Thanksgiving break was something that everybody was expecting for. People made plans to go on trips to California, New York etc already months before the break. I ended up going to California by car with Jiang (from China), Seth (American) and Coco (from France). We rented a car and drove first all the way to San Francisco, about 20 hours! We were staying in the most dangerous area in the city in a crapy hostel. But San Francisco is really an amazing city! It's very small in area but so dense that it's crazy. The houses are very tightly close to each other and the blocks and areas change suddenly when walking in the streets.
Me and Jiang on the streets of San Francisco
San Francisco at night
The city hall
Some houses..
In San Francisco we were walking quite a lot because the parking was a bit problematic. Even so problematic that we ended up getting two parking tickets...in total worth 100 dollars... It wasn't really funny at the moment :P Anyway, we were walking around the city, in Chinatown, Golden Gate Park and Fisherman's Wharf. Especially the coast line was really amazing. We found an ice ring too but didn't go skating eventually. On the last day we went to Golden Gate bridge and were walking on it. Then we drove outside the city and went to kind of a national park, called Muir Woods. It was really beautiful place, very peaceful, like a contrast to the busy city :)
Japanese garden in Golden Gate park
Some downtown view
The trams are one symbol of San Francisco
The Golden Gate bridge
Coco, me and Seth
Muir Woods
Some traffic in San Francisco
After three days in San Francisco we started driving towards Los Angeles. For some reason we decided to take the coast road because we thought that the view would be nicer that from the big freeway. Result: the view was indeed really nice, although it was dark but still you could see the Pacific Ocean in a moonlight, but the road was horrible, very small full of curves and I ended up feeling incredibly car sick. Plus I noticed that I had lost my glasses in San Francisco.
After hours and hours we finally reached Los Angeles found a parking lot and slept in the car. We thought that the parking tickets were worth so much that we should save on something :P Next day we went to walk in Hollywood and saw some beaches and visited the Griffith Observatory, but basically we were just driving around and being stuck in the traffic. Overall LA was quite disappointing.. Very polluted and the traffic...it's just awful! It took us hours to go very small distances and the whole city is so spread out that it was difficult to visit much any places.. So, to sum it up, we really didn't like LA so much..
After hours and hours we finally reached Los Angeles found a parking lot and slept in the car. We thought that the parking tickets were worth so much that we should save on something :P Next day we went to walk in Hollywood and saw some beaches and visited the Griffith Observatory, but basically we were just driving around and being stuck in the traffic. Overall LA was quite disappointing.. Very polluted and the traffic...it's just awful! It took us hours to go very small distances and the whole city is so spread out that it was difficult to visit much any places.. So, to sum it up, we really didn't like LA so much..
Los Angeles
Hollywood
View from the Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles is incredibly polluted.. there were no clouds and sun was shining, but still we couldn't see any of the landscape because of the smog!
Telescope in the Griffith Observatory
In the beach during sun set..
"The Baywatches" :D
On the second day in LA we went to Universal Studios. The parking itself cost 10 dollars but it was free to walk in the street where the gift shops were. If we wanted to enter the actual studios, we should have payed about 65 dollars.. We ended up not going.. But instead we went to see a film in the iMax theater! We saw Beowulf in 3D and it was quite cool :) Even the price for the film was cheaper than in Helsinki...
The Universal Studios
Coco, or Forrest Gump?
Me, Seth and Coco
The street in the Universal Studios
After the Universal Studios we were heading to San Diego, the last city in our road trip. In San Diego we were staying in one local aiesecer's place and it was really nice after sleeping in a car for two nights in LA. Taking a shower and just sitting in a sofa felt extremely comfortable. Emerald was really friendly and let us stay at her place for 3 nights. We had Thanksgiving dinner with her and her friends and it was really nice :)
In San Diego we visited the San Diego Zoo and we walking in a really nice park, went to downtown and some beaches. San Diego is a really friendly city, very different from LA for example. One day we were having luch in the beach and a couple started talking with us. We ended up having dinner in the house of the parents of the guy named Steven. They were really tipical American family :P We had a prayer in the beginning of the meal and the father seemed really to be the head of the family. But it was really nice :) I even tasted pumpkin pie for the first time in my life! :D And it was amazingly good!!
In San Diego we visited the San Diego Zoo and we walking in a really nice park, went to downtown and some beaches. San Diego is a really friendly city, very different from LA for example. One day we were having luch in the beach and a couple started talking with us. We ended up having dinner in the house of the parents of the guy named Steven. They were really tipical American family :P We had a prayer in the beginning of the meal and the father seemed really to be the head of the family. But it was really nice :) I even tasted pumpkin pie for the first time in my life! :D And it was amazingly good!!
Some pictures from Balboa park in San Diego
San Diego Zoo
Jiang, Coco and Seth...
A panda!!
Sunset in a beach
The Old Town of San Diego
Another beach...
...and some view of the city!
On the way back to Las Cruces we stopped in Joshua Tree national park. I think we didn't go to nicest place because for us it looked more like Las Cruces with all the desert! hehehe :D The trip was in total long, tireing, very interesting and also fun! Above all California is really cool place where I definately want to visit again!! :)
