We took the Hollywood tour today on a coach with a South African driver called Andy and passengers from the USA, Canada, Australia, England, New Zealand, and even Romania. The driver gave interesting and amusing commentary throughout the day which began at about 9.15 am.
Collected from Golden Grove, we drove along the various freeways into LA, where we stopped at Hollywood Boulevard. Free to leave the bus for more than 90 minutes, we strolled along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inspecting the various stars' names etched into the pavement. We spotted many names we'd never heard of, but also Australia's Hugh Jackman, Barbara Eden of I Dream of Jeanie, Sharon Stone, several with the surname of Clark, and many more. We also crossed to the other side of the street to see more names. They've even got Mickey Mouse and Godzilla there. Donald Trump's there too. (What's he doing there?). It costs $US30,000 for a star to have their name added to the Walk of Fame. Clint Eastwood's name's not there. He's got better things to spend his money on.
We also saw where stars have placed their hands and feet. I was delighted to find John Wayne, also Bud Abbott and Lou Costello ("Hey Abbott!!!). John Wayne didn't put his hands in the cement, but he did put his shoes in - roughly the same size as mine. I always thought I had similar qualities to John Wayne.
Soon, we had lunch at the Farmers Markets, where we watched the last 15 minutes of the World Cup match that saw Chile defeat Spain 2-0. We then drove into Beverley Hills where we saw Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive and other places where our driver shared various star stories. One: Vehicles of three tons and over can no longer drive into residential streets because Lucille Ball put a stop to it. Another: A member of the Rolling Stones once climbed out of his window at the Standard Hotel and turned the hotel's sign upside down. Management thought it a good idea, did the same to all its hotels, and that's how they remain today.
In the afternoon, we reached Santa Monica, one end of Route 66. Santa Monica boasts a very wide, sandy beach. It also is famous for its pier, made more famous in Forrest Gump.
Our South African driver mentioned household names such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. He predicted that the name Leon Musk, a fellow-white South African responsible for the first electric cars in America, will one day be up there with the likes of Gates and Jobs. The driver quipped that he himself and Musk were both now 'African Americans'.
At Hollywood Boulevard and again at Santa Monica, I was able to drink chai with lactose-free milk. For me, this makes the US score huge points, unlike my own country.
Hollywood Blvd
The hand-prints of Abbott and Costello whom I loved as a kid.
Santa Monica Beach
The pier at Santa Monica
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