Getting to the Bronx Zoo couldn’t be any easier or cheaper. Catch the BxM11 Express bus from Madison Avenue (don’t forget your fistful of quarters!), about 30min later youll be at the stop. Make sure your driver knows you want to stop at the zoo as the stop is not at the zoo itself, you have to walk under a small bridge to get to the entrance. So try and stay awake!
Photo tip: keep your eyes open as you cross the bridge into the Bronx you will see the dilapidated “Welcome to the Bronx” sign, authentic in an unintentionally cliched way.
A measly 15 clams will get you into the Zoo. Remembering, animals are seasonal creatures so different times of the year will mean different things for different animals. In general, the colder months will see less activity, on the plus side, there is less activity from visitors as well, so its very easy to get around and also finding that perfect photoing spot. Walking through the first section its clearly noticeable that they have quite a bit of land to play with and it doesn’t feel like its in the middle of one of NYC’s toughest burroughs.
First stop was one of the biggest aviaries we’ve seen in quite some time. Many smaller enclosures along with a few large “free fly” areas, very easy to lose track of time if you spend too long trying to find each type of bird in each enclosure.
Back on track, everyone’s must see are the tigers. That day, as announced by the rangers, they were a little lethargic and not really in a playful mood so they weren’t treated like circus animals to “perform” for their food.
Heading over to the seals, fans of “Friends” will see Marcel and his mates. The seals themselves seem to love the attention and were only too happy to pose and perform with an uncanny awareness of where the cameras were and which was their good side!
Waterbirds like Puffins and Penguins surrounded the seal areas.
Head to the eatery for some lunch, outside has fastfood staples at less than average fast food quality with meals sitting under heat lamps, good if you like soggy burgers and fries. Inside you can get healthier options with prepackaged salads, sandwiches and rolls and hot beverages. Service was hit and miss at best but on par with just about any place with staff that weren’t working for tips.
Keep an eye out for friendly neighbours like squirrels and peacocks, only too happy to say hello in a scarily over domesticated way (caught a Tienanmen square stand off with a peacock and park ATV transporter). This is a good time to grab a few souvenirs as well and if you missed out on Disneyland or Santa Monica pier, the large indoor carousel is your next best thing.
Last major stop on our way out was the reptile display with all matters of frogs, lizards, snakes, ‘gators and turtles which always make for some good photos.
The park is open from 10am-4.30pm and on the right day you should be able to leisurely see the whole thing in 4-5 hours depending on how many kids you have and the time of year. If you did bus it there, just make sure you leave enough time to get back to the bus stop (outside the main entrance near the bridge, there’s only a little sign, no bench or anything) as they tend to be rather sporadic and infrequent.
The bus ventures back into Manhattan via Central Park so you may want to include an afternoon stroll in there as well.
Next up, we start to wind down our whirlwind holiday with some good ol fashioned mouth opened, eye squinting sight seeing, NYC style.
New York City 2010 part #1 – The flight in…
New York City part #2 – Shopping: Midtown
New York City part #4 – Sight seeing – Manhattan
New York City part #5 – Sight Seeing – Brooklyn Markets and Gardens
New York City part #6 – Shopping: Soho
New York City photo gallery here
Complete Bronx Zoo photo gallery here
Stepping out of the hotel, those Arctic winds still can catch you unaware even near the end of March. If you’re travelling round this time of year, keep your softshell on you at all times. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it. Your other senses like your smell might also take a hit from the Air de City Pollute’. Some say its like someone set fire to the Valley (Brisbane), a smoke filled aroma ballasted with rich exhaust fumes, road grime, a dash of hot garbage with a hint of urine. But like any over populated city in the world be it London, Hong Kong or Sydney, its more an expected garnish than an obstacle. Still, would it kill the street vendors to clean their frying grills once every 5 years?? Note, that “seasoning” is added to your – charcoal outside, old tyre rubbery inside pretzel too. Best to stick to retail chains if you want something that resembles bread. The hotdogs are a little better albeit rather small and for $3USD (quite possibly inflated due to the pre-included tourist tax) you can easily find something more filling. Contrary, those roasted peanuts and cashews are absolutely delish and work great as a temp. hand warmer!
When it comes to shopping however, there’s very few cities that come close to NYC, especially when it comes to “street” culture and a weak US dollar. Larger shopping centres and thrift stores like Walmart are off the list in Manhattan but for everything else, you’ll find it here.
We started towards Uptown with Nintendo world – a multi storey store with, you guessed it, everything Nintendo, right down to a mini museum of retro consoles, controllers and portables. Remember to check with the store clerk when buying games, some American versions wont work on AU consoles.
Nintendo world NYC
THE NBA Store a little further north – if you’ve ever had a passing interest in the game then this is the store for you. It has everything to do with basketball; memorabilia, uniforms, apparel, the works; even a life size Lego version of Celtics’ big man, Kevin Garnett. Sneaker wise however its rather limited to sport shoes, no retro or “street” style releases. You can however get a bit of a dose a couple blocks up at Niketown.
NBA Store
While not the mecca some would like it to be, Niketown still has enough oo’s and ahh’s to deserve a good look through, just don’t expect any retros or rarities, in fact nothing that isn’t a current model. They did have a small sale section which had a couple odd/older models and colourways but nothing to write home about. The floors are divided into sporting applications with the ones to note being the basketball level – complete with a display case of every Air Jordan all in a white with red trim colourway and life size Lebron James mannequin. Top floor is the most interesting with the Nike iD studio, wall of sneakers piled behind glass in the change rooms, ceiling art made entirely of white sneaker soles and our new favourite sub-brand “6.0“, targeted at the crowd that spends any amount of time upside down in the air with some kind of sporting equipment.
Niketown NYC - Air Jordans
Niketown NYC
The piece de resistance of the store however would be the very Futurama/Jetsons style tubing that whisk your boxed sneakers from the basement to and from the levels and registers. Cool? Way.
Niketown NYC
Also up that way is the Apple store for you Lemmings ;p and a few blocks north is Dylan’s Candy bar for those with a sweet tooth.
Getting back down to mid-town is as easy as jumping on one of the many buses travelling on 5th Av. If you don’t have a Metrocard make sure you have those Quarters ready as they don’t take notes!
