Day 19 - Blending In

Once we'd swiftly enjoyed the now standard morning routine of a great breakfast, primping and packing... we left Z's at around 10:30am. The main plan for today was to pay visits to the two main LA Universities, USC (Universtiy of Southern California) and UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles). They are also the most highly aclaimed and well respected places of study for those wishing to work in the film industry within LA, having extremely strong long-running film schools and invaluable industry contact set-ups. So, not only were J+J visiting as interested tourists, they were also visiting as prospective post-graduate students.

So we began with a walk to the bus stop... a walk that was interrupted by the excitement of seeing our 3rd T-Rex of the trip, this time made from a hedge! Our first stop was UCLA, located in the western realm of the city, near the wealthy districts of Bel Air and Beverly Hills. We meandered slowly through the very pleasant campus and, after a visit to the University shop (literally jam packed with UCLA merchandise), we located the film school. The facilities seemed excellent and we were able to speak to somebody briefly about the courses offered so the trip had been most fruitful indeed.




Then, following an essential visit to Subway for lunch, we made our way towards central LA, not far from Downtown, to visit the USC campus. Again, the campus was great, we were able to visit the student union and amble through the film school buildings (among which are the 'Steven Spielberg Music Scoring Stage' and the 'George Lucas Building'). We then had a close encounter (nope, not of the third kind) with a squirrel who was happily munching away on a twig upon a nearby branch. After spending a couple of hours at each Uni, we'd agreed that both were absolutely fantastic, it's hard to say which we prefer. On a few occasions during our wanders, we were mistaken for actual students, with a couple of people asking Joe for directions and one man cracking a University in-joke with a bemused John who played along with it just for the fun. Who knows... maybe one day we will be students out here?!




Once our educational research endeavours were complete, we made the long bus journey back across LA to Z's house in Santa Monica. However, it must be noted that before we boarded the bus, we both treated ourselves to an ice blended beverage from 'The Coffee Bean' cafe (Joe mixng it up with a 'Banana & Caramel', John having a dabble at a 'Pure Chocolate'). To not praise the blends with full voice would be a criminal offence of the highest order, as they were absolutely delicious! Joe even going as far as to say "Better than Starbucks" which is quite a statement. As we were just arriving back at Z's, the sunset overlooking the beach was stunning, a moment we proudly caught on camera...



As its been our last evening in Santa Monica/LA today, Z kindly took ourselves and Susan out for a meal, and the choice of venue was much appreciated by the J's. We went to... wait for it... 'Ye Olde Kings Head', a British pub located right in the heart of Santa Monica. John, feeling very patriotic all of a sudden, decided to hold his home close to his heart and selected 'Bangers & Mash' for his main course. Joe, deciding to stick with his all-time favourite pub meal, opted for the 'Scampi & Chips'. The food was wonderful, the decor was extremely authentic and we were even treated to a genuine British waitress (the first Brit we've spoken to since leaving Manchester almost 3 weeks ago).


After the meal, we took a stroll around Santa Monica, soaking up the local nightlife and divulging in cookies and brownies as a desert. We then casually strolled back to Z's place where we now sit, ready for a good nights sleep,

We'll back with more tomorrow,
Hope everyone is well.

JJ Grand Hotel,
620 S. Harvard Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90005
http://www.jjgrandhotel.com/