20th Dec 2013
We arrived in LAX to a lead free environment. Quite good for the old nervous system, lead free petrol and lead free airports.
The line through customs was another thing. It took us 90 mins to get through. By then, Wang Theng could advise extended Asian families they can go up to the counter together and also after 90 minutes of observing US Homeland Security she would have picked up the following immigration consulting skills.
1. If you were here in the last 6 months, you only need to show them 4 fingers rather than 10.
2. People with glasses need to take them off for your US Govt. welcome to USA photo. I don't think they like nerdy visitors. (BTW the last Big Bang episode - 16M viewers, go figure)
3. Which line is for citizens, diplomats, people with babies, invalids and visitors.
4. They should sell vending franchises for the captive customers, to earn some extra revenue for ESTA!
5. Anyone who wants to smuggle or do bad thing has plenty of time to figure out plan B, C, D, E eek I am running out of alphabets.
We picked up a rental people carrier from Alamo rentals and drove to Venice beach in about 30 mins. The apartment we are in is about 20 mins walk to the beach. It's a nice apartment and our hosts Tiffany and Janin are lovely.
We had a very late lunch at Whole Foods and shopped to cook for dinner. Our amazing resident chef, aka Catherine whipped up yummy chicken rice, soup, tofu and stirfry bak choy in no time at all. Looking forward to more delicious home-cooked meals!!
Melissa bought tickets for herself and Tessa to the Lakers vs Timberwolf game that very evening in the Staples Centre in LA City. Being a Friday night, the drive from Venice to LA was 90 mins. So I hung around LA City for a couple hours waiting for the girls instead of going home and returning. There was a Hooters across the from Staples, but I did not want to take on America's second finest.
The drive home that evening was much easier and I got to pick up a bottle of wine and IPA's on the way home. Happy now.
21st Dec Saturday
We were planning an early start to Universal Studio. Sadly jet lag, breakfast and ablutions in the single bathroom imposed a slight delay. Plan B was to go to Santa Monica's aquarium and then Warner Brother's studio tour in Burbank.
[Pretty impressive though, that we were up by 8 a.m and out the door just after 9, considering the jet lag, and that Jit and the girls sat down to dinner at 11.30 pm the night before! WT]
It took us 45 mins to find the aquarium in Santa Monica, after asking one maid, one concierge, one tourist and one policeman, it was closed till 31st Dec.
Santa Monica's shopping precinct was terrific. As our reservation for the Warner Bro's studio tour was for 1pm, I had to drag the poor girls away and promised black and blue bring them back, Allah and GPS willing.
Miracles do happen and we found WB in Burbank after only 4 missed turns and one-time driving on the wrong side. In USA, right turns are free but I still got yelled at for doing so, not faaaair.
[Catherine was co-navigator and her most excellent GPS-reading skills helped keep us on course despite Jit's frequent attempts to second-guess the GPS.]
The Warner Bro's Tour was pretty cool. You are driven through all the sound stages (30 of them), prop room, museums with Harry Potter stuff and Batman cars, Friends and Big Bang sets. The whole outfit is sited on 110 acres of land.
The WB guide gave us directions to the Hollywood sign, and I am sure the girls got great pics. Then it was back to Santa Monica where various unnecessary shoes, Victoria Secret and other clothes were procured.
Then on to Whole Foods for calories and alcohol for dinner. I only missed one Stop Sign and was lucky to receive only a lead-free honk.
[And the Oscar for Most Long-Suffering and Benevolent travelling companion goes to Jit! For the four and half hours driving and waiting for the girls for their night out, and the two hours waiting for us whilst we shopped in Santa Monica. No mean feat at all, given that he could not imbibe to while away the time. WT]
We arrived in LAX to a lead free environment. Quite good for the old nervous system, lead free petrol and lead free airports.
The line through customs was another thing. It took us 90 mins to get through. By then, Wang Theng could advise extended Asian families they can go up to the counter together and also after 90 minutes of observing US Homeland Security she would have picked up the following immigration consulting skills.
1. If you were here in the last 6 months, you only need to show them 4 fingers rather than 10.
2. People with glasses need to take them off for your US Govt. welcome to USA photo. I don't think they like nerdy visitors. (BTW the last Big Bang episode - 16M viewers, go figure)
3. Which line is for citizens, diplomats, people with babies, invalids and visitors.
4. They should sell vending franchises for the captive customers, to earn some extra revenue for ESTA!
5. Anyone who wants to smuggle or do bad thing has plenty of time to figure out plan B, C, D, E eek I am running out of alphabets.
We picked up a rental people carrier from Alamo rentals and drove to Venice beach in about 30 mins. The apartment we are in is about 20 mins walk to the beach. It's a nice apartment and our hosts Tiffany and Janin are lovely.
We had a very late lunch at Whole Foods and shopped to cook for dinner. Our amazing resident chef, aka Catherine whipped up yummy chicken rice, soup, tofu and stirfry bak choy in no time at all. Looking forward to more delicious home-cooked meals!!
Melissa bought tickets for herself and Tessa to the Lakers vs Timberwolf game that very evening in the Staples Centre in LA City. Being a Friday night, the drive from Venice to LA was 90 mins. So I hung around LA City for a couple hours waiting for the girls instead of going home and returning. There was a Hooters across the from Staples, but I did not want to take on America's second finest.
The drive home that evening was much easier and I got to pick up a bottle of wine and IPA's on the way home. Happy now.
21st Dec Saturday
We were planning an early start to Universal Studio. Sadly jet lag, breakfast and ablutions in the single bathroom imposed a slight delay. Plan B was to go to Santa Monica's aquarium and then Warner Brother's studio tour in Burbank.
[Pretty impressive though, that we were up by 8 a.m and out the door just after 9, considering the jet lag, and that Jit and the girls sat down to dinner at 11.30 pm the night before! WT]
It took us 45 mins to find the aquarium in Santa Monica, after asking one maid, one concierge, one tourist and one policeman, it was closed till 31st Dec.
Santa Monica's shopping precinct was terrific. As our reservation for the Warner Bro's studio tour was for 1pm, I had to drag the poor girls away and promised black and blue bring them back, Allah and GPS willing.
Miracles do happen and we found WB in Burbank after only 4 missed turns and one-time driving on the wrong side. In USA, right turns are free but I still got yelled at for doing so, not faaaair.
[Catherine was co-navigator and her most excellent GPS-reading skills helped keep us on course despite Jit's frequent attempts to second-guess the GPS.]
The Warner Bro's Tour was pretty cool. You are driven through all the sound stages (30 of them), prop room, museums with Harry Potter stuff and Batman cars, Friends and Big Bang sets. The whole outfit is sited on 110 acres of land.
The WB guide gave us directions to the Hollywood sign, and I am sure the girls got great pics. Then it was back to Santa Monica where various unnecessary shoes, Victoria Secret and other clothes were procured.
Then on to Whole Foods for calories and alcohol for dinner. I only missed one Stop Sign and was lucky to receive only a lead-free honk.
[And the Oscar for Most Long-Suffering and Benevolent travelling companion goes to Jit! For the four and half hours driving and waiting for the girls for their night out, and the two hours waiting for us whilst we shopped in Santa Monica. No mean feat at all, given that he could not imbibe to while away the time. WT]
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