Back to Times Square you’ll be hard pressed to miss Footlocker, Journey, Modell’s and Champs. All with a huge range of models and colours and plenty of items on sale as well. Footlocker had the biggest range and had a lot of the winterized boots on special being end of season. Plenty of other clothing items too including jerseys, singlets, hoodies and tees all reduced, some down to single figures! Girls will need to look no further when they can get a Mets game jersey as a nighty for $20US (yes yes, its still the Mets but you’re sleeping in it, not wearing it to a game!).
Journey’s, as on the west coast has a more alternate/skate range with a wide selection of Dr. Martins, Converse and Vans. They also had a good assortment of Adidas (Superstars and similar skate models).
Modell’s reminded me a bit of Rebel Sport for some reason, possibly the layout, possibly the exuberant prices on some items. Sneaker-wise the selection is similar to Rebel sport, only current models and an unusual selection at that, mostly in the sporty vain. Where they differ is they also have sporting equipment, work wear and jeans. Work wear in the way of Dickies and the like are average priced, possibly a bit on the high side but the jeans are a steal for $10-20US for Mecca Apparel and similar.
Finally Champs is like a smaller version of Footlocker but they had a few “in between” models that Footlocker didn’t. They also had many items on sale, some being cheaper than Footlocker.
The best thing about these stores is they’re open till 11pm-midnight some cases 1am so if you get back to your hotel and realise you just HAD to have those 2010 Spiz’ikes then it’s a only a short walk back to buyer remorse heaven.
Heading south down Broadway take a right on 34th-35th and pop into the Kmart for some bargain clothing or travel amenities. Probably not everyone’s choice of a must see, but for licensed game apparel on clearance its worth a look. Knicks sleepwear, Yankees tee’s, jerseys, jackets etc fill several clearance racks along with the standard “Dad” affair at a fraction of the cost, it was perfect for souvenirs. The work wear re: Dickies were some of the cheapest non-sale prices we came across at around $20US for pants and $13 for shorts. Just hope its after they’ve received an order as a lot of the sizes and colours were non-existant.
About half a block further is B & H Photo for all your camera bits and pieces.
Back east passing Madison Square Garden (say Hi to Spike and Jack for me) and over Broadway, pass another Footlocker and another Forever 21 (the American Supre/Jay Jays, yes, keep walking) is one of our fave one-stop shops, Dr. Jay’s. If you’re into hiphop clothing then this is the place for you. Every major brand is covered from LRG to Adidas to Lacoste and the unintentional brands like The Northface, its all covered. Caps on street level, a level for menswear then a level of women’s wear. They also have an ok selection of sneakers, some with decent reductions, especially out of season stuff like the Nike winterized Spiz’ikes and Goadomes. Both were the cheapest we saw for $100-120US, so it went with out saying that the Spiz’ikes found a new home. Good selection of work wear and one of the few places that we saw in Manhattan that sold Dickies Girls. For those girls looking for black pants that actually fit them, try the Bullpant or Lowrise models, you’ll never look back 😉
Nike Air Jordan winterized Spiz'ikes
Most of the other clothing was all around standard retail prices though there were quite a few models that we didn’t see anywhere else. Some of their range is available online with some great sale items, at the moment the deal is sweetened with a 20% off all orders over $100. With the AUD at almost 1:1 its definitely worth a quick browse, Dr. Jay’s.
Around the corner is the Empire state building but brave the lines, wait and security at your own peril. More on that later.
Down to W30th Street between 7th and 8th is one of the best anime, toy and collectibles shops that we came across in NYC, Image Anime. They have a very respectable range of figures (inc. Revoltech and Figma), busts, models, Manga, clothing and general knick knacks from all your fave anime and animated shows. Just take caution when buying large or boxed items, you’re suitcase space will disappear very quickly. Also remember that some of the more fragile items will have to go in your carry on, so even less room there. Personal experience acquired from purchasing an 18″ hard plastic Gloomy Bear. At <$30US it seemed like a good idea at the time but when it couldn't fit into any bags and had to be carried separately everywhere it got very annoying very fast! The final point of interest for florists and wedding organisers on W25th between 6th and 7th is the famous event organiser, Preston Bailey. Absolutely stunning work but with an office on the 30th floor and no visible street level show room, its all appointment only, if you can afford him!
Preston Bailey
Next up we swap the concrete jungle for an actual jungle. Ok its more like a woodlands at best, but we’re they’re to see the animals not the trees at the Bronx Zoo!
Times Square NYC
New York City 2010 part #1 – The flight in…
New York City part #3 – Bronx Zoo
New York City part #4 – Sight seeing – Manhattan
New York City part #5 – Sight Seeing – Brooklyn Markets and Gardens
New York City part #6 – Shopping: Soho
New York City photo gallery here
Greatest city in the world? Or just another big city? Have we all been hypnotised by Frank Sinatra’s pied piper call? But like a groupie getting offered a backstage pass at a Gunner’s concert, the lure is too great to not at least take a peak… just nothing below the waist.
We’ll get into that shortly, first, rewind about a day.
Getting up while its still dark is never fun, but with the notion of heading to what some call the greatest city in the world, there was extra motivation to drag ourselves out of bed and make a bee line to our shuttle.
At the departure airport, by now I don’t think I need to tell you that its best to get there early, at least 2 hours for domestic flights. Security is just as bad as international flights along with the snaking of ridiculously long lines and a dog’s breakfast kind of organisation. Moral is, get there early and head straight to the self check in, worry about potty breaks, breakfast etc after you clear security. If you aren’t travelling alone get one person to grab a spot in the baggage check line while the other does the self check in.
A side note when going through security, if you have toys with small parts re: Revoltech or model kits, let the x-ray person know, seems these tend to come up as “suss”. Also remember snow globes are still classed as liquid so you won’t be able to have them in your carry on, make sure you wrap them good to store in your checked luggage.
