My flight to LA from Orlando was non-stop, quick (~4.5 hours) and aboard one of my favorite planes an A320 (sleek and smooth) but the seats were tight (though it was Virgin, the hip and cool carrier, methinks Virgin America is their budget line, so we were packed in) and the AC inadequate. The uncomfortably warm plane ride would be a foreshadow of things to come as it turned out.
The view from my window seat as we landed was very cool, it was just after sunset and the whole LA area basin was laid out in a twinkling electric light carpet. It was just about 8pm local time after disembarking and I was lazy. Rather than take the FlyAway bus to downtown as I'd planned ($8), I hopped into a cab ($60), and after my check-in at the hotel which required a $20 cash deposit for the room key (yes, an actual metal key), all my pocket cash was gone. Man, LA was going to be expensive.
The hotel (really a motel) was not anything fancy. I wouldn't even put it in the same class as a Quality or Comfort Inn. But it was much like a Motel 6 with a family-run feel. Not bad at all. You just had to look past the 1950's tile in the bathroom, the mismatched furnishings which included two office desk chairs and the blood red carpet which was at least three decades old. Oddly, they had installed granite counter tops in the bathroom and the bed was quite comfortable. My main complaint was the virtually non-existent "free wi-fi" they'd advertised. Oh it was free alright, but could you use it with its paltry signal...not so much. I think one of the neatest things about the place was its location. This was the main reason I chose it since I was using public transit and was centrally located. As you can see from the photos I took from my balcony chair, it was smack in the heart of downtown LA.
The view from my window seat as we landed was very cool, it was just after sunset and the whole LA area basin was laid out in a twinkling electric light carpet. It was just about 8pm local time after disembarking and I was lazy. Rather than take the FlyAway bus to downtown as I'd planned ($8), I hopped into a cab ($60), and after my check-in at the hotel which required a $20 cash deposit for the room key (yes, an actual metal key), all my pocket cash was gone. Man, LA was going to be expensive.
The hotel (really a motel) was not anything fancy. I wouldn't even put it in the same class as a Quality or Comfort Inn. But it was much like a Motel 6 with a family-run feel. Not bad at all. You just had to look past the 1950's tile in the bathroom, the mismatched furnishings which included two office desk chairs and the blood red carpet which was at least three decades old. Oddly, they had installed granite counter tops in the bathroom and the bed was quite comfortable. My main complaint was the virtually non-existent "free wi-fi" they'd advertised. Oh it was free alright, but could you use it with its paltry signal...not so much. I think one of the neatest things about the place was its location. This was the main reason I chose it since I was using public transit and was centrally located. As you can see from the photos I took from my balcony chair, it was smack in the heart of downtown LA.
I was pooped from the flight and only went to the nearby 7-11 to get a sandwich and some beverages (yes, beer, but more on this issue later). Woke around 6am the next morning, took the above pre-dawn and post-dawn shots and watched LA Live for a while after walking back to 7-11 for some coffee and eventually set out to visit Hollywood. I found the entrance to the 7th St./Metro Center subway just down the road as I'd planned out via Google Maps but didn't realise until two days later that I'd walked right past the entrance on Figaroa St. which was a block closer than the Flower St. entrance I used. Also, I somehow got on the Red Line train going in the wrong direction and ended up here (pic below) Union Station. Ugh. I'm losing my tracking skills. Soon enough though I was heading in the right direction and a short time later arrived at the Hollywood and Highland stop.
