Day Two
On the road early and headed first to the beach in San Diego (Pacific Beach) which was busy even at 8am and had some breakfast. The place we had breakfast was right on the beach and the food was decent. The service not so much and the fact on their menu they claim ownership of any pictures you hashtag them with means we won’t be promoting them as a business. I doubt they would have a legal leg to stand on but it just strikes me as very cheeky.
Carol and I walked along the beach for a while and Carol took a wee paddle in the Pacific Ocean. This was her first trip out to the West Coast so it was a historic moment! After that we got on the road again.
Listening to our California playlist we went about 20 mins before I realized I need to make a short bio break (yes…I should have gone before I left Dad!). We pulled off at the next random wee town and ended up in a place called Carlsbad (not the caverns one). 
It was lovely and pretty tranquil. Carol actually popped into a nail salon to get her nails done which I tried to find a public toilet. We then walked around for a wee while and I had a lovely chat with the wee woman in the visitor center about the station building the Visitor Center is in. It was the main train station till 1957 and was from the 1860’s and was little changed apart from a new floor and a lick of paint. BTW – if you need the loo – the new station is about 100 yards further up the line!
Then we were onto LA!!
I’d traveled through the airport a few times but never been fully into LA before. It was an eye opener. We started by climbing up to the Griffiths Observatory which was the sight of countless movies and TV shows (Rebel without a cause, Adventures of Superman (George Reeves original), Men in Black, La La Land and many more have all been filmed in that location. 
Note – the is paid parking at the top of the hill but it fills up quickly. Free parking at the bottom means a 20 min hike up hill to get there but it was a nice walk and well worth the effort. It also happens to be the best place to see the HollyWood sign!
We hiked up from the free parking (paid was full) and enjoyed the stunning views. You could see across the whole city from there and it was good view of the Hollywood sign. I would like a better camera in my iPhone though as it doesn’t take that sort of picture well!
A wee walk round the observatory and then a drink on their patio before heading into LA proper.
I thought the traffic would kill me but it was actually not too bad (I had psyched myself out) and we found some on street parking only a block from Hollywood Boulevard. We parked in a wee quiet side street and thought…what was I worried about traffic fine, quiet and calm. Great start….then we stepped out onto HollyWood Boulevard….OMG…insanity. I’ve been to Picadilly Circus, Times Square and lots of busy places….not like this. It was pandemonium. Tons of people milling around looking at the stars and then a load of people selling stuff and some religious fanatics with megaphones…it was not what I expected.
This was a bucket list item for me and I got the things I wanted done but it was not what I thought it would be. We did pick a Saturday afternoon just after a holiday so it was our own fault.
Lowlights : Too busy and tourists don’t understand that everyone else is not wrong and they are right.
Now…highlights – Walked along to Graumanns Chinese Theatre. That was amazing. We got to see so many of the concrete plaques in the ground. Everyone from Abbot and Costello, Gregory Peck and John Wayne to Hugh Jackman, Harrison Ford and even wee Shirley Temple! Very cool. After a bite to eat at an excellent wee Chinese place off the main road we got out of Dodge quickly before I went a wee bit nuts!
It was mid afternoon by this point and the sun was shining so the top came down on the Mustang and we headed out of town onto Solvang.
The drive from LA to Solvang was amazing. We drove along the Interstate for a while to get out of town then onto the highway along the coast. More of that tomorrow but after a wee drive along the coast we cut inland to get to our hotel. That was quite an amazing piece of driving. Through the Los Padres national Forest and mountains. Amazing scenery and it really rivaled the Glens of Scotland for outstanding natural beauty.
Interesting wee town this one. Danish heritage and has a very Danish feel to it. The US has this thing across the land where some towns retained the feel of their original settlers and it’s definitely here. Fredericksburg in Texas (German) is like this too. All the shops have a Danish feel and it has amazing little Danish houses and buildings. Well worth the detour to get here. We staying in a wee Motel place in town, Svendsgaards Lodge, which also had a Danish feel and was clean and spacious and very comfy beds!
If you are ever in California and fancy a Snakebite (Lager, Cider and Blackcurrant) which is now banned in the UK but was a staple of my time in University then the Irish bar (Fitzpatricks) here does them!
Next onto the PCH!!!
McAllen Family Adventures 