Once in a lifetime

 

Private Jet!

LAX: The first stop

Having survived the subcontinent for the "reset" phase of my gardening, it's time to head to the Americas for the "fun" part of my gardening. The dynamics of supply and demand have resulted in astronomical flight prices for direct flights to the US . As a result, we've had to fly indirectly to Los Angeles. First stop, Taipei. Second, stop Los Angeles, California. 

I've been looking forward to this trip, as it's been over 3 years since this group of people have been together. People living in Puerto Rico, London, Singapore, Los Angeles, Toronto and Hong Kong. Really good first stop in LA, Comedy store (saw Craig Robinson), some Mexican food, walked around West Hollywood, Farmers Markets at the Grove, lamb at Mother Wolf, Musso and Frank.

Los Angeles

I've been looking forward to this trip all year! The reasons for the anticipation have changed over time, but things were firmly fixed on seeing the Bride and the Groom. One thing that has been lingering is the fact that school has started and that I was set to miss lectures and that we had an Project Approval due whilst I was overseas.

Unlikely Bucket list item: Coachella

In December, Phoebe suggests to Brian "We should go to Coachella". Brian says "Yes, let's do it". Brian relays the following to Derek "Hey, we're going to Coachella, you should come". Derek replies "Let me think about it". In January, Phoebe tells Derek "Hey, we're going to Coachella, and we have space in the apartment, you should come". Derek responds "Oh yeah, Brian mentioned this. Let me think about it". In February, it's 3 am in the morning and Robert adds Derek to a WhatsApp group chat called "Coachello 2027 first week". The name of the event is wrong, so is the year. Derek is intrigued and immediately books flights to Los Angeles.

Coachella, the music festival associated with faux Bohemian, dessert palms trees and the Ferris wheel has not been on my radar of things to do. However, the performance line up, the minimal time off work and the group of people traveling was enough to convince me that this would be the best way to spend my Easter. The only problem was, I didn't have Coachella tickets, which was the least of my concerns, these things usually work themselves out.

I had exhausted all options on the secondary market (Gumtree, Craigslist, etc) and was resigned to the last resort of Viagogo; with an expected premium of 2x the retail price. That was until, I found a third use for dating apps, e-Commerce. A dormant match roused into a non-sequitur, non-contiguous thread that folded between broccoli sprouts and apple cider vinegar and eventually availability of Coachella tickets. We exchanged details and through friends the transaction was finalised. All the while, I wondered if this was an elaborate ploy to scam unsuspecting victims out of their hard earned cash in exchange for the promise of hard-to-acquire goods and services. My fears were allayed when the wristbands beeped with confirmation as I passed through the gates of Coachella 2017. Aside from actually finding a life partner, and/or getting laid this was the next best use for swiping right.

So how was it? Well, mixed feelings. The performances were excellent, Kendrick, Gaga, The Fugees, Drake, Empire of the Sun all amazing. The downside was the crowds and inter-stage navigation. It was an absolute nightmare getting in, out and around the venue especially when there's another 90,000 people trying to do the same. From vehicle drop off to the main stage, it took around 40 minutes, including a long walk, multiple security checks and an ID check. The glaring smear on the event was the 3 hour UBER line on the first night. We ended up rushing the car park as the new "UBER ID" system had failed and reduced us to a Hunger Games situation where there was no longer any rules.

I think what really made me sour was the fact that I lost my phone on the first evening. Which kind of put me in a bad mood, particularly because I was planning to meet up with friends who were also at the festival from Sydney and Hong Kong. Anyway, I'm over it!

It was not all doom and gloom - It was so good being at a legitimate music festival. For me, most of the fun happened outside, with the road trip from LAX to Palm Springs. Eating our way through the classics: Inn-and-Out, McDonalds, Burger King, IHOP. Foraging for groceries at Stater Bros, trying to find medical marijuana and spending hours trying to cultivate the perfect Coachella outfit. Would I go again? Maybe, if the right line-up presented itself.

Currently reading: "The Magic of Thinking Big"

Hollywood

From most accounts Los Angeles, California received the least promising feedback. The general vibe from most people we spoke to went along the lines of "There's not too much to do there except the usual tourist sightseeing". Hopefully these sentiments aren't shared by the locals.

So our agenda for the first full day of sightseeing (5/4/08) was Venice Beach the sight for all things Californian. The amount of pollution in California isn't on par with Asian standards but it does take a while for the smog to dissipate. The days can be enjoyed without having to wear warm clothes but the wind is icy and come sunset warmer clothing is definitely needed. Street performers, spruikers, fake tattoos and all things carnival line the pavements and walkways of Venice Beach.


I would definitely recommend hiring a car as most things in Los Angeles are approximately 20 minutes apart and it saves the hassle of having to hail a cab after each destination. Mind you it does take a while to get used to driving on the 'other' side of the road. While we were in the area we also scoped out Santa Monica, a quaint beach side town I would probably want to stay (if there were to be a next time). Next stop was filled with an abundance of luxury sports cars, equally luxurious designer boutiques and people who walked the streets with enormous wallets or who, like us were just after a couple of photographs. Rodeo Drive is worth checking out even if you don't plan on shopping.

