From The City of LA

Sometimes we pull into a town not really knowing what we will do or see.  This was not the case with southern California.

I wasn't thrilled about standing on a median at 10pm in a city once so famous for its gang violence that an awkwardly geeky girl 3000 miles away was aware of its reputation, but Jared had been talking about this stop since before we had our first 500 miles behind us.  And if you think syrupy waffles and crispy, perfectly fried chicken is an off-putting combination, think again.  Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles in Long Beach was delicious, and the staff was super-nice, even helping us to find the nearest Wal-Mart though we had walked in three minutes before closing.

Laundry took up the entire morning of the next day, but we were lucky to meet Jessica and Nate who gave us some good ideas for places to visit while moving loads and folding t-shirts.  Per their advice, we stopped at the Queen Mary, a giant ship turned shiphotel where we caught our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.

We drove through the Long Beach Speedway; I imagine that they block off the roads when a race is taking place.

Around the corner was West Coast Choppers, so we ate at Jesse James' Cisco Burger and checked out some of the bikes. 

Driving along the coast, we stumbled upon a Donald Trump golf course.  Though we expect the drive along the north coast of California to be the most stunning even this far south it is breathtaking.

We ducked into some of the shops along the Venice Beach boardwalk and watched the goings-on closer to the water.  The waterfront serves as the community's recreation area housing a skateboard park, basketball and volleyball courts and the world-famous Muscle Beach.

Once the sun had set we visited the Santa Monica Pier which finally put us at the end of Route 66.  Riding the Ferris wheel that looks over the Pacific Ocean was the highlight of the day, although I might have enjoyed it more were I willing to move or open my eyes.

LA was disappointing, and I don't know that our expectations were that high. The smog for which it is notorious is always present; Jared could hardly breathe despite his NyQuil-Zyrtec concoction.  Furthermore, the traffic was horrendous, and this is coming from two people who are used to it taking an hour to go fifteen miles.  We saw some handprints, some stars, some houses, some graffiti and we got out of town as quickly as possible. 

Happy early birthday, Mom.