"The Eternal Sunshine of My Spotless Mind " a Los Angeles Travel Page by kidkilowatt

Is there anyone on earth who can challenge the claim that traffic in LA is some of the worst in the world? Probably not. Nevertheless, this is not a gripe, because the constant sunshine makes sitting in traffic that much more enjoyable than in other parts of the world (particularly when you rent a convertible like we did) and when you are on vacation and don't need to make it on time to a job or something like that- then, I can imagine it is quite annoying. But this was the first leg in our trip up the coast in California and we had all the time in the world to explore, soak in that sun, and even keep our calm and just rub in a bit more suntan lotion, even as the traffic continued to stand still.

This is my second trip to Los Angeles and both times, I have had the luxury of being put up by friends and seeing very different parts of the city. Last time, which was a few years back, I stayed in Santa Monica and had a very different trip than this last time, where I spent the majority of my time at a friend's in Altadena. If in my first trip to LA, the focus was on the ocean and the Hollywood Hills and Malibu and Venice Beach, then this trip was about, peaceful hiking in the mountains that are right there when you are in Altadena, dinners in Pasadena and listening to cheaply purchased thrift store records over a drink with my host.

4 days into my trip to LA this time around, my boyfriend met me and we prepared to drive up the coast to San Francisco to experience a very different California scene. This being his first trip to the West Coast, we did manage to squeeze in a little beach time (Venice and Santa Monica), a little Hollywood and a much too hurried trip out of the city to the Joshua Tree. Then, we were off on our adventure. Check out my other California pages to track my journey from one California state of mind to the next. This is a truly awesome trip and whether you experience it north to south, or south to north as we did, you are sure to see incredible things, have an incredible time and meet some true characters.