Day 13 – Los Angeles

I left the Hollywood hostel to get a ‘real’ breakfast after having had pancakes for the last 3 weeks. I treated myself to some eggs and bacon which made me miss Canada and my awesome breakfasts there.

On the way back from the restaurant I walked along Hollywood Blvd. and spontaneously got a ticket for one of the ‘cut-off van’ tours through Hollywood. It’s such a touristy thing to do, but since I don’t have a car I wanted to go on a ride through LA and this was a great opportunity to do so. The theme of the tour was “Rockin’ Hollywood” which was cool because the driver played all kinds of California themed songs and explained the lyrics and history of the music while passing the historical places they were recorded at.

We made our way to the Hollywood hills, getting a beautiful view of downtown LA and the famous Hollywood sign. We passed Madonna’s and Katy Perry’s house, just two of the many, many celebrity houses on the tour. I definitely understand why they choose to live in the Hollywood Hills. The area is so beautiful and the view of LA is stunning.

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Next we went past Runyon Canyon Park and started approaching Beverly Hills. The driver really knew his way around and took us to the homes of Justin Timberlake, David Beckham, Michael Jackson and many more. We continued on to Rodeo Drive and saw all the expensive stores and boutiques. Ferraris and Porsches everywhere, and Louis Vuitton and Gucci of course.

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We ended the trip where we started and I got some lunch and returned to the hostel for a nap before meeting up with my travelling friend Eddie, who I had met in San Francisco 2 weeks ago.

Eddie and I met in West Hollywood at a very popular and super busy restaurant called ‘Masa’, right next to Echo Park. We ordered a deepdish pizza in advance and walked around in the park before returning to the restaurant for dinner. I have never had a pizza like that in my life. True italians would probably insist on calling it a cake!

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It was great to meet up with Eddie again and I loved the opportunity to get to see LA from a local’s perspective. On our way back to the bus stop Eddie bumped into a friend that he had met at some Filmfestival and she turned out to be an actress from a great show called ‘Freaks and Geeks‘ with James Franco and Seth Rogan. It was so cool to meet her and listen to her and Eddie talking movies and the industry. I recognized her from the show which I started watching last year in November in Whistler!

After that full-scheduled day I went back to the hostel and slept like a baby. Let’s see what else this city has to offer before I move on to San Diego!

Day 12 – Los Angeles

Leaving the hostel and stepping into the bright LA sun felt amazing after a good night’s sleep (despite sleeping in a room with 7 other people). I wanted to go to a close “Ross” store which Simon recommended a few days ago in Santa Barbara. I walked down Sunset Blvd. in search of the store and found it. It was very similar to Winners in Canada, very cheap clothes from last years’ collections. After Ross I headed further into the West Hollywood area and started walking towards Supreme, a store that has been on my bucket list for ages.

There were lots of skate shops in the area and you could see people of every age skating in the streets. Whenever I walk in the streets here I get kind of paranoid of getting robbed. Maybe it’s just the bad image that the city has or it’s the fact that every other person in the streets is talking to themselves and there’s weirdos and beggars everywhere. Everybody seemed to be friendly though and I have been very lucky to still be in possession of my top 4 items: my computer, phone, camera and wallet. Let’s hope it stays that way.

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Once I stepped out of the Supreme shop (not having bought anything, yet) I walked past two guys sitting outside on a bench in front of the store. Walking by I realized that it was one of my favourite rappers, Earl Sweatshirt and professional skater Jason Dill. I couldn’t believe that I was standing right in front of them, looking into their eyes. Too bad they were having lunch, otherwise I would have had a photo with them… I guess I’ll just have to wait 3 weeks until Pemberton Festival to get that photo, because Earl will be playing there.

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I find myself getting tired of the streets and craving more nature so I instinctively decided to head over to Runyon Canyon Park for lunch again and enjoy a less stressful, peaceful environment. As much as I love the busyness of the streets and people in the city, sometimes I just have to get away from it and change my surroundings. I don’t think I could live in a city like LA. At least not without a car. The bus system isn’t as good as it was in San Francisco and somehow every street looks the same to me. 7 Elevens, Subways and burger restaurants. It’s like there’s a prototype of how an American street is supposed to look like.

