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Source: Flickr

Source: Flickr

Picking out an alternative route to drive up into the hills and then back down again into Los Angeles and along the coast through the Malibu, gave the opportunity to soak in more of the distance views in the hills and the grand Californian coast line.

Once we arrived in Santa Monica we hit the freeway going east towards the hotel situated just above Hollywood boulevard and there we sat in traffic for longer than expected. It is unbelievable there are so many cars here and they are everywhere. Jam packed on freeways, winding themselves down all city streets, such in fact I have not seen an empty street anywhere.

Exhausted from the drive but keen to venture out and explore the surrounding area we set out to investigate a place to eat for dinner. Walking down from the hotel on Franklin Avenue we passed the Capital Records building and then on to Hollywood Boulevard. As we walked up the street my eyes were fixed upon the pavement which had all the stars names in well a star shape alongside what they were made famous for TV, films, music or theatre.

After a 20 minute or so walk we came to the main section where Gruman’s Chinese Theatre, El Captain Theatre and the Kodak Theatre are located, of which most are used for premiers of films and special events. Outside the front door to theatre (You cannot go through the front door reserved only if you pay enough) we noticed all the handprints, footprints and names of the stars in the concrete. This is where you can compare your foot size in comparison to Arnie and yes his is bigger but only a little.

Up in the massive shopping arcade we found a place to eat which from further around the walk way you could get a good view of the Hollywood sign. Hollywood in that small area is extremely commercial with almost anywhere in that main area being a shop wanting to sell something to you. After dinner we decided to go see a film which is quite ironic you come to Hollywood to escape Hollywood, being 9pm we thought it would be easy but with very few decent films available at the moment and many of the theatres closed for private events we decided to give up.

However the Chinese Theatre were offering a D-Box version of the new Nightmare on Elm Street film, D-Box being the technology were you sit in a seat that has hydraulics that move you with the action in the film. My mother was not keen, not liking horror films, so we decided against it and headed back to the hotel and had a large desert in the open until 3am cafe attached to the hotel.