As far as the cross country flight was concerned, I’d have to say, I’ve had better. We flew with American Airlines, while the thoughts of near and actual disasters were distant before hand, they became a lot more apparent when we boarded the flight. The seats were
slightly larger, no doubt to squeeze in those tubby Americans, but all the cushioning was so compacted you could feel the frame work underneath, not so good for an 8+ hour flight. The general state of the plane didn’t get much better, plastic fixtures and compartments sported a 20 year old computer dirty cream, off yellow colour. Everything shook and rattled like an old railroad carriage, even one of the overheads popping open randomly, just like in the movies.
The attendants weren’t much better. Half looked like their first attendee job was serving moonshine on the Wright Brothers’ airline, while the rest were just not happy to be there, cant really blame them though, you can only be terrified for you life for so long before you stop caring.
Never mind, after breakfast (I think that’s what it was), a couple Neurofen plus was all that was needed to set a drift on memory bliss.
Out of JFK and into the ever reliable Super Shuttle bus. Plenty of stop start peak hour driving through Queens on our way to Manhattan.
Travel Tip: If you’re staying in Manhattan and assuming you know where your hotel is (not too hard to work out even if you don’t, “streets” run horizontal, “avenues” run vertical) its best to just get out at a nearby hotel stop and walk (if yours isn’t the next on the list!) a couple blocks. As our luggage was already getting to the point of “excessive” we opted to stay on. Looking back, it would’ve saved us a good 30-45min if we got out and dragged our way to the hotel.
Speaking of hotel, we stayed at The Comfort Inn on Times Square reasonably priced, rather small rooms (still bigger than Tokyo’s! The big plasma makes up for it), world’s smallest and slowest SINGLE elevator but on the plus side, they did have a free brekky spread, free internet and gym and very attentive staff.
The Trip Advisor whingers will say the FREE breakfast is sub par but come on, its not a restaurant nor does it pretend to be, just a tea room with what you would probably have at home on a normal day. The variety of cereal, bread, buns, bagels, muffins, pastries (including croissants), tea, coffee, juice, fruit and yogurt is more than enough to fill you up before heading out. If you want a greasy start, just head to Macca’s otherwise grab an apple for the road and hit the shops!
Times Square - NYC
New York City part #2 – Shopping: Midtown
New York City part #3 – Bronx Zoo
New York City part #4 – Sight seeing – Manhattan
New York City part #5 – Sight Seeing – Brooklyn Markets and Gardens
New York City part #6 – Shopping: Soho
New York City photo gallery here
Disneyland 2010 part #2
Toontown panorama - click for big
On to something a lot more innocent and pretty much a must when hitting Disneyland… the Teacup ride, as part of Fantasyland! So simple yet so fun, even the most motion sickness prone will have no problem on this ride as you can control how fast the cup spins, via a “steering wheel”. Wait time was around 20-30min.
Tea cup ride
Also in Fantasyland you’ll find the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the grand King Arthur’s Carousel and of course the renowned Disney castle. With the success of the current remake the Alice in Wonderland movie, the ride based on the original animated version had about a 40min wait but worth it for a bit of nostalgia. Just ignore the kids asking where Johnny Depp was *facepalm*
Alice in Wonderland ride
Hang around the castle entrance for song and dance routines from Disney classics like Mary Poppins and later in the evening for the closing fireworks.
Mary Poppins show
Try as you might but you’ll be hard pressed to escape Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Pixie Hollow features without a set of fairy wings or a fluffy glitter wand!
Heading towards 12 o’clock on the Disney map clock is a place that would have WHS and building code inspectors in fits but I’d be damned if I don’t want a curved house, rainbow coloured with oversized tiling and supports! Mickey’s Toontown, is the home to all the Disney toon characters, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and friends and their wonky architecture buildings where you don’t know whether they’re real or drawn on!
Toontown
In the streets you’ll also see objects and fixtures perfect for a holiday snap, there’s even signs to guide you where to take the photos. Completing the warped world of toons are random objects like mailboxes and telephones that talk! I don’t know who was on the other end of the line but I was pretty certain if I slammed the phone down hard enough it would explode at the other end.
Toontown
Toontown is also the opposite stop to the main entrance for the Disney Railroad.
Continuing on is Frontierland. For some, the highlight would be the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster, for others it would be the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ – an all you can eat meatfest, but alas that too had a wait time of 45min, so it would be best to get in early if you want something to fill you up before you hit the bobsleds.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The rest of Frontierland, namely the riverboat and pirate features were closed for maintenance. So, again, if there’s a particular ride you want to go on, make sure you check the schedule for maintenance days before booking.
Adjacent lands are Critter Country with “can we go, can we go, can we go to..” Splash Mountain, Adventureland with Indian Jones and more Tiki and tribal paraphernalia than a New Zealand drum and bass gig and New Orleans Square celebrating the deep south in the 1800’s minus the slavery with another staple attraction, the Haunted Mansion.
Photo tip:If you’re up for taking photos inside, you’ll need fast glass, super high ISO and slow shutter. Try to meter on the holographic ghosts as anywhere else is pitch dark so the holograms will be completely blown out. Be ready at the end of the ride for a shot of yourself in the mirror with a new friend 😉
Ghosts in the Haunted Mansion
By late afternoon, you’ll more than likely will be seeking refuge from the crowd and from being on your feet all day, then what better way than to spend 20min or so on the Disney Railroad. The train circles the whole of the park and makes 4 stops. To liven up the journey between the “behind the scenes” areas, there are 2 recreations, one of the Grand Canyon complete with wildlife and the other of a prehistoric era with a variety of dinosaurs, both very impressive and look very realistic. They come up and go by rather quickly (depending on the enthusiasm of your driver) so have your camera at the ready.
Grand Canyon scene
Prehistoric scene
At the end of the day you can choose to fight the rush at the souvenir store at the main entrance, hang around for the closing parade and fireworks or you could pick up your gifts through out the day and choose to get back to West Hollywood for more shopping, then you’ll want to beat the rush and step out a little early.
If you’re on a “tour”, you should still have a couple departure times to choose from, which you will be told when you are dropped off, or will have it as part of your itinerary. Also remember that the bus will make multiple stops so check with the driver if you want to be dropped some where other than your original pick up point to save on redundant traveling. If it’s a little out of their way don’t forget to be a good American and tip them for their troubles 😉
So that concludes a big day at a big theme park and the end to the Los Angeles stop. Next up, its time to start spreading the news, we’re going to wake up in a city that never sleeps to find we’re king of the hill.. A number one…. NEW YORK CITY.
