28th July 2016 / Thursday

We’re almost at the end of our trip you guys! So we woke up a bit more refreshed and then decided to go for a wee wander around Beverly Hills to see if there were more options for breakfast than Caulfields. No more $8 coffees for Tashy!

We googled/yelped a few places that were within 500 metres and decided on a little cafe/bakery called Charmout. It was pretty yummy and quite casual but had some amazing sweet treats which we may or may not have consumed before our actual breakfast arrived. Then we wandered down the street a bit and it was so nice to be in a place where there weren’t slightly crazy or homeless people everywhere. All the shops were little boutique places and we ended up buying shoes and trying on bikinis. All in all, it was a great morning. 

We had decided though that we’d try to drive out to Santa Monica and hire a bike and do the bike ride out to Venice and back. Despite not really feeling like leaving our hood we knew it was on the list of things we said we’d do so we committed to doing it. 

Heading out we allowed ourselves loads of extra time for traffic as it’s consistently pretty bad in certain areas but we made it out to Santa Monica in around 40 minutes which wasn’t too bad until you think about the fact it’s only about 11km away from where we were staying. Oh LA traffic you harsh beast. 

It was fairly busy out at Santa Monica but not too bad so we parked in one of the car parks adjacent to Santa Monica Place – the outdoor mall area. Then we just hired bikes from the closest place to there and had to walk a block down to the bikeway. 

Holy crap, it was like Vegas and Hollywood all over again – screeds of tourists everywhere and totally oblivious about being in the way. We were trying to just get down the first part of the boardwalk and had to stop and just walk our bikes for a bit as people just wouldn’t get out of the way. 

The pier was packed already and we just wanted to escape so mutually decided we weren’t going to bother actually walking the Pier and just do the bike trail. We were a bit lost as to how to get down to the track but once we figured it out we were on our way! 

Now, a lot of people rave about Santa Monica and I get it – kind of – but it was just so busy that it was hard to really enjoy it as much as we wanted. Also, being face to face with more homeless people was just a bit depressing. However, the bike ride was really fun for a while but as we got closer to Venice and all the homeless shanty towns they’d rigged up were just SUPER depressing. Even worse is bodies just sleeping on the ground and all the tourists walking past trying to buy crappy souvenirs – it really just paints a picture of modern society that is not pretty. 

Also, honestly, we were sketched out by it and were paranoid about our shit getting stolen too so we didn’t take as many photos as I thought we would. Because we were speeding away from poverty and drug addicts. Not to be dramatic but it’s just hard to appreciate the scenery when it’s got all that grittiness around it. Also, we were getting a bit chilly at times as I guess we’ve been in the desert so having sea breezes coming up and over us was just kind of horrible at times. Clearly I’m going to have some serious issues coming back to winter if 28 degree weather starts to make me a bit chilly when there is wind. 

On another note, it was so busy on the bike trail that I started raging out a bit as there was a section where pedestrians were supposed to walk and then a full bike only lane. Do you think these idiots followed the obvious rules? No no no. Just willy nilly walking all over the place and then giving stank face if you ring your bell trying to warn them to get out the way. And there were SO many bikers around that I just don’t get why they couldn’t stick to their lane. 

I may or may not have accidentally hit several people at different times while cycling past them. I was just NOT in the mood. Crowds bring out the beast in me, I think.

When she started aiming her bikes at little kids, I knew it was time to get her off it. She actually went a little nuts. -Tashy

It was starting to get darker and as we headed back to Santa Monica, we realised there was actually a huge summer concert thing on and it was heaving on the beach. Thousands of people had set up camp and it was just a nightmare. We fought our way back to the bike stand and then retreated into the mall to try and eradicate any memory of what had just happened. 

We shopped a bit and then ate dinner at Johnny Rockets before our drive back. We timed it pretty well as we needed to avoid when the concert finished at the pier or we’d be stuck in traffic for several days I think. We hit a bit of traffic coming back but not too bad at all. 

Don’t know if it was the hulking out I’d done earlier but I was so so so tired and basically just passed out when we got back. Oh America, you are an emotional roller coaster for me! Note to self: tourist spots suck ass. I sincerely think I would have enjoyed Santa Monica way more if we hadn’t unfortunately gone on a day there was such a big event on. Next time 🙂

Ju xx