We alighted from the train in Los Angeles just in time to see the last of the Day of the Dead celebrations in the area around Union Station. A very different vibe to the Halloween and World Series celebrations in SF!
We were staying at the Checkers Hilton, which was pretty central and easy to find public transport. This was great, because our first stop in LA was to go to the Californian Science Center to see the space shuttle, at Exposition Park.
The Jeffersonian… uhh, Exposition Park
We were amused to realise that Exposition Park is used as the outside shots for the Jeffersonian Institute in Bones, one of our favourite TV shows. This was a theme for the rest of our LA stay – “Hey, isn’t that from…?” 🙂
The space exhibits at CSC were pretty amazing, with a mix of reconstructions and real space craft. The highlight of course, was the Endeavour shuttle.
At least there are a few “girl” astronaut toys…
We spent quite a bit of time in the gift shop, where we found some very cool pressies for people, such as a LOT of astronaut-themed children’s clothes, and awesome gadgets.
Our next stop was the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We took about a hundred pictures of the stars on the Boulevard, but did occasionally look up to see other landmarks, such as Capitol Records, and the Hollywood sign. It was amazing to see that even the subway station was Hollywood-themed.
While in LA we also took an open-top tourist bus around the city, through Beverly Hills, and out to the Santa Monica Pier. While we did get a bit sunburnt, it was a good way to see a bit more of the city than is accessible by subway.
On my last day I killed time before heading to the airport by having a manicure and stopping off at Starbucks for the obligatory mug, and doing some more shopping. Goodbye USA and goodbye to my year of leave!
Two Weeks Away 