Since arriving in LA I have been sleeping in the hallway of my friend's hotel room. As cozy as that may sound it was time to find some accommodation of my own. I was online for 30 minutes trying to find a place relatively close and relatively cheap. The solution? Econolodge, a motor inn located on West Sunset Boulevard.


Since the legal age for drinking is 21 the clubs categorise their patrons into 2 groups: 18+ who are allowed to party and 21+ who are allowed to partying with alcohol. As mentioned before the law states that alcohol cannot be served past 2 am so most places close at around 1:50 am. Don't expect to see revelers going late into the early hours unless you plan on attending an 'After Hours' party (which are of course non-alcoholic). We met two locals who gave us a mini-briefing on the ins and outs of Hollywood partying, ended up in Korea town for a late night snack.

My body has yet to acclimatise to the new timezone and I'm struggling to string together any resemblance to a sleeping pattern. Woke up incredibly late (6/4/08) and headed back to Holiday Inn to pick up my two other friends. Drove just outside Beverly Hills to snap a couple of shots of the less than impressive Hollywood sign. Spent the remainder of the day at Universal Studios, pretty boring and was definitely not worth the Priority VIP entrance fee of 120 USD.



What would be my final night in Los Angeles was expected. In the hotel (I use that term loosely), packing and getting ready for the early check-out. Pretty quiet night, had dinner at the Cheesecake factory in Beverly Hills which was a far cry from the extremely lack lustre food selection we've had so far. It may have been the lack of alcohol that kept my senses at a regular sensitive level but it was only then in my sober state that I suddenly realised how noisy this lodging actually was. The constant roar of the traffic down Sunset Boulevard, pitter-patter of people returning to their rooms, dripping, creaking, buzzing. I couldn't sleep...

Longest Day of my Life

4/4/08: Los Angeles, California

I have now experienced close to 36 hours worth of Friday the 4th of April. Will this day ever end? Not to say that it hasn't been memorable, just after a 14 hour flight from Sydney to Los Angeles you kind of expect things to grab you by the scruff and give you reason for enduring a longer than normal day. It actually started off in the worst possible way, tired and still packing. Still packing 3 hours before my flight that would take me overseas for in excess of 2 years. Do I seem to be lacking urgency or am I just taking the seriousness of my trip for granted?

I'll run you through the nail biting moments that kick started my trip. Firstly, I left the shoes that I wanted to take overseas at the gym the day earlier. My suitcase broke 15 minutes before I was due to leave the house. I still had no accommodation for my first stop. I had to lie to the Qantas concierge about my Los Angeles accommodation details. If hints or omens were to be considered I should probably still be in Sydney. With that aside I still managed to board my flight and leave Sydney behind if only for a while.

Ever felt completely and absolutely lost? It's a strange feeling of helplessness entwined with futility. Stepping off QF11 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is up there as the most lost I have ever felt in my life. Imagine embarking in a foreign country with no purpose, nowhere to go, and with no way to get there. Excuse me for being melodramatic but the person I had planned to travel with was un-contactable and I had no intermediate plans. There I sat at LAX on my suitcase in the middle of the arrivals hall eating breakfast (a packet of Snakes). As I devoured the glucose enriched goodies I began to contemplate all the possible scenarios.

During that time of panic a fundraising organisation representative approached me. I offered him some money in exchange for some information and with that advice I decided to hire a car and drive around LA until I found my friend's hotel or accommodation of my own. I jumped on the first hire car company shuttle and was soon enough about to become familiar with American roads.

The car that I hired was a Chrysler PT Cruiser what a work of art, it took a while to get used to the left-hand drive, a couple of misguided left hand turns and I was soon getting used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road and what it felt to be traveling at miles per hour.

I finally received a message from my friend saying that he had arrived at his hotel. Soon enough I was driving down Highway 101 towards Hollywood, CA. My friend graciously offered me his floor to stay the first night until I could arrange accommodation for my own. I found a place near the doorway of their hotel room and used a small black travel bag as a pillow.

One reason for wanting to go to LA was to watch a NBA game at the Staples Centre. We had arranged tickets online for the Lakers vs Mavericks game. The atmosphere at the Staples Centre was awesome, Americans in general are just so passionate about their sporting teams. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lomar Odom, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki superstars of the game playing right before my eyes. It was an absolute joy to attend a live NBA game which compared to our local NBL league is a million times better. The final result was a home team victory to the Lakers, 112-108.

After the game we headed down to Hollywood Boulevard to investigate the local nightlife. We walked up and down the Hollywood Walk of Fame unable to find a worthwhile place. When we finally did find a place we were rudely introduced to the Californian law that states that it is illegal to serve alcohol after 2 am. Consequently most places that serve alcohol close just before 2am. The plus side to our fruitless endeavour was seeing the stars that had over time become immortalised onto the Hollywood pavement. So comes the close to the physically longest day of my life and to the first day of an adventure.