City of Angels by Daphne Beames
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Born on the 4th of July - Independence Day in the United States is not just a federal holiday: it is an iconic, national feast – almost a Holy day!
To the uninitiated the significance may not be immediately apparent – but to Americans, devotion to the ‘Day of Deliverance’ is absolute. In the words of ‘Founding Fathers’ Adams and Jefferson it is a ‘patriotic summer festival to be solemnized with pomp and parade, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations’. Sadly we were only to become wise after the event.
Arriving in California, all unsuspectingly on July 2, events were swiftly to overtake us. Certainly there was a mood of festivity in the air as we drove out of LAX along an eight-lane highway. Not for us the perils of central Los Angeles - we had travelled this route before and knew that downtown LA is to be by-passed, if at all possible, in favour of sibling-city, Beverly Hills. (We had also learnt that the once glamorous ‘Hollywood’, now a slightly seedy precinct, is to be avoided - and that up-and-coming ‘West Hollywood’ is the trendy neighbourhood of choice.)
Being ‘in-the-know’, our first evening was spent where all first evenings in California ought to be spent: soaking up the glamour, lights and nightlife on Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive.
The next afternoon, still jet-lagged but acclimatising and keen to set the scene for the ‘Big Day’, we headed for a white-light, bright-star attraction: the incomparable J. Paul Getty Museum. At 1200 Getty Center Drive this rich show-case is perched on forested hills above the city, overlooking Interstate 405. It is surrounded by crisp, clear air and commands breathtaking views of Bel-Air, the entire LA Basin, the distant Pacific Ocean and snow-clad Big Bear.
From a designated parking area at street-level an automatic, stream-lined, white monorail whisks visitors 1207m up the mountain towards the Main Campus and the high portals of Getty’s $1 billion mansion. Here cool fountains - creating ‘white noise’ - play alongside endless, off-white travertine pathways and the gleaming, polished stairwells of a treasure-trove – while beautiful bowers and terraced gardens overflow with colourful South African Tulips, Hydrangeas, Floribunda Roses, Bougainvilleas and Azaleas.
The spacious, light-filled galleries of the Acropolis-like Art Institution house Greek and Roman Antiquities, French Decorative Arts, European Paintings (before the 1900’s) and Photographs -including daguerreotypes - from inception. The main attractions on permanent display are ‘Irises’ by van Gogh (valued at $53 million) and ‘The Adoration of the Magi’ by Andrea Mantegna.
July 4 brought sunny skies and as we headed for the coast - bound for Newport Beach and a day of festivity – the full extent of patriotic fervour slowly began to dawn: the ‘stars and stripes’ fluttered triumphantly from every possible pole or makeshift mast and as far as the eye could see, neighbourhoods were festooned with red, white and blue banners, balloons and bunting. Everyone seemed to have heeded the national call and all were proudly dressed in the ‘colours of the flag’. Ruefully we surveyed our inappropriate green and yellow gear – clearly this was not the designated dress-code for the day!
Driving towards Long Beach – our first pit-stop of the morning - we scanned the shoreline for the famous red and black funnels of the Queen Mary - a major landmark and tourist attraction. After 1001 Atlantic crossings the Liner, also known as the ‘Grey Ghost’ because of its wartime camouflage - and said to be the most haunted place in America, is now a grand, floating hotel and restaurant complex. Try ‘Sir Winston’s’, the ‘Queen’s Salon’ or the ‘Observation Bar’ for a meal worth remembering.
Completing the James Bond-type, theme-park scenario - a black, Russian sidekick lurks in the shallows to portside: an authentic USSR Scorpion submarine from Cold War days. (Open to the public at $12 per tour.)
Further south, just off PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) lies the up-market, holiday haven of Balboa Island. A ferry traverses the short distance from the beach and one is quickly transported to a quaint village of wooden homes, manicured shrubs, canals, sail boats and private moorings. On July 4 the picturesque island is draped in the national colours – house parties overflow onto pristine patios and hospitable residents hail fellow revellers and invite friends to share a convivial ‘root beer’. Wherever possible, even the ‘feast proper’ is colour-coded and, after the main barbecue, our hosts proudly produced festive desserts and trifles topped with strawberries, whipped cream and blueberries.
The carnival spirit continued way into the night and spectacular fireworks illuminated the sky as we drove back to our Beverly Hills hotel - agreeing that everyone should spend at least one 4th of July on United States soil. Just don’t wear green to the party!