Disney castle
Complete Disneyland gallery here
Disneyland 2010 part #1
What is there really to say about it? Its Disneyland. You cant really hate on the “happiest place in the world” can you? Sure the lines are miles long and prams/strollers out number people but you’ve gotta be dead inside if you don’t want to don some mouse ears and skip everywhere you go!
Firstly, some advice on planning your day. Once you’ve decided that you’re going, or your girlfriend/kids have nagged you so much you just want to shut them up :p you need to decide where you want to go and for how long. For the uninitiated Disneyland consists of 2 theme parks, Disneyland and California Adventure. Disneyland is the classic Disney character affair while Cal Adventure is all the thrill rides and is targeted to the bigger kids. With only a day to spare and a gaping hole in my childhood we went with the classic.
California Adventure park
The best way to get some kind of discount is to prepurchase your tickets and get it combined with a “tour”, which is basically pick up and drop off from your hotel or one of many pick up points. There are so many of these companies and they make a lot of stops so you wont have any problems getting to and from your hotel. We went with VIP Tours who picked up from our door at Double Trees Santa Monica, all inclusive tickets (travel and entry) were around $100USD. There’s even bigger savings if you get multi-day multi-venue passes, shop around, you’re bound to find something. Also keep an eye out at certain times of the year, even Disney has coupon specials.
An additional feature is the Disney Fastpass. Basically you pay a premium so you can jump the queue. Possibly worthwhile if you only have one day and want to ride as many rides as you can but otherwise we couldn’t justify the cost since it only works at certain times for each ride, times are posted at ride entrances and of course you’ll be competing with the thousands of others who thought the same thing.
For ideas on the best days to visit, there really isn’t too much difference as its always packed. Obviously, avoiding school holidays, weekends and the warmer months will give you some relief but expect between 15-30min average wait time and up to 45-60min on some of the popular rides. Also take note of their park hours schedule, rides can be closed for maintenance and some don’t open in the colder months. The schedule also shows special seasonal events like Halloween etc.
While the lines and the sheer number of people is quite daunting, they are very efficient at handling everything the masses can throw at them and all with a big smile. From the fleet carpark shuttle “trains” and the wall of entry booths to the cleverly designed cattle runs for queuing, its clear that its all been fined tuned after many years of capacity crowds. While a lot of the time it can seem futile, most of the masses move reasonably quickly and orderly, as far as “festival” crowds go anyway.
Disneyland shuttle
So you’ve made it through the gates, the first thing you’ll notice is the bright vibrant colours of everything and the quirky shapes of buildings and fixtures and a melodic unmistakable soundtrack playing almost subliminally over the PA system. Take a moment to soak it all in, it may be the last bit of peace you get all day :p plus you’ve got planning to do.
Some people are happy to just wander around the park and check things out but due to the size of the venue and the spaghetti layout you’ll more than likely miss more than you see. A high recommendation is to, at the very least, grab the daily performance times and a map and make a few pokes at it with a stick (with accompanied four finger direction pointing of course).
Its also a time to make note of when and where the performances are and whether you’ll get to them in time for a good vantage point. Also consider grabbing a bite to eat at the café/sandwich bar at the entrance before kicking off, this will help you last pass the normal lunch times and hopefully miss some of the lunch rush.
Mickey with marching band
We chose to make a rough anti clockwise zig zag, taking notice of queue times, posted at the entrance and end of queue points at all rides, as we went. In this direction our main priority was the Buzz Lightyear ride, but not before we ran into Mickey’s marching band in Main street. The wait time listed at Buzz Lightyear was 25min but we were through in just over 15min. As you enter the ride, like many of the rides, they have incorporated part of it with the waiting queue, to keep you occupied with a sense of “almost there!”, definitely a welcome for those with impatient kids. It also adds to the flow and “storyline” of the ride. In this case it was characters from the movies and a full size Buzz animatron giving a mission briefing, “blah blah blah, kill zorg, blah blah To infinity and beyond!”. No probs Buzz, shoot the hell out of everything, gotcha!
Buzz Lightyear ride
Now, normally I’m all up for taking out aliens with a eyeball blinding barcode reader gun but with such elaborate and lifelike scenery and characters, I lasered with my left and shot (with my camera) with the right.
Photo tip: If you’re thinking of doing the same prepare to use extremely high ISO, I’m talking up to 256000 if your camera can do it, to help your shutter speed manage the movement from the ride and the targets. Also be ready to lose pitifully on the scoreboard!
Buzz Lightyear ride
A cool feature on leaving the ride is being able to email an in-game photo of yourself from the ride’s photo booth in the gift shop.
The Buzz Lightyear ride is of course part of Tomorrow Land so you also have all the classic rides like Space Mountain but of course with the classics come the long wait times, most hovering round the 60min mark.
Tomorrowland
If you have kids, there’s a Pad Wan Jedi class, complete with light saber and Mace Windu look alike instructor. No Natalie Portman but the Dads will have no complaints about her stand-ins, if you know what I mean 😉
Jedi training
Tomorrowland
Next up, Fantasyland, Toontown and more!
Complete Disneyland gallery here
Santa Monica pier
If you’re staying in Santa Monica, its only natural that you find yourself making a bee line to the Santa Monica pier, thanks partly due to its ferris wheel beacon. The wheel is accompanied by a small group of amusement park rides and “side show alley” type games. There are also a few restaurants/eateries including Bubba Gump Shrimp (yes the one and the same), souvenir shops and a historic display case to mark the end of the famous Route 66.
We were expecting some spectacular sunrises while we were there with the cooler mornings and clear days, unfortunately the one morning we dragged ourselves out of bed at 4am it was completely fogged over. Not only that, it continued right into the early afternoon! We had never seen anything like it. The fog casted a blueish tone over everything, and with the odd sign board creaking, it definitely added to the eerie deserted boardwalk at that time of the morning. We were just waiting to catch a glimpse of a shadow of a zombie scurrying between the carts of the rollercoaster! Lol
Santa Monica pier
By chance, our stay coincided with the LA marathon (could be why the breakfast buffet was full of people in shorts while it was < 10C outside) so there was some setting up of the festivities for the finish line party on the beach as well as a war memorial for fallen soldiers.
