Coast to Coast 2026 Part 5 Los Angeles

 

Coast to Coast 2026

Part 5 Los Angeles

We had a meal at the restaurant, Ironwood,  recommended by the chef at the hotel and went unbooked  by Uber. The recommendation was well worth it and had an excellent meal. 

The next morning we checked out and said our goodbyes  to the staff and drove to the airport to drop off  the rental car. Park it and drop off the keys. No staff  to do anything. We found the entrance and the check-in for Delta Airlines and with assistance dropped off the luggage and got boarding cards of  sorts to get us through security but no allocated seats. I expected delays at car drop-off  and again through security but it all went so smoothly. Time to get a coffee.  It was a strange flight taking off from Birmingham flying east to Atlanta. A two hour flight and one time zone and hanging around for an hour and a half to catch another plane to LA and again not having any seat allocation. They obviously know where we are going to sit on the plane but did not decide to tell us until we boarded. I could not do an on-line check in because I did not have a US mobile phone number. How irritating. Air India is no different. Delta only offered snacks for our flights from Birmingham to Atlanta  and then from Atlanta to LA. We took off at 10:30am  in Birmingham  and  landed  in LA at 4:30pm traversing three time zones and flying some six hours. You can lose where you are in the day. We were at the Sixt pick-up point at 5:30 after collecting our luggage and a bus ride.

 There was no RAV 4 to have so got a Chevrolet Equinox and compared to the Nissan Rouge it was a tank and nowhere near as economical or comfortable or roomy. I t took me a couple of tries to find the best fit for the suite cases. Gita took  charge of the driving and left me to navigate. She successfully got us to the hotel and checked-in. The Dunes Inn on Harrison street  reported to be on Sunset Boulevard not quite and further away from Hollywood  Boulevard than was walkable. Acceptable accommodation with no restaurant but food was close having a Chinese restaurant a few minutes away  for an evening meal and an even closer supermarket where we could get pastries for breakfast.

We try to plan our only full day in LA and are thwarted as the scenic tours are cancelled because of too many road works. We take an Uber to a local market on Melrose Avenue.

 You pay an entrance fee to get access to some different vendors. The preowned  clothes are exceptional . Gita had her eye on some $500 Gucci sandals that were on sale for $125 she didn’t take the chance and missed them . The y had gone by the time she returned. There was some exceptional jewellery that was made for movies that was being sold off at some incredible prices. Gita did buy some cowboy boots  for our youngest daughter. At this market was the Juneteenth Annual Festival. Black rights –Black lives matter and spend the afternoon watching dance performances and a very good live band. 

Back to the hotel by Uber for a short rest and the out again by Uber to find the walk of fame. What we did found was the Pride Festival some great music  and just as many people trying not to be who they are.

Half the street was closed at was a totally gay area Joon had a tarot  reading then we finally found the feet and hand prints of the stars. It was getting close to nine pm and we had to eat. The closest place was the Hard Rock Cafe and we dived in there just in time to get some food.

There was a stage there with drums and guitars  on display. The waiter allowed us on to the stage. Gita on drums, Joon on lead and me on bass. We suddenly had our own band.