If ‘NorCal’ has Lake Tahoe, ‘SoCal’ has Big Bear Lake – and so, early next morning we set off for the wilderness on a 160kms, twisting drive up into the mountains. Nestling amongst pine and spruce, this ‘bold and beautiful’ vacation resort - deep within in the San Bernardino National Forest - is surrounded by romantic, Alpine log-cabins and condos; amazing rock formations and exciting ski-slopes.
We wandered down the main street - delighting in the old-world atmosphere and character-filled names like ‘Deer Lick Car Wash’, ‘Honey Bear Lodge’, ‘Grizzly Manor Café’ and ‘Grey Squirrel Inn’ - and stopped for lunch at the Austrian-style ‘Mozart’s Bistro’. Here we enjoyed rich vegetable, sausage and split-pea soup, followed by prawn Caesar Salad - all washed down with Moose Horn beer. Big Bear offers year-round entertainment: abundant fishing, hiking (try the Castle Rock Trail or the Cougar Crest Trail), bird-watching, downhill or cross-country skiing, mountain biking, horseback riding, water-skiing and even an Alpine Slide.
Rubbing shoulders with the stars is a glamorous pastime in LA and at least one day should be devoted to this voyeuristic activity. Begin at Century City on Santa Monica Boulevard where, surrounded by gleaming office towers and crystal fountains – the rich and famous come to indulge. Here the food court; the glittering, cutting-edge cinema complex and amazing shops like Bloomies, a branch of Third Street’s Bread Bar, the Discovery Store, TUMI and the Apple Mac Studio offer goodies that are often unique to the State of California – the fifth largest economy in the world!
Spend an afternoon at the ‘Farmers’ Market’ – once a back lot for Fox Studios, now one of the most popular Los Angeles sights attracting over 3 million visitors each year. Here, charming cream-coloured buildings, with distinctive green roofs, house a collection of small butcher shops and bakeries – while stalls, clustering around a maze of passageways, sell a wide variety of fresh produce, nuts, candy and cheese. First started in 1934, it is said that Walt Disney planned Disneyland while sitting at one of the counters.
Visit the ‘Hollywood Bowl’ on North Highland Avenue – an impressive amphitheatre built into a geological depression. Originally designed by Lloyd Wright, it is home to the ‘Los Angeles Philharmonic’ and the ‘Hollywood Bowl Orchestra’ and is famous for its natural acoustics. The ‘Hollywood Sign’, on hills a few kms away, is clearly visible from the theatre and adds to the special atmosphere.
Cruise down Sunset Strip towards the wide, tree-lined boulevards of Beverly Hills and Bel-Air to view celebrity mansions - among them the dream houses of Tom Cruise and Madonna, the pink double-storey of Peter Falk and the former estates of Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Ronald Reagan. (Over forty are on show in the ‘Starline Movie Stars’ Homes Tour’. Maps for individual sight-seeing are also available.)
Before leaving the ‘City of Angels’, escape to the number one show-stopper: Disneyland! Located in Anaheim, Orange County - just forty minutes from downtown LA - this fantasy world has ageless appeal. It is as though all the available technology, expertise and money in the world have come together in the pursuit of happiness.
From the first moments of arrival in the Byzantine car-park, until we wearily retraced our footsteps some fifteen hours later – we found ourselves catapulted into a fast-lane of magic and laughter. Whether your personal favourite is one of the original rides: ‘Space Mountain’,’ Pirates of the Caribbean’ or a re-vamped ‘Indiana Jones’; or whether your vote is for the newest winner: ‘Soarin’ over California’ - the simulated glider ride that is part of the most recent attraction (California Adventure Park) - a visit to Disneyland remains ‘beyond expectation’.
No alcohol is allowed in the resort so, if you wish for a glass of bubbly with your evening meal, board the overhead monorail and head for the Disneyland Hotel which is exempt from restrictions. Emerging after dinner we found ourselves in a strange, enchanted land as the park had taken on a whole new ambience: when darkness falls the sky is lit by a nightly display of not-to-be-missed fireworks.
For a star-studded last day, visit Universal Studios (on the Hollywood Freeway) and then dine at Gladstone’s on the adjacent, neon-lit City Walk - a glittering, Las Vegas-style mall.
Go into orbit – vacation in LA Land on Planet California.