Malibu and Los Angeles

We got up early this morning around 6 am, which really was 9 am on our bodies’ time, so it felt great! We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and hit the road, after my lovely wife got me to take a few pictures outside, of course. We decided that we would take the time to drive up the Malibu coast instead of going straight to LA. It was about an extra 2.5 hours to drive up the coast and then loop back around to the Hollywood area and the Griffith Observatory, our next stop.

It was well worth the drive. It was so beautiful! The water wasn’t quite Caribbean blue, but it was a lot more blue than Tybee Island and Charleston. The weather was perfect and it was so relaxing to drive and look out over the ocean. We wanted to stop somewhere and at least walk on the beach for a few minutes, so we kept driving past all the busy beaches near Malibu and got to a much quieter area. We found a place to stop and decided that we would stick around and get some sun! The beach was great, and was in a beautiful cove. The water was FREEZING though. I loved it, but Michelle got about mid-calf and wimped out. We ended up sitting on the beach for about an hour. Such a great way to start the day.

We had planned on eating when we got all the way back to the Hollywood/Griffith Observatory area, but Michelle was hungry so we found an In-N-Out Burger on the way. It was pretty awesome and cheap. I dig it. And Michelle smashed a milkshake (I helped a little).

Next we drove back to the Griffith Observatory, which had some great views of LA. LA is huge, but it doesn’t have as many skyscrapers as I’d imagined. The downtown area with all the skyscrapers looks about the size of Charlotte! This place was poppin’ with tourists. So many international folks. I think Americans were in the minority. It was a nice lookout point, but Michelle and I were already tiring of the crowds at this point. So naturally we decided to go to the Santa Monica pier that evening.

After checking into the hotel and relaxing for a couple of hours, we headed to the Santa Monica pier. It was about a 30 minute drive from our hotel. What a mess. It took us about 30 min to find parking, because being the frugal young fellow that I am, I about crapped my pants when I found out that all of the parking decks were $20 bucks. But we ended up finding one for $6. Success feels nice.

We walked to the pier once we found parking, and there were SO. MANY. PEOPLE. As you all know, crowds are not our thing. We made it down to the end and it was really pretty and all, but nothing too special. It was nice to see, but I don’t think it’s something Michelle or I would fancy seeing again, especially because of the fuss you have to make to even get there. We ate a Mexican restaurant at the end of the pier and listened to a really talented old guy play guitar and harmonica and sing.

There were several really talented musicians on the pier, so it’s a great spot to come and sit and hear good, free music. We were really impressed with some of them. And then there was “Dancing Dave”. He was about a 50 year old white guy “dancing” to rap songs. It was the kind of dancing that Michelle does alone in her bedroom. It shouldn’t be shared with anyone. But I’m glad that his time at his rented space ended shortly after we passed him. The Lord’s grace abounds.

Then we tried to leave. It took us about 40 min to go half a mile after we left our $6 parking deck. Not much to be mad about when we thought about saving $14. And we turned on some worship jams, so it was all good.

All in all it was a great day. The beach was wonderful. We saw some really great views of the city. And had some great Mexican food at the Santa Monica pier.

Our overall impression of LA is that it’s decent. The beach areas are really nice. There are too many people. Drivers are pretty terrible and scary (no exaggeration here), and it’s not near as pretty as GA and the Carolinas when it comes to trees and such. Ready for Sequoia tomorrow!

Love everyone!

Taylor