The beach in Santa Monica yesterday was a nice alteration to plain cement everywhere, with really nice parks, grass and the view of the beach and the ocean. I probably need either oceans or mountains to be happy in a place. San Francisco and Santa Barbara had both. But there is still so much in this city to discover and I still have 3 full days left. I love travelling and I am so blessed to be able to do this. This planet has so many amazing places to discover and I feel like I can’t be stopped right now!

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Day 11 – Los Angeles / Santa Monica

I decided to check out Santa Monica on my first full day in Los Angeles. So after breakfast I walked towards Hollywood Blvd. and caught a bus going to Santa Monica. The pier was the first spot I visited and it was packed with people. Many of them were splashing around in the ocean or simply enjoying a walk on the endless beach. It is so big that I had no trouble finding a quiet spot to sit down and enjoy.

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After walking around Santa Monica Blvd. and Broadway for a while, stoping in shops along my way, I made my way towards one of many movie theatres and watched a movie to avoid the burning mid-day sun. I was so amazed by the cars driving around in the area. It was easier to point out the cars that were not Mercedes’s or Porsche’s than the other way around. Whenever I walked around I kept my eyes open for celebrities but I haven’t spotted any yet…

I grabbed a burrito from Chipotle’s for lunch and started walking towards Beverly Hills. It’s always been my dream to spend a day walking around the houses of the rich and famous and since I was so close I though I might give it a shot. By the time I had reached Rodeo Drive I was already exhausted. It is so hot in LA that every little bit of walking is really exertive. Continuing on to the super rich neighbourhoods simply left me speechless. Never have I seen houses, better palaces, like these.

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It was a real experience to walk through a neighbourhood like this and seeing the houses of some of the richest people on earth. Dreaming is allowed I guess… One day I wish I could see one of these houses on the inside. The architecture and landscaping were really one of a kind. Every house had me wondering which millionaire lived in it and what brought them to live in a place like this. One of these days I think I might want to do a guided tour through the hills just to find out more about the people living in these fortresses.

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Day 10 – Santa Barbara / Los Angeles

Yet another day of travelling. Today I made my way out of sleepy Santa Barbara in the morning via Amtrak train. The ride was about 4 1/2 hours of going through endless fields, deserts and coastal lines. It reminded me of the dunes in Northern Germany just mixed with a desert and on a way bigger scale. I reached the ‘City Of Angels’ around noon and got a week ticket for the subway and bus system, since I want to see as much of the city as I can without a car.

I took the red line going to North Hollywood and got off at Hollywood and Vine. Stepping out of the subway and walking onto Hollywood Blvd. and the worldfamous Walk of Fame was just unreal. I’ve seen that place so many times on TV that it seemed weirdly familiar to see it with my own eyes. Of course there was all the touristy stuff you could imagine – Spidermans, Captain Jack Sparrows and Elvis’s everywhere!

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After checking in to my hostel I walked around the block to the nearby Runyon Canyon Park, one of the biggest Parks in LA, located in North Hollywood. On the way there I grabbed a burger at ‘In ‘N Out’, the famous westcoast fast food chain.

I though it was cliche that everybody in Hollywood was good looking but somehow I can’t help but admit it. There were people so fit and good looking, running around in the sun with their personal trainers, it felt like a movie already. Can’t wait for what’s awaiting me in this place.

Day 9 – Santa Barbara

The last day in Santa Barbara was spent entirely with my new French friend Simon. We got along really well from the beginning and we are passionate for the same things. He played runningback in France, I played quarterback in Germany. We both love making and listening to music and he even went on a European tour with his band. Even though I’m in the US, I have met way more international travellers than actual Americans.

I have spent some time in San Francisco with Eddie from LA who was very American to me but had Chinese parents. In Santa Barbara I met Denny. He was a picture perfect American. My first question to him was if he played football because we was probably around 2 meters tall and built like an offensive lineman. He was really friendly to everybody, singing and humming everywhere he went and spreading good vibes across the hostel. Simon and I were simply shocked by how fast he was able to eat a huge, huge burrito at Chipotle’s within less than 5 minutes. Our European stomaches could not handle those amounts of food, especially not in an eating-competition record-worthy time.

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It is true what Simon said, in Europe you order a coke. A coke. Here you order coke. There’s no limits. Everything is free refill, all you can eat, all you can drink. It’s such a consuming lifestyle. Bigger, faster, stronger. It’s crazy to have this everyday, but for a short period of time it is just so amazing!

