Santa Monica Beach

Today we went on the hop on hop off tour of Los Angeles. Gavin's brother and his family joined us, so there were nine of us. The tour started in Santa Monica and then went through Brentwood, Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Santa Monica is beautiful, I can see why so many film stars live there with their one-of-a-kind shops, trendy coffee shops and leafy broad streets. Beverly Hills is very chic and has all the designer shops along Rodeo Drive and beautiful houses in the wide, tree lined avenues. I can't say the same about Hollywood - the main part where all the studios are situated is flat, ugly and quite boring. I think up in the Hollywood Hills it is a different story, but the part we saw was quite unappealing.

It was baking hot on the top of the bus and we all got quite sunburnt. It was hot and stuffy downstairs in the bus and it had patterns printed on the windows obscuring our vision so we had no choice but to sit on the top in the blazing sun.

The tour focused on all the designer shops and where the stars hang out. Quite honestly after three hours of that I couldn't care less where Miley Cyrus drinks milkshakes or where Cameron Diaz shops. Nearly every street we passed they pointed out a house where Marilyn Monroe had lived! 

I am sure for those who actually live in LA they have a different view of their city, but the impression I got today was that life here is all about shopping and knowing where the movie stars are and what they do. 

We were told a few times to keep an eye out for the stars....we saw none, other than David Harewood (who is David Estes, the director of the CIA in Homeland) and that is because we sat next to him and his family at breakfast this morning as he is staying in our hotel.

When we came back from the tour I went down to the beach to watch the boys surfing and took some beach shots, one of which I have blipped here which shows the Santa Monica ferris wheel on the Victorian pier. 

For those who remember Bay Watch, it was filmed right here on Santa Monica beach and no, I have not got a shot of Pamela Anderson (sorry guys!) but one of the pale blue life guard hut in my extras. I have also blipped some of the stars from the Avenue of Stars.