[caption id="attachment_571" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="War memorial Santa Monica pier"]
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Photo ops: end of the pier looking back at the ferris wheel, on the amusement park side shooting the pier, down on the beach below the pier and also back on the road just north looking down over the pier and beach. This time of morning is probably the only time you get to see the paths and boardwalk relatively empty as well.
While the beach area is by no means vast and you can leisurely walk down and back in a few hours, it doesn’t beat the fun and convenience of hiring a bicycle to get around. I recommend Sea Mist Rentals, one of the cheapest places, yet the quality of the bicycles are still well above average. For $6/hour or $15/day you get a choice of several different style of bicycles and a bicycle lock, but when in “Rome” you cant go past a beach cruiser. Fixed gear and a fat comfy seat will have you looking cooler than the ‘Fonz in no time. Though if you don’t ride very often or that style of bike you may find the position a little uncomfortable after an hour or 2. Your forearms may get a little sore and sun burnt too so remember to lather up before hand.
Santa Monica beach
Off down the boardwalk, remembering to keep right and watching for the crazies that ride flat out, you’ll see the beach “scenery”, volleyball courts and kite flying areas. Further along, you’ll come across the legal graffiti walls and the Santa Monica skate park. Check out some of the little grommets there, without a doubt the breeding ground for the next Tony Hawk’s. Some of the kids look like they should be singing along at Wiggles concerts but instead they’re busting huge Method-air grabs over transitions 5 times their height!
Legal graffit walls - Santa Monica Beach
Santa Monica skate park
Once you hit the markets you can either keep cruising along the boardwalk or dismount and wander through. There’s plenty of buskers and performers but all the drummers and percussion types all seem to culminate to a grassy knoll area where they just go at it like a Swedish masseuse. Picture the dude in the Brunswick st. mall on a Saturday night but times 30-40 in a large circle with belly dancers and hippy types getting down in the center. Quite the aural and visual spectacle indeed. Also keep an eye out for the KUSH Clubhouse a medicinal Marijuana clinic while you’re in the area. God bless America.
edit: as of June 2010 it is now closed thanks to a new ordinance which has ordered over 400 dispensaries of this “nature” to be closed in LA.
Percussion jam session - Santa Monica beach
As the bongos fade and you get further into Venice Beach, the beach side buildings go from tatty markets to lush modern townhouses and New Orleans styled houses. The bike path ends at the carpark for the Venice Beach pier, but you can still pedal up the long pier and see scores of people fishing. Thanks to the fog that day we could barely see the beach from the ocean end of the pier! Back on land, there are plenty of restaurants and seafood eateries to choose from, all bustling with tourists and locals alike.
Venice Beach pier
If you’ve only hired the bicycles for half a day, keep an eye on the clock so you don’t have to pay extra, though if you ride quickly you
could probably make it back in 20-30min.
Early to bed, early to rise, cos next up is a trip to the happiest place in the world, Disneyland!
Los Angeles holiday photos here
Los Angeles part #1 – West Hollywood
Los Angeles part #2 – West Hollywood(pt 2)
Los Angeles part #3 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Shopping
Los Angeles part #4 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Sightseeing
Before embarking on our trip, we didn’t hear the end of how trashy LA is and how much better NYC was, but I’ve always chosen 2pac over Jigga :p
I guess it’s the same as what most Brisbane people think of the Gold Coast, but like the GC, if you avoid the touristy/trashy areas you can appreciate the laidback lifestyle and friendly locals. It also helps if you don’t stay in Hollywood or downtown LA, so what better place to stay than Santa Monica.
The trade off for choosing any hotel in a coastal area is usually distance to beach/view versus cost. We found that unless you were within a block or 2 of the ocean it was pointless spending the extra to wake up with sand in your teeth. If you planning on spending more time in your hotel room than outside, then the extra money will be worth it, but you also have to ask yourself why are you wasting your holiday in doors 😉
The happy medium is finding a nice hotel within a short walk of the beach, enter Double Trees, Santa Monica. This is a well known hotel chain in America (they have the one right in the middle of Times Square NYC) and for the average traveler facilities are quite luxurious. Price is a little more than what you would pay for similar places on the Hollywood side of the Pacific Coast Hwy but being on 4th street its only a 10-15min walk to the beach and 3rd street Promenade, which brings us to the shopping.
Shopping
3rd street Promenade is very much the Queen Street mall of Santa Monica minus the Myer Center. Chain clothing stores, eateries and plenty of boutique stores, everything you’d expect from a buzzing commercial hub. This is also where you’d go to catch a bus to downtown.
Nike SB Greenbay Packers
Sneakers are covered with Adidas, Footlocker, Skechers and Puma. Special point of interest is CCS which stocks a leaning towards skate wear, so plenty of Nike SB’s and Dunks along with the usual skate and skate inspired footwear brands, but is one of the few places I saw in LA that sold Nike SB apparel (tees and hoodies).
Journey has less “sport” brands but plenty of Chuck Taylors/One star Converse and Doc Martins also deserves a quick look in.
For toys, figures and games you can’t go past Puzzle Zoo. They stock a big range of commercial action figures, collectibles and anime. They also cover those little mind game puzzles and quirky toys (unlink the rings, roll the ball bearing thru the wood maze anyone?) similar to what you’d find at National Geographic stores. They’re also big on souvenir and personalised gifts, license plates, mugs etc.
If you need to take a break, grab a Wetzel Pretzel, pull up a bench and watch one of the many street performers that frequent the area. Anything from breakdance routines to juggling. If the pretzel wasn’t enough there’s plenty of places you can grab an “English” pub style lunch and a pint.
Hang around the promenade long enough re: till the sun sets and you will see the street lit up like it was Christmas!
