Suitcase. Party In The USA - LA

America. The US of A. Land of the free and home of the brave. (Note: You need to picture me saying this with a country and western accent.)

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of heading stateside to see my family. And no they don’t live there, they’re Aussie of course; but when you live in London and they’re in Melbourne you’ll actually find that LA is a surprisingly convenient halfway point on the globe. It’s been a while in the making, Dad suggested a family vacay including brothers/sisters/nieces and nephews way back in Jan and I’ve been counting down ever since…


After a late flight Friday I got to LAX the night before the rest of my comrades so after catching some zzz’s in a nearby hotel I was back at the airport at dawn, welcome sign and all, to greet the family. Here we are, all 11 of us, minus Murray who was taking the photo. All that was missing was some Lampoon style family t-shirts. Thank goodness we didn’t go that far…


Day 1 saw us tripping around LA. I’ve been before but the little un’s hadn’t so it was great to see the excitement on their faces as they took in the sights of the city.

We started with a beachside stroll at Santa Monica.




Undoubtedly the healthy/foodie arena of LA, there were plenty of organic stores and even a yoga class on the end of the pier.


Next we headed for the Hollywood Walk Of Fame where the kids were enthralled with the stars on the pavement.


I was more enthralled by the nearby In N Out Burger. My friends had all told me before I left that it was simply a must and they weren’t wrong. Delicious burgers that taste just like they’re homemade. I was certainly impressed.



After refuelling we headed up to the skyline for a closer glimpse at the Hollywood sign.


And did a quick drive by the Staples Centre – my nephews are big basketball fans.


Then it was back down into my arena for a wander down Rodeo Drive.


By this stage it was 4pm and the jetlag had well and truly kicked in so we called it a day and headed for our hotel in Anaheim. Can you guess what we did for the next two days? More to come...

Flights to LA from London are available from just £420 return. Book now.

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Photos by Krissie.

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