Roadtrip Across the USA: Day 8, 9, 10

For the past 3 days I haven't had internet and we were so busy in L.A. that I didn't have time to write my blog. But now here I am in Vegas... at the Mirage... with internet. 


Well, what can I say about L.A.? All my life I have had a bad impression of the city. It was a place I never really cared to visit as a traveler. After the past three days I made a complete 180 on my opinion on the city. 


Our first full day in L.A. was our first chill day on the trip. All we did was find the Lomography store which made me giddy, chill with our L.A. friend, do laundry (that was desperately needed), swim in the pool, eat at a Peruvian restaurant and see our friend perform on stage at a lounge in Hollywood. It was a good day, a real good day. 


Our second day was filled with all the sightseeing: Hollywood sign, walk of fame, all that mumbo jumbo. Did a hike up on Runyon Canyon which gave us a great aerial view of the city. All I can say is massive. Wow. Ate at a Brazilian restaurant then chilled in the hot tub that night. Our friend promised us that we would see a celebrity. He took us too all the places where the celebs hang out. Never saw one. :( Still had one more day left.


Our third day was a trip to San Diego. It was a real nice city that looked like it was just built. We walked along the boardwalk and out onto rocks that reached away from the coast. Doing it barefoot sucked for my feet: some rocks were jagged and seagull poop everywhere. Got some good photos though. Our goal for the day was to swim in the Pacific but it was absolutely freezing. Meghan got burnt (as usual). Our day in San Diego was somewhat short though. We headed back around 3:30, got stuck in 5 o'clock traffic which freakin rocked :) then our friend showed us his old coffee shop he used to work at and Rodeo Drive. Still promising us that we would see a celebrity, we walked into his coffee shop. No celebrities but Lindsey Lohan was there the day before. Drove down Rodeo Drive and saw a huge crowd of people outside the Louis Vittion store so our friend jumped out of the SUV, grabbed our camera and joined the crowd. We had to drove around the block because we couldn't stop anywhere so when we drove back around we found out Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were coming to the store for a party. Once again, never saw a celebrity. :( But it's all good.


Our last night in L.A. was possibly my favorite night on the trip so far. We all got together at our friend's girlfriend's apartment and just chilled. Our friend played a few songs for us on his acoustic, we drank wine, threw cats around in the living room, talked, laughed and cried. This was where we were saying good-bye to our friend. Seeing his reaction made my trip to L.A. even more memorable. It showed how much it meant to him that we came to see him. He told us people always say they are going to come and visit but never do. We did. 


We all did not want to leave L.A. because we all fell in love with the city and we all never thought we would. It's funny how your opinions on certain things change after you experience it. Never judge a book by its cover. I know I will be back. To visit or live, who knows? But as we drove away from our friend that night I started tearing up. I was experiencing an epiphany and it gave me tears of joy and sadness. I can't explain it because it was the first time in my life I ever felt this way. My whole body, mind and soul just felt an overwhelming amount of sadness and happiness. This trip has made me seriously think about the soul purpose of everyone's lives, pursuit of happiness and it made me realize my pursuit. Why am I still in Spartanburg? Why am I not living where I know I will succeed? Why did I spontaneously drop my two jobs to do a temp job with Google? Why did this road trip and the circumstances of my life almost shadow exactly my Dad's road trip and the circumstances in his life 35 years ago? Life throws you curve balls all the time. Hell, sometimes it seems that is all life is are curve balls. But so far from this trip I have realized a lot about my life and its curve balls. Some things in life will always be left unanswered and they are suppose to. I do know that from this trip and the many travels I have done in my life that traveling is one of the best things for the soul.