3rd Street Promenade
Lastly for the music heads that want to get their fingers dusty, head in about 1km on Wilshire Blvd from 3rd St Promenade for Second Spin. One of several stores in LA that has a vast collection of new and used music and dvd’s, records and cd’s. Prices are very reasonable and there are usually deals if you spend a certain amount or for multiple items. The stores also carry different stock than the website. I thought I could save on postage by ordering online then collecting from the store but their online stock comes from a separate warehouse and is subsequently sent from there. Turns out this was a good thing since I ended up ordering over 70 albums :p
Boardwalk/Venice Beach
Big multi-nat corp shopping not your thing? Then its time to mosey on down the boardwalk. It, like most of LA is pretty flat so walking is a breeze. If you want to get around a bit quicker (and don’t have too much to carry) then hiring a bicycle is the way to go.
Starting at the Santa Monica Pier end we chose to follow Ocean Front Walk down and then come back via the boardwalk. There’s not much to start with but once you get about 1/3 of the way towards Venice Beach, it quickly becomes cluttered with market stalls, tourist shops and a slow meandering Ekka style crowd. The markets themselves stock all the usual things you’d expect to see, from hand crafted jewellery and ornaments to the “hand painted” clichés of LA and movie stars. I say “hand painted”, because a lot of the stuff is made to look that way and could very well be, but its mass produced so you’ll see the same “original” pieces over and over again. Also be on guard for anyone approaching you trying to sweet talk you into buying a product or service, they will literally tell you anything to part you from your lucrative tourist dollars!
For a change of pace, head in land two blocks to Main st. This has more of a James st. in New Farm feel with a plethora of boutique shops, designer and quaint indies. For sneakers, Undefeated is the spot, yes the one and the same from the episode of Entourage when Turtle is trying to track down his Fujiyama customs and Vince is pipped by the late DJ AM at this store. Check out the clearance section near the register for some bargains.
Undefeated Santa Monica
Clothing wise there’s plenty of vintage stores but a must see for a nostalgic moment is the ZJ Boarding House shop, better known as Zephyr Skate. Pretty much the birth of skateboarding and further made famous by the movie Lords of Dogtown. Since 2007 it has been officially listed as a LA landmark. Even though the store is now a shallow existence of its former self (looks like every other mass produced surf/skate shop out there) it is still owned by the same people that rebirthed it back in 1988 even if Heath Ledger isn’t drunk off his tits throwing surfboards off the roof 😉
ZJ Boarding House
Further towards Venice Beach there are a couple sport stores but none I found of much interest.
Next up, the cheapest and possibly the best thing to do at the beaches… sight seeing! 😉
Los Angeles holiday photos here
Los Angeles part #1 – West Hollywood
Los Angeles part #2 – West Hollywood(pt 2)
Los Angeles part #3 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Shopping
Los Angeles part #4 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Sightseeing
If you missed the first part of our LA adventures, check them out here
Sunset Blvd
Keep on cruisin down Melrose and you’ll come across a skate shop – few less cliché skate items/brands and a few Nike SB items; Fat Beats for your hiphop music needs; forget trying to find the Footlocker, its gone but is still listed in directory searches; plenty of little boutique clothing and jewellery stores; then a few metres right, into N Fuller Av is JapanLA. As the name suggests, they stock cutsie Japanese inspired fashion, mostly Tokidoki but with more variety and generous sale items. There’s even boxes of clearance items at the back, hello Gloomy Bear figures for $7. The staff are very friendly and very easy on the eyes 😉 They also stock Mr. Egg and Mr. Toast! ^__^
Shopping in between season means you get winter bargains like Tokidoki hoodies for $30-40US. Winner!
The vinyl obsession continues a couple doors down with Munky King. This store is set up more like an art gallery than a retail store. Minimal lush fittings and an art space towards the rear of the store. They stock a big range of the usual Kidrobot and associate style vinyls as well as a few other more obscure designs and artists. There’s also a small selection of apparel. Definitely the place to visit if you’re getting sick of Dunnys or Labbits.
On the subject of vinyls and similar toys/action figures, be ready to pull them out of your carry on at American customs, especially those with small parts like Revoltech figures. Thanks to the unusual shapes and small parts, under the x-ray machine they tend to come up as “unknown”.
The shops start to thin off after this, but hook a left into La Brea for a couple of LA’s colourful landmarks. First is Pink’s Hot Dogs, no, not the singer but just as famous with many celebrities choosing to pop in for a quick bite and also being featured in many movies and TV shows. We weren’t disappointed when we walked passed and saw a banner “Pink’s welcomes David Hassellhoff“. Sure enough, The Hoff was there slingin dogs to a line half way down the block. Though a long line up is hardly out of the norm and is classed as part of its charm. We didn’t have time to sample the cuisine but all reports say its worth the wait.
Pink's Hotdogs on La Brea Hollywood
If you didn’t want to wait for food there’s a few fast food places including Macca’s as you head north on La Brea. Couple blocks on, you’ll also come across a Best Buy (like a cross between Office Works and Harvey Norman) and a group of shops including Target. In this centre, if you walk up the stairs to Target, there’s a landing where you have a clear view of the Hollywood sign. Perfect if you aren’t going up in the hills to check it out. Photographer’s tip: for a nice big shot of the sign – point and shoot users – you’ll need at least a 10x zoom; dslr users – 200mm is ok but 300mm if you want to fill the frame. Another photo op is available on Sunset Blvd at the intersection looking west at sunset (they don’t call it that for nothing!) against a backdrop of the clichéd palm tree lined street.
Hollywood sign
A block and a bit further you’ll come across everyone’s favourite tattooist, Kate Von D and her famous LA Ink store aka High Voltage Tattoo. If you’re familiar with the TV series, the store is just as crazy in real life with wall to wall decorations of memorabilia, varies knick knacks and art pieces. Even if you only have a passing interest in the pierced and painted, simply hanging round the store sees all matter of subjects from the quirky to the down right weird! Good luck getting an appointment on short notice tho!
If you’re Google mapping, search for “High Voltage Tattoo” which is the actual store, “LA Ink” shows up as its studio which is further down the block.
LA Ink - High Voltage Tattoo on La Brea, Hollywood
Beginning of Hollywood walk of fame
About 4 blocks after that and passing Jim Henderson’s Muppet Studio, you’ll hit Hollywood Blvd, which is the start of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and home to iconic landmarks such as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Madame Tussauds, Ripley’s Believe it or not and Capitol Records Tower.
