Day 14: Los Angeles

We left the campground at 8am and headed to LA for our last day together!

We had a quick drive through the campus of UCLA before stopping somewhere in Beverly Hills for some lunch. I had a Taco Bell, my first taste of American fast-food, and it was great! We then went on a drive around all the massive Beverly Hills mansions. We saw the Playboy mansion, and whilst we were there a UPS van pulled up, so we got to see the gates opening up. None of us went inside though, in case we were ambushed by security!

The Playboy Mansion

Beverly Hills

Next stop was Rodeo Drive and all the expensive designer stores. The grand looking building reminded me a bit of Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. I’ve made quite a few comparisons of places in California to Harry Potter, so I am pretty sure that JK got some inspiration from the Gold Coast! Either that, or I’m just a bit obsessed with Harry Potter. I wanted to go inside some of the stores in Rodeo Drive, but I didn’t want to risk a reaction like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

Rodeo Drive… or Diagon Alley?

Versace… or Gringotts?

We then went to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Chinese Theatre. Turns out I have the same size hands as Emma Watson! I managed to find James Franco’s star, who is my ultimate celebrity crush, so I had to take a photo with it! Our final stop of the day was up in the Hollywood Hills for a photo with the famous sign.

Emma Watson is my hand twin!

James Franco’s star

We were then dropped off at our hotels; Tom and mine’s was The Crimson Hotel in Manhattan Beach. I had the best time on the trek, I would 100% do another one! But I was glad that Tom and I had an extra five nights in LA because I wasn’t ready to leave America just yet!

Last trek group shot!

We went for dinner in El Pollo Loco – a chain I wish they had in the UK. They did the best shrimp tacos. We went back to our room to watch some TV – the first TV I had watched in two weeks. Our hotel wasn’t a 5* by a long shot but it was decent enough, especially after sleeping on the floor of a tent for the last two weeks!