JOIN USLast year, Christmas and New Year celebrations were special for me. I was in Los Angeles, USA with my cousins and nephews. It was my first trip to the USA and that too Hollywood. I had to pinch myself twice when I landed in LA. I am very fond of hills, natural beauty and lovely weather and to my pleasant surprise LA offered all of this and more. The morning were balmy, sometimes bordering on warm, but as the day progressed and dusk approached, we had to pull out our jackets and sweaters to ward off the growing chill.
We started our trip by visiting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Huntington Library. Since I am an art enthusiast the collection at the museum left me awestruck. I may not be able to understand or adequately appreciate the deep feeling and thoughts behind those paintings, which included portraits and abstract art, but it was an experience worth remembering because the art gallery was unique.
We wanted to pack in the most in the short trip and a visit to the well-known tourist spots which included the Huntington Library was a must. The best feature of the Huntington Library was the garden around it, divided into several sections like rose, bonsai and Japanese garden. Each of the sections housed a specific variety of flora, a fantastic place to spend time amidst beautiful flowers and greenery. Everything was so like a fairy tale that it makes me smile whenever I think about it. The time spent on beaches like Monica, Malibu and Seal made our trip truly blissful.
The most amazing part of the trip was our visit to Universal Studios, Hollywood. True to the saying that there is a ‘child tucked in deep inside us’, the Universal Studios helps to bring out the child in you, enjoy and relive your childhood days. There were rides related to the films like The Mummy, King Kong, Despicable Me and many more, but my personal favourite was Transformers. The 3D ride gives you goosebumps. You will feel like you are one of the machines. I couldn’t resist myself and unashamedly went back for the ride again and again, much to the amusement of my relatives and friends.
And when in Hollywood, how can one miss the Hollywood Walk of Fame! It is an interesting place where college students perform a gig, dance or act to earn money. Many dress themselves as famous movie characters like Spiderman, X-Men, Captain America to name a few. They charge five dollars to get a picture clicked with them. When I saw Wolverine (X-Men character) I was so thrilled that I could not resist the temptation to get myself clicked with him. I also enjoyed the experience of watching the 3D film at Grauman's Chinese Theater where Academy Award ceremonies were held few years ago.
LA is largely influenced by Mexican culture. So we visited Olevera Street, very colourful and crowded with Mexican people. Mexican food like Indian is spicy. I loved the music which few local musicians were playing with people enthusiastically dancing to it. My two sisters also tried to copy their dance which was quite funny.
But it wasn’t this beautiful city in California that made the entire experience unique and memorable. Sometimes it happens that you like a city not only for its beauty but how people treat you as a tourist, making those new places interesting and enjoyable for you.
Shruti MisraThe writer is a software developer and travel enthusiast.