Tag Archives: california

A week in Los Angeles

I spent about a week in Los Angeles with a few friends that live there and a few others that happened to be in the city during the weekend. Los Angeles is a massive city, hard and very time consuming to go around and barely used my bike. I stayed a few days in Santa Monica with Ross and Cortney, a few more days with Ben and Mary in Venice and the last night with Michael who kindly drove me to the airport.
Here is what I saw.

Santa Monica & Venice

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier

ch3_20131030_04081

Santa Monica pier

Santa Monica pier

ch3_20131030_04070

Venice canals

Venice canals

Venice

Venice

Venice boardwalk

Venice boardwalk

ch3_20131030_04051

Venice Beach skate park

Venice Beach skate park

Skate park by Venice beach

Skate park by Venice beach

ch3_20131102_04262 ch3_20131104_04442

It's sunny over here

It’s sunny over here

Santa Monica Beach

Santa Monica Beach

ch3_20131104_04448 ch3_20131104_04437

Abbot Kinney boulevard

Abbot Kinney boulevard

Venice Beach

Venice Beach

ch3_20131102_04286

Abbot Kinney boulevard by night

Abbot Kinney boulevard by night

ch3_20131103_04389 ch3_20131103_04397

Downtown

Downtown

Downtown

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Walt Disney Concert Hall

ch3_20131031_04124

Downtown market

Downtown market

We are open

We are open

Let me measure it for you

Let me measure it for you

Art District

Art District

Fine Art press shop

Fine Art press shop

Fashion district Downtown

Fashion district Downtown

ch3_20131101_04216 ch3_20131103_04316 ch3_20131103_04324 ch3_20131103_04326 ch3_20131103_04349

Downtown

Downtown

Hollywood

Hollywood

Hollywood

This pavement is amazing

This pavement is amazing

Enough for everyone

Enough for everyone

Museums

ch3_20131030_04030

Museum of Contemporary Art

Museum of Contemporary Art

James Turrell

James Turrell

James Turrell

James Turrell

Fragile art

Fragile art

At LACMA

At LACMA

ch3_20131105_04498 ch3_20131105_04509

Getty Center

Getty Center

Getty Center

Getty Center

 

View of LA from the Getty Center

View of LA from the Getty Center

Departure

Ready to surf back to Athens

Ready to surf back to Athens

South-east LA from above

South-east LA from above

 

At the collection point

At the collection point

Day 56 – Point Mugu to Santa Monica

68km – 3350 in total

I think I slept for more than 10 hours, as the night was very quiet and warm. I got up and packed my tent for the last time. I ate a big portion of oatmeal and anything else I had left for food. My bags, empty from any food, were the lightest they’ve ever been. I got ready and said goodbye to nature. I was excited to get to my final destination, but a little sad to end this trip.

Alone in the burnt forest

Alone in the burnt forest

ch3_20131029_03939

For the first few kilometers, highway 1 continued to go through bare landscapes and the rugged coastline. Within the next half an hour thought I entered the town boundary of Malibu, where more and more houses and villas started entering in to the picture. Long sandy beaches, most of them accessible only for the privileged who own a property right in front of it.

Palaces at the seafront

Palaces at the seafront

ch3_20131029_03942

At the long public beach I stopped for a snack. I knew I wasn’t that far from LA, so I took my time. Endless sand, flattened and ready for people to play on it, in one of the numerous beach volley courts.

ch3_20131029_03947 ch3_20131029_03952

I moved on and right after Malibu point, I stopped again to eat a miserable sandwich I bought for lunch from the only store I found on the way. In the distant horizon I could just about see the big city. A moment of realization that the end is near.

LA in the horizon

LA in the horizon

I could even take the public bus from here

I could even take the public bus from here

Further down the road I stopped again at the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. A very nice and well maintained natural reserve for birds of all kinds. I got myself an ice-cream and spent some more time looking at the city in the distance, trying to grasp where I was two months ago, where I am now and all the places and experiences I went through on the way.

ch3_20131029_03978 ch3_20131029_03974

“Ok, time to finish this” I said to myself and off I went for the very last few kilometers. I didn’t really notice when Malibu turned into Santa Monica. I stopped to take a photo and a cyclist from the opposite lane saw me and came to talk to me. Somehow he knew what I was up to. Maybe the look in my face gave away that I was finishing there. He had done a similar ride a few years ago and said how beautiful Santa Monica looked from this spot that day he was getting back home.

ch3_20131029_03982 ch3_20131029_03986

Doomed palace on sand

Doomed palace on sand

I exited the highway and joined the long and famous boardwalk and bike path that runs all across the beach of Santa Monica and Venice. Long sandy beach, clean and perfectly flat with volley courts and lifeguard huts all along its length. The cliffs were on my left with privileged houses on top of them and a row of houses right on the sand.

ch3_20131029_03994 ch3_20131029_04001 ch3_20131029_04005 ch3_20131029_04007 ch3_20131029_04010

I am so glad that my end destination is conveniently placed at the west boundary of Los Angeles and I didn’t have to cycle through this monstrous metropolis. I got to Santa Monica’s pier, took a couple of photos and headed in town to look for my finish line. MPC, the company I used to work for in London and Vancouver, has offices in Santa Monica. Some old colleagues now work there and they were willing to host me for a few days. Even though I no longer work there, it was nice to start and finish my trip in these offices. I rang Ross, he came down to let me in and took me to the office. All of a sudden, I was once again within the familiar dark environment of a studio, full of computer screens, comfortable couches for the clients and energized people running around in fast pace. I was still in my slow beach mode, wearing the now well faded and dirty cycling clothes and well tanned. Not a very professional look, but I didn’t care. I opened the corporate fridge and helped myself with a cold beer.

The finish line

The finish line

This cycling trip is now over. I will be spending about a week in Los Angeles, until my flight back to Greece. I would like to thank everyone who helped me on this trip in any way. From the friends who offered me a place to sleep, to the strangers who gave me food to eat and water to drink. I particularly thank everyone who supported my cause by donating to the Doctors of the World through this cycling effort. I would also like to thank all you for reading my diary, keeping me company through messages and giving me courage during the last two months. Finally, I thank the thousands of drivers who gave me enough space on the road and made this ride a safe and enjoyable journey.

Thank you legs for taking me around to see places

Thank you legs for taking me around to see places

ch3_20131030_04076

Georgios – Fall 2013