited, Washington DC was my favourite, but tonight I learnt that it’s the murder capital of the country. Bugger. This is one great country to see and the people are wonderfully friendly. You only need to pull out a map and somebody will be at your shoulder offering assistance. I had an instance on the bike where I had missed the off ramp and was trying to work out where to go and a bike pulled over to offer assistance.
I must make a very special mention to Bill and his lovely wife Deb Kniegge back in Charlotte, from www.bluestradatours.com. If anyone is coming over here and want to hire a bike, you won’t find a better bloke to do a deal with. These two have helped us all the way across the country. From loaning me gear on the bike and clothing to keep me warm to organising things like a ride in a Nascar, to recommending hotels and great things to see. Thank you so much you two and if you get down under, I’ll pull in all the favours I have outstanding to ensure you guys have a great time in Australia. I am sure that had I told him that I hadn't ridden a bike in over 20 years, he would have had some reservation about hiring one to me. So Thank you for ensuring we had a truly memorable trip.
So that’s it from me guys. I hope this has provided some entertainment and some useful information to those who might be planning a similar trip.
Asta la Vista Baby.
Posted by Paul Brealey at May 06, 2009 05:35 AM GMT
Johnsons Trip
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