Hollywood Blvd
There are also plenty of tacky tourist shops on this strip, but the pricing for the most part is reasonable and you can pick up multiple souvenir tee’s for $10US. Just check their quality first, even though the design might be the same, the consistency of the shirts tend to vary.
Hollywood Blvd
By now you’re probably just about spent but if you’ve still got a couple bucks left in your wallet and the shopping bags haven’t completely severed your fingers off, jump in a cab and head to the Beverly Center
On the cheap: find a bus that goes all the way down N La Brea to W 3rd St then get another that goes from there out to La Cienega Blvd.
The Beverly Center is probably the closest you’ll find to Brisbane’s own Myer center. Couple large higher end Department stores like Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s and then the countless specialty shops with the majority leaning towards female shoes and apparel. There is a cinema and food court on the top level but the real reason to head here is for the view. There’s an outdoor courtyard on the top level with a nice broad 180 degree view of LA.
Photographers tip: bring a tripod to set on a chair to shoot over the glass partition or a point and shoot to sit on top of one of the frame if you’re shooting at night to get pass the reflections, unless of course you carry a black bed sheet around!
LA at night - view from the Beverly Center (click for big)
In the way of sneakers you have a choice of 2 sporting stores Champs and Finish Line and 1 specialist (on the top floor level 8 ) Shiekh Shoes and Footlocker (floor 6). While only Shiekh Shoes has a selection of slightly more obscured models and colourways the real benefit is they all have a good selection of items on sale at great prices. 2 pairs of Adidas Attitudes for $50US? Don’t mind if I do! The Footlocker here is quite large as well so there’s a chance you’ll find a few extra colourways.
Useless fact: In the movie “Volcano” they have scenes when the center was still under construction.
By now, you’ll probably be as broke and broken as we were. We contemplated paying $50 for a cab back to Santa Monica but with a bus stop on the corner, we caught one up La Cienega Blvd to Santa Monica Blvd, got some booze and aspirin from the CVS drug store and then another bus all the way back out to 4th street in Santa Monica for a fraction of the cost.
Back in Santa Monica we hit the hay so we could hit boardwalk the next day.
Next up… Santa Monica and Venice Beach!
Los Angeles holiday photos here
Los Angeles part #1 – West Hollywood
Los Angeles part #2 – West Hollywood(pt 2)
Los Angeles part #3 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Shopping
Los Angeles part #4 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Sightseeing
Melrose Av West Hollywood +cliche' cop car
After a day stopover in Ueno, Tokyo we were on our way to Los Angeles. Crossing the International Date Line meant it was going to be the longest Saturday ever, even longer than that 3 day bender in college where I was down to drinking Vodka and cordial dregs from the night before by the end of it… but that’s another story.
It’s true what they say, “nobody walks in LA”. Simply because everything is so far apart… and to add to it, the public transport is pretty rubbish for a major city. So your best bet if you’re staying longer than a 2-3 days is to hire a car. Being the USA this can be quite cheap but remember you will need to find and pay for parking.
Since we were only there for 3 days we opted to skip the car and go with the alternatives. Coming from the airport, the easiest and quite reasonable option for door to door is to use Super Shuttle, a private shuttle bus company at pretty much every major city in the States. They’re easy to spot as you leave the terminal, big blue vans with bright yellow writing. You can just go to the stop and wait for one or pre-book, save a few bucks and guarantee yourself a seat, roughly $20-25US. Note that you will more than likely be sharing with other passengers over several pickup and drop off points so the journey can take some time. We also noticed there can be a lack of order/priority at times between the driver and the representative at the pickup point, pretty much whoever yelled/nagged or was stubborn the most got their way!
If you’re on a tight budget then your only real option is to catch a bus which may not be feasible if you have to make 3 transfers and still have to hike it with all your luggage. The up side is it’s a fraction of the cost (round $5US) and you don’t need to tip the driver.
After circling LAX 3 times with a full van load we hit the motorway along with LA’s oblivious sloth-like drivers. A bit over an hour later we were at our hotel, the modestly luxurious Double Trees in Santa Monica. 4 star/3 diamond rated, short 10min walk to the beach, 15min to the pier and definitely one of the better priced hotels for the location. The big warm chocolate chip cookie on arrive was a nice touch 🙂 Room size was more than adequate, large lounge area with kitchen space and large bedroom. Not to mention it was so good to have a shower after wearing the same clothes for more than 56hours!
I wrote a more detailed review on Tripadvisor, complete with a whinge about housekeeping taking our shoe boxes!
West Hollywood
We only really had one major day for shopping in LA so we wanted to make it count. While downtown has it perks you really cant go past the one stop shop, that is West Hollywood. If you want strictly high end designer gear than you’ll wanna keep going till you hit Hollywood for some Rodeo Drive action, otherwise this is a great place to start for modern streetwear, quirky vintage, good selection of sneakers and a generous serving of everybody’s favourite retail dish, sales!
First stop is Melrose Ave. complete with “Melrose place” (the street, which looks nothing like the show and no one actually comes back to life after they die (if only it was the same for the show)). This stretch of 10-15 blocks is great for a day, or even a half day power play shop-over.
We started down the western end at Burton/Analog. Plenty of ski, surf and skate wear, relaxed staff and even their pet dog lounging next to the counter. A little further along is Fred Segal, kind of like “Country Road” meets Roger David and Cue, mostly noted for its vine covered building and in store toilet (a godsend since there’s no public toilets that we could see till you hit La Brea Ave more than 1km away!)
Heading east you’ll hit Bape, Adidas Originals and then a little cluster of the coolest group of shops you’ll ever come across. Kidrobot, Tokidoki and Loyal army covers the Japanese inspired art, vinyl collectibles and apparel so cute you’ll leave with sore thumbs from pinching the cheeks of everything there!
Loyal Army and Kidrobot on Melrose Av
Paul Frank continues this theme with their large store. They had quite a few items on sale but on the day we were there they were also handing out scratch-it coupons where you received a mystery %-off discount. The shopping gods smile upon us that day as we scored 40% off. If we didn’t have to try and get it home, the beach cruiser bicycle would be sitting in my garage right now!
