Beach-Cities

Huntington Beach..
is a seaside in Orange County, home to many surfers, because of the great waves.

Further North:

North of Redondo Beach, there is Manhattan and Hermosa Beach and even more North after Santa Monica, there is Malibu! That is where a lot of rich or famous people own a beach house.
Besides the beach, there are the beautiful Malibu mountains. I went there in spring time, which was really nice, because all the plants grew at that time and everything was green. We even were above the clouds and it was an amazing view from up there!

Manhattan Beach

Malibu Mountains

More South there is beautiful Laguna Beach, a very nice small city with a lot of Art Galleries and Restaurants and of course an amazing beach!

Laguna Beach

Newport Beach is a city in Orange County and one of the wealthiest communities in California. We went there for Whale Watching, because I read on the Internet that there is a really big chance to get so see some Grey Whales. After a nice drive along the beautiful coast by ship and some dolphin watching, I got sea sick!
But all the others really got to see a Grey Whale! The only thing I got out of this boat trip is the fact that I will never go on a boat again! ;-)

Newport Beach

Where the rich people dine :-)

On my friend´s Birthday, her wish was to go and eat dinner at Michael Mina´s Restaurant XIV on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. This restaurant caters to an upscale Hollywood crowd and has an elegant design with royal red carpeting and roaring fireplace. After our delicious 6-course-dinner, the outside patio turned into a DJ´d dance floor. Too bad, I wasn´t 21 yet! ;-) But it was a very special evening though!

Hollywood and Beverly Hills

The Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre and Kodak Theatre, where a lot of movie premiers take place, are a great tourist attraction!
I personally was there for the movie premier of "The imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus", Heath Ledger´s last movie before he died. Johnny Depp and Collin Farrell took Heath Ledger´s place after he died and finished the movie playing his role.
Anyways, in front of the Chinese Theatre there are a lot of foot and hand prints of famous people. There are also lots of costumed people, with which you can take pictures if you tip them. I for example met Elvis, Harry Potter, Spiderman or, as you can see on the picture below, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson! ;-)

Speaking of Michael Jackson - This was his star on the Walk of Fame right after he died!

If you look around and all you can see are really expensive cars and limousines you have never seen before in real life, you know you are in Beverly Hills - That´s where the rich people live! Plus Rodeo Drive - That is where the rich people shop!

The Getty Center

The Getty Center is located in Brentwood and it shows a collection of European paintings, drawings, sculptures, decorative arts as well as American and European Photographs.
It is also well known for its beautiful architecture, gardens designed by artist Robert Irwin and amazing view overlooking Los Angeles.
It is so worth a visit and unbelievable - It´s for FREE!

Venice Beach

I love this place!

Venice Beach is within a walking distance of about 15 minutes from Santa Monica. You can walk along the beach or rent a bike - it is really nice!

When I was in Venice Beach for the first time I thought that is exactly how I imagined Los Angeles and its people! There are all different kinds of people and also a lot of crazy people there :-)

On the Venice Boardwalk you can see a lot of street artists and little souvenir shops. When I think of Venice Beach I always see the Graffiti walls and the nice beach.

crazy guy ;-)

Santa Monica

Definitely a place you should go visit when you are in Los Angeles!
Besides the Pier and the beach, Santa Monica is home to the famous Third Street Promenade, an outdoor shopping-district (with an amazing Abercrombie&Fitch-Shop, very important!) ;-)
There are also a lot of restaurants and Cafes. Go and eat at the Cafe Crepe! They offer Crepes in any possible variation, but the sweet one with Nutella, Strawberries, Bananas and Vanilla Ice Cream is a MUST - best Crepe I have ever had! Wish I could sit there right now and enjoy those delicious Crepes :-)

At night Third Street Promenade turns into a little stage. A lot of street singers and artists perform there - very entertaining! The street is famous for its especially talented artists!

Redondo Beach - Pier

During my stay in Los Angeles I lived in Redondo Beach which is one of the three beach cities in Los Angeles County. Redondo Beach is located in the South Bay region of the L.A.-area and the Pier with its restaurants and bars is very nice.
A lot of series were filmed in Redondo Beach as for expample O.C. California or 90210. For those of you who watched O.C. (I loved it), the Bait Shop and the Pier Diner are located on the Redondo Beach Pier.
When I arrived there and heard about that, I freaked out ;-) I was so excited! It is so weird being there in real life if you have always seen all those places on TV before!
My teacher also told us that he was at the Pier when they filmed there for Pirates of the Carribbean... Was nice to know that Johnny Depp was at the same place as me ;-)
Anyways, Redondo Beach is a nice and calm place to live!