We met up with Simons best friend Jordan from France and hung out around the parks and beach and met some really cool locals at the skatepark on the beach. The overall image I have of teenagers and young adults over here is quite positive. Everybody seems to be really confident, open, and very friendly. In Germany there is  much telling everybody who to be, what to do and who to be with. Here I have the feeling that people are more confident about who they really are and they don’t have to be ashamed of themselves and put on such an act. I love this lifestyle because it’s easier to reach people and connect with them if they are themselves around you and don’t have to hide behind walls put up by the people around them…

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For dinner we got some chicken nuggets and went back to the hostel to enjoy our American meal and watch a Mike Myers movie that Simon suggested. It’s funny that a French guy is showing me a Mike Myers movie, one of the best Canadian comedians in my opinion.

Santa Barbara was such a cool place, I think I had just the right amount of time there. I can hardly believe the luck that I have had on this trip so far. It’s going better than I could have ever dreamt of and I am so very thankful for that. Next up is Los Angeles and I am so excited to experience that world city. 10 days ago I started my journey in Vancouver and now I have only 15 days left until I go back. Time to live it up to the fullest!

Day 8 – Santa Barbara

Alfonso made me some eggs, coffee and orange juice for breakfast before he headed back home and I stayed on the patio enjoying the sunshine and writing. I met Simon pretty early on the patio and we started talking. He is a 23 year old french musician travelling with his best friend and band mate Joe. Together with an American, Danny, who studies philosophy here in Santa Barbara, we headed for State Street after breakfast and met up with Joe. We walked around for a while and took in all the sun rays and the great atmosphere of this place.

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On the way to a nearby park we played music, showing each other the different types of music from our home countries. It was so cool. I often wonder how different my life would have been if I had grown in a place other than Germany. I feel the same excitement of a school trip or an exchange except for the fact that I meet new people from different countries everyday and I can decide entire by myself what I want to do next. It’s awesome.

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Day 7 – Santa Barbara

The craziest thing happened when I woke up in the middle of the night. After going to sleep in an empty room, I was awoken by loud noises and looked up and saw a group of people standing around. There was a guy passed out in the middle of the room lying in a puddle. Turns out it was an American army guy who was sleeping in the upper bunk bed above me. He got so drunk that he fell out of the bed twice and pissed himself on the floor. It was the grossest thing I could imagine.

After that upsetting event I went back to sleep and luckily the drunk guy was already checked out when I got up for breakfast. I sat down on the patio for pancake breakfast and met one of my roommates, Alfonso. He is a 66-year old spaniard who has lived in San Francisco for the last 40 years. Alfonso had some great stories to tell about all his travels around the world. To stay young and active he always stays at hostels to be around young people, which I think was very cool. I had the feeling he was very young at heart and was really impressed by his energy and motivation on life. And I even got to speak some Spanish with him.

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After breakfast I went to my room to watch the Germany vs. Ghana game on my computer. It was intense. An up and down of emotions throughout the whole game, which resulted in a 2-2 tie. Once the game was over I decided to check out Santa Barbara a little more. I headed over to the beach and walked along the water for a little while. There were so many beautiful people from all over the world and everybody seemed to be effected the same way I was by the great weather. Lots of young people were playing beach volleyball, tanning and skating in a nearby skatepark.

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I saw that the University of Santa Barbara was nearby so I though I should stop by and check out a real Californian campus. It was just the way you would imagine it looking from the movies. Palm trees, ocean views and sports fields. I could only imagine going to school here, I’m not sure if I would ever study…

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After wandering the school grounds a little bit, I sat down in the shade, overlooking the bay and some boats sitting in the harbour. It really does have a vacation feel to me, I really love it. Some people at the hostel were saying earlier that there’s a festival/parade going on in downtown Santa Barbara (on State Street), so I went over and had a look. I found the park that people were celebrating in by simply following the music and the glitter on the streets. When I got there, I saw the wildest costumes, a lot of partying college students and good vibes everywhere.

