Musings of a Kat

It’s been a great start to my trip, though I was admittedly a little nervous, due to this being my first long-ish solo trip abroad.

Highlights

Playing Dota Underlords on the flight to LA (and nearly winning!)
Sampling an Impossible Burger and Extra Spicy Dorito Chips!
Listening to a Christian Preacher on his mic @ Venice Beach and having some dude yelling at him to shut the f*** up from his balcony.
Watching the entire Chernobyl TV Series on the flight

Lowlights

Not getting any sleep on the flight
Waking up to snoring at 3am in the dorm

Pre-Trip – The hunt for beverages & food

My friend, Karen was kind enough to offer me a ride to Auckland Airport. After I’d checked in, we went to Blue Marble Lane (https://www.aucklandairport.co.nz/eat-and-relax/store/blue-marble-lane), hoping they would be able to whip up a Gin Martini but the bartender claimed to be out of Vermouth, so we ordered some G&Ts instead. A few seconds later I noticed a bottle of Vermouth sitting on the shelf…and when our drinks arrived it seemed like the drink was just Tonic and no Gin. So – in short, I do not recommend this place for mixed drinks (unless it was just this bartender!). We went to Novotel next door and got our cocktails which were much better ;).

Post drink – we said our goodbyes and I made my way through to the Air NZ Koru Lounge. Luckily (possibly due to being a Thursday evening) it wasn’t overcrowded, and I helped myself to a pre-flight snack and drink.

Mm, yum, cheese totally goes with anything.

Flight & Arrival

Apparently once a month the Air NZ flight crew are required to do a manual safety briefing, and the 1st of August was the chosen day. It was also the release day of the airline’s new safety video (for those that haven’t yet viewed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C24vrbrKxo), so we got a double safety briefing! Extra safe!

The flight itself was super smooth, and the seat next to me was also free, so that was nice. This didn’t, however, mean I got any sleep. That’s OK, because 1. The flight had WiFi and I managed to play a game of Dota Underlords (and came second!). 2. I got to watch the entire TV series Chernobyl while on the flight. I thoroughly enjoyed this show and highly recommend it.

Arriving into LA, I had planned to use public transport to get to my hostel (the hostel was great, and I did enjoy my stay there: https://www.hiusa.org/hostels/california/los-angeles/santa-monica). However I chickened out once arriving due to the congestion and disorientation (possibly made worse by my lack of sleep). I instead opted for an UberPool, which turned out to be pretty good, saving 5 USD off the UberX fare, with only minimal detouring (there were 2 additional passengers, of which one failed to show).

Room (4 beds total)
Ensuite Bathroom (obviously nothing fancy, but did the job!)

Day 1 Exploration – Santa Monica

After checking in, I opted for some exploration of Santa Monica, picking up some items from some of my favourite shops, Sephora and Uniqlo ;). Shortly after, it was time for dinner (nothing special, had a breakfast burrito… yes for dinner) and explore Santa Monica Pier at sunset. Check out some of my photos below!

Day 2 Exploration – Cheesecake Factory and Venice Beach

I woke up at 12pm…didn’t expect this. I was, however woken by a snorer in my dorm at 3am, after which I promptly inserted my earplugs and went back to sleep. Awake and hungry, I went to another of my favourite American chain restaurants, the Cheesecake Factory! Not wanting to miss out on the Impossible Burger hype, I ordered one and wasn’t disappointed! It was so filling, there was no cheesecake consumed afterwards :(.

The Impossible Burger, with a side of fries

After filling up, it was time to stroll down the beach. It was such a nice sunny day, and it was interesting people watching along the way. It was disappointing that the Muscle Beach gym was undergoing refurbishment, but the outdoor gymnastics area had some folks doing some impressive stunts!

Walking alongside the Bike Path
Interesting outdoor gymnastics area, some really fit people here.
Organic Cold Brew Coffee, accidentally consumed next to a guy smoking weed which may or may not have affected the flavour.
Another view of the walkway