The last shop of mention in this group is one of our favourites, Johnny Cupcakes. For those that don’t know, no, unfortunately they don’t actually sell cupcakes, but they do sell cupcake related clothing and accessories in a less cutsie and more So-Cal rock kinda way and the store is set up like a 50’s bakery!
Retro ovens, display cases, fridges and even a black and white checkered floor. Most of the items are in the fridges and a café pastry style display case. Not only that Mr. Cupcake, Johnny Earle himself is quite the entrepreneur and only too happy to share his knowledge on his blog and tours business seminars to uni students and work expos. The designs range from baseball and sport themes to their classic cupcake and bones logo, all in a variety of bold and vibrant colours. What makes the designs special is they are all limited, once the batch has sold out that is it forever. Definitely one way to not be another General Universal Pants clone.
Johnny Cupcakes on Melrose Av
A couple blocks along Melrose, you’ll hit North Fairfax Av. With Flightclub LA and Supreme. Flightclub has a feel of a Hong Kong or Tokyo shoe store. 2 large walls from floor to ceiling of shrink wrapped sneakers, very impressive. They also deal in pre owned items like K-Skit but don’t opening advertise it as such, so if you’re after brand new, you might want to check first. Either way, you’re in for some bargains and maybe some rare finds. The selection is predominant Nike and Jordans with a scattering of other brands, a small rack of tees and a selection of G-Shock watches and New Era caps. I picked up 2009 Nike SB Greenbay Packers for $60US, which are more than double that to buy locally at $160AU rrp and 2009 Nike AF-1 Armed Forces Ltd Ed. for $70US.
Most of the sizes are on display but don’t hesitate to check with them, just in case
Flightclub LA
Further down Fairfax is Supreme if you have a penchant for the more designer stuff or love muppets apparel 😉
If you’re still feenin’ for sneakers, back on Melrose is Sportie LA, which is divided up into 3 separate stores, new footwear, new apparel and preowned. The new footwear store is one of the few places that focus less on Nike, in fact they don’t even have a brand listing on their site, instead they opt for Converse, Adidas, Vans, Asics, Supra and even LA Gear. Though if you’re looking for some rarities or a bargain or just something a bit different than the norm, the preowned store is the one to scope out. There are some items that have clearly been on display forever and are subsequently “shop soiled” and dusty (no shrink wrapping), but the majority of the stock is in good/mint condition. Further in to the store is all new stock, with plenty of boots and dressier shoes for the ladies.
Stay tuned for part #2 when we continue to cruise down Melrose, up La Brea to Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles holiday photos here
Los Angeles part #1 – West Hollywood
Los Angeles part #2 – West Hollywood(pt 2)
Los Angeles part #3 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Shopping
Los Angeles part #4 – Santa Monica and Venice Beach Sightseeing
Monorail, downtown Tokyo
If you’re staying closer to inner Tokyo or just want a good view of the Tokyo skyline then head on down to Odaiba. Take the JR Yamanote line to Okachi Machi then switch to the Yurikamome line. This will take you through the city, over the Rainbow bridge (lit bridge that changes colour every few seconds) then into Odaiba.
Odaiba is on one of the many man made “islands” in Tokyo Bay it used to be all commercial buildings but is now home to a selection of tourist attractions. The biggest and most obvious one being Daikanransha, the “Tokyo eye” once the biggest ferris wheel in the world its still packs the wow factor with 360 degree views of the city, on a clear day you might even catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji.
The ride lasts about 15min and you can choose between a completely clear capsule or a regular ferris wheel style closed in bottom. There tends to be a 10-20min wait on the all-clear ones, while it is a little easier to see out from a sitting position, its no better for taking photos as the frame work gets in the way, not to mention the windows themselves can be pretty dirty.
It is open till 10pm nightly. If you want to head straight to it, stay on the upper level of the train platform and head south to the freeway overpass.
View of Tokyo from Daikanransha, Odaiba, Tokyo
Other notable attractions in Odaiba are: the “interesting” looking Fuji TV studio, Decks Tokyo Beach shopping mall, Venus Fort (Venice themed mall), the Statue of Liberty replica. Entertainment wise check out Tokyo Leisure Land (24hour gaming, karaoke and bowling) and Zepp Tokyo, Tokyo’s largest concert hall playing host to Jamie Cullum and Erykah Badu next week alone. During the day, there are numerous park areas and “beaches” on the edge of the island great for a bbq in the warmer months, though swim at your own peril.
Leaving Tokyo
So here we are in our hotel room looking down at our 2 week bounty thinking how the heck are we going to get all of this back home. Suticases. More suitcases.
After a quick chat to the concierge we headed back over to the Ameyoko markets. One thing that’s for certain is the quality of merchandise is a lot higher than what you would find in say, Hong Kong. However, this is reflected in the price, but like anything, look long enough and you’ll find what you’re after at the price you’re willing to pay. Another suitcase and carry on later, we were sorted.
Not having a budget gives you one less thing to worry about however you must always be weary of the luggage trade off. So Couple tips on packing:
– Bulky items like shoes are lighter but take up more space (try breaking down the shoe boxes and using them in the suitcase lining. You get to keep the box and have a bit of extra protection from those enthusiastic luggage
– Try to distribute heavier items like jeans across your luggage.
– Put delicate items such as glassware, ornaments, model kits and collectibles into your carryon but leave things like snow globes out. Because of the water in them, they are still classed as a prohibited item so make sure you have plenty of bubble wrap and double bagging handy. The store should normally pack them well, if not, pop into a post office for supplies.
– Lastly, if you run out of room, remember jackets don’t have to be classed as luggage. Its easy enough to carry 2 (one on each back pack strap) and spare some precious luggage space.
There you have it, city #1 covered (in a roundabout way) but we’re not done! Stay tuned for the next instalment when we hop, skip and jump over the pond to the city of angels, LA!
Domo Origato! Sayonara! ^__^
Ueno Blossom Festival
Tokyo part #1 – Ueno for a day
Tokyo part #2 – Getting round Tokyo, Ueno Sakura at night
Tokyo part #3 – Harajuku
Tokyo part #4 – Shibuya
Tokyo part #5 – Kichijoji and Shinjuku
Tokyo part #6 – Akihabara
Photo Gallery Here