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Before I went back to the hostel, I enjoyed some dinner on the beach with the sun setting behind me. Alfonso and my other roommate Declan from Australia were already waiting for me at the hostel with more food and a bottle of delicious Californian Merlot. We sat on the outside patio of the hostel until midnight, with our table growing and growing. There were 3 guys from Dublin, Ireland, a guy from Russia, two German girls, a french girl with 2 brits and an American, Denny. Everybody had a story to tell and we laughed and enjoyed ourselves so much. I decided to go to bed right away, I was so tired from all the walking, talking and taking in all of those magical moments. The laidback vibes in the place are just one of a kind. Everything seems to run an hour behind and everybody is a little more chilled than they were in San Francisco. This is a cool place to be.

 

Day 6 – San Francisco / San Luis Obispo / Santa Barbara

Leaving San Fran. It felt like I saw so much of the city, but I could have easily spent another 2 weeks and not get bored of it. I had such a great experience in a great city with ever greater people. Whenever I start a new trip I get that feeling of excitement and uncertainty, that feeling in your stomach when you don’t know what’s next but you’re just about to find out.

I checked out of the hostel in the early morning hours and headed down to the piers to catch my 7:30 bus to San Luis Obispo. On my way there I passed a guy who was walking down the street and came right towards me. It took me a few seconds to recognize his face. Something in my partially sleeping brain told me: “You know this guy.” After he passed me I looked back and just saw this athletic, ripped guy walking away. Thats when I realized it was NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers. He has always been one of my favourites because of his fast shotgut offense, the same system we played with the Tigers back in Osnabrück.

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The bus was big and modern, equipped with TVs, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and best of all – it had tinted full panoramic windows. On top of all that I was lucky to say that I had the coolest bus driver in the world. His name was Jessie and he was from a little village in the south of Italy. His announcements through the microphones were so funny and friendly, I know my little sister would have fallen in love with his kindness immediately. He took us down the coast to a town called San Luis Obispo. On our way we passed through Palo Alto, Salinas and King City and just before we arrived he said he had a little surprise for us and played us a video of his favourite Italian singer – which was hard to hear over him singing along at the top of his lungs.

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In San Luis Obispo I waited for about and hour to transfer to the train headed for Santa Barbara. Once again I was more than pleasantly surprised when I boarded the train. Onboard wifi, electrical outlets, panoramic windows. The Deutsche Bahn looks unprofessional compared to the Amtrak trains and busses. Without a doubt I can say that this is the coolest way of travelling that I have experienced in my life. I sat by the window as we headed further down the coast. I had read earlier that the trainride from San Luis to Santa Barbara is one of the most scenic rides in the world and that turned out to be quite true. For about two hours we drove parrallell to the pacific, passed deserts, hills and vineyards. I just could not get enough of the views and my window seat felt like a movie screen.

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The train stopped in Santa Barbara around 4 pm and I started walking towards the hostel which was about 20 minutes from the Amtrak station. The further south I go the more latin the people are. There are palm trees everywhere and it feels like I am on holiday. I checked into the IHSP, a tiny little hostel about 5 minutes from the beach. At first I though I was in the wrong street because all I saw was little family-style houses. There are maybe 5 or 6 small rooms with 4 to 8 beds and when I checked in, my 4-bed-dorm room was empty.

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After about 7 hours of travelling I was really hungry so I walked down the street and found a great little Mexican restaurant serving homemade food. I got three tacos (probably the best I had in my life) and walked down to the beach to enjoy the sunset and sit by the water after a long and exhausting day. When I got back to my room, which was still empty at this point I decided to call it an early night and get some rest for the next day. Or so I thought.

Day 5 – San Francisco

Today was my last day in San Francisco. This morning I had the pleasure of having the room to myself, because my 3 roommates – Sarah from France, Sung Loo from South Korea and Ben from Thailand – all went on early morning trips to Yosemite Park. I decided to check out the Golden Gate Park. In total I walked about 18 kilometres today. San Francisco is so walking friendly and there are crossings and paths everywhere.

Something I noticed while walking through several different districts of the city is that there are messages of love everywhere. In Places where you find curse words and obscene scribblings in Germany, there are messages like “Love Life”, “Smile!” or “Have A Nice Day” in this city instead. Lots of posters around the city show gay couples and you can see the rainbow flag almost more than the Star Spangled Banner (which is everywhere, obviously). The open, accepting and loving vibe of the city on top of the beautiful views and constant sunshine is a guaranteed recipe for an unremovable smile on my face.

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On my way to the Golden Gate Park I passed through several different smaller city parks and Japantown. It was a very different experience to see Japanese people, street signs and businesses everywhere. It felt like I was in a different world for a few minutes while passing by Japanese monuments and sculptures. I then moved on to Haight Street, which is famous for its many hippies, bums and freaks. Along the street there were countless stores ranging from high-end street fashion to classy sneaker boutiques and smoke shops.

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The park itself felt huge to me, it was like a bigger version of Central Park. I watched a kids baseball game and sat in the sun for a little while before I headed over to the Rose Gardens. I was amazed by the beauty of the gardens, and I think I chose the perfect time of the year to go there. Everything was blooming, smelling and buzzing around me. The Rose Gardens were used by many couples to enjoy a romantic picnic in the sunshine and I once again felt reminded of Paris and it’s city gardens. In a way you enjoy the beauty of nature even more when it’s contrasted to a big city. It feels like a great getaway from all the concrete of downtown.

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After a few hours of roaming through the park I took a bus back downtown and headed for the southern starting point of the original cable car line between Powell & Market and Fisherman’s Wharf. It was cool to finally see how those legendary cable cars work and to actually ride on one of them. There was a crazy line-up for the cars since it’s prime time for tourism. The operator told me that this past week has been one of two weeks of the year where there’s basically no clouds or fog and the temperature and sun intensity are perfect. So I guess I really did choose the right time to come here!

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I got off the cable car at the gates of Chinatown, a place that was left on my bucket list for San Francisco. Once again I forgot that I was in North-America. Crazy.

Before I headed back to the hostel around 5pm I went to the Cable Car Museum. It was cool to find out more about the history of the cable cars and the mechanics under the streets.

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At 6:30pm I met up with Anna, from Kopenhagen to have dinner at one of San Francisco’s classic American Diners. Hamburgers and rootbeers, how much more American does it get? The inside of the diner was really cool, I felt like I was in Pulp fiction because of the 70’s slot machines, booths and Cadillacs in the back. I will remember this city for ever and hope to live here for an extended period of my life at some point. I would ship my Vespa over from Germany and cruise through the hills in the sun. I love you San Fran!

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Day 4 – San Francisco

Today was the first day I spent completely by myself, and it was awesome. I didn’t leave the hostel until around 1pm because I was busy booking my future accommodations for the rest of my Cali trip after having a late pancake breakfast.

I am so happy to have a schedule now. At first I thought I was going to decide spontaneously where to stay along the coast, but I figured it would be smarter to book in advance. This also takes away the risk of overpriced or even fully booked rooms. Having a frame set up for my trip is cool because I still have the freedom to decide what I want to during those days and whether I want to take day-trips.

The next stops for me are going to be Santa Barbara for 4 nights, Los Angeles for 6 nights, San Diego for 6 nights and back to LA for 2 more nights before I fly back to Vancouver on July 9th.

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Once I had all my rooms booked for the next 3 weeks I headed over to the Amtrak station to pick up the tickets for the individual rides with my California rail pass. The rest of my day I spent walking through Fisherman’s Wharf, seeing sea lions, many fresh seafood stands and crowds of people. I headed over to the Coit tower after walking around the famous Pier 39, to get a good look of the bay from one of the highest points in San Fran. I really, really feel my legs everyday when I get home, the hills are just crazy here – but somehow I love it.

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Next on my list of places I wanted to see was the Palace Of Arts. I’m not sure why they call it that, but it’s a huge outside monument resembling greek architecture, located in a beautiful park with a pond. I sat down here for a while and started reading my book which I bought in one of the thrift shops a few days ago with Marion.

Meditations of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a book from the Philosophy section, has really had it’s spell on me. Emerson, a different-thinker and free spirit from the late 19th century has collected about 60 quotes from famous philosophers and gives his own opinion about them and life in general. I felt very connected to his ideas on the human consciousness and his awareness of environment and nature.

A few text passages in specific really spoke to me and I have already learned so much from this book. In the opening words Chris Highland says: “Consider this collection an essential item for your backpack. Carry Emerson […] into the landmarks of every land and he will remind that nature is a parent, soulmate and companion […].”

I’ve never been a frequent reader, but Marion influenced me, having studied Philosophy at the Surbonne University in Paris. I feel like this time I have, travelling by myself is more than just a getaway. To me, it’s a journey.

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