So I went on a bit of a trip on Tuesday/Wednesday – a lot of cities, in a short amount of time. Well, it was a little more than 48 hours, as we arrived at 11pm the Monday night, and flew out 6am on Thursday.
We flew into Las Vegas (in retrospect…we probably should have just flown into LAX) drove to the West Coast, stayed the night, drove back, and flew home.
Tuesday – had a room at the Monte Carlo, beside all the L.V. City Center construction. All the big lifting, and loud noises have pretty much come to a halt (they’ve been workin’ on this thing forever) and after checking in, we went out for a wander. Won a little bit of money, saw some cowboys, etc.
After 3 or 4 hours sleep we grabbed a rental car, and headed to the L.A. area. First stop – Baker. If you’ve seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas…you’ll be disappointed with real life Baker. I was looking forward to a city falling apart, and possibly Tobey Maguire with slicked back blond hair. No luck. We did find an old gas station though.
We took a random road and drove a few miles into the desert. There we found a beautiful abandoned fridge (as well as washer, and dryer). They each had a few shotgun wounds, but were good for a photo-op.
We hit the road again, past Barstow and onto L.A.
First stop was Walgreen’s on Sunset for some sunscreen. Second stop was Santa Monica pier. Parking was $1, and free after 6. Toronto has a thing or two to learn from CA.
From there we packed up and headed to Malibu. Free parking lined the streets, and surfers lined the ocean. No one was surfing…just floating, waiting for the waves to pick up.
There’s a great Jack In The Box on the Pacific Coast Highway…it’s beautiful, and right across from the ocean. Almost makes fast food seem good for you.
Parked outside a CVS, and ran up on the bridge for this shot. This is my favorite from the trip.
From there it was back to West Hollywood.
Hollywood in general is a slew of gated communities, gated mansions, and traffic. But…free parking! We went out to a restaurant right beside Ketchup (Lauren & Jason accidentally end up there with Heidi and Spencer in Season 3 of The Hills…that’s right, I know that off hand.)
The next morning we went out for a hike in the Hollywood Hills. They’re taller than you think.
(the Hollywood sign is that white spec in the distance)
Here’s a quick zoom of the smog level around downtown.
We packed up, and headed back to Vegas. Stopped at In N Out along the way. It was delicious. I really enjoy their menu system. You have your choice of 3 different burgers, fries or onion rings, and pop, milk, or a milkshake. That’s it. It’s like a Mac fast food joint.
We spotted a ghost town by the name of Calico, and popped off the highway.
I have a compelling desire to stay at this hotel.
Stopped outside of Baker again.
And then back to Vegas.
We stayed at the Excalibur as a joke. Common, it’s a castle..it looks ridiculous. And they upgraded our room to a full suite for free. (Thanks to overbooking)
For that…I may consider staying there again.
In the morning, I had a few hours to kill in Denver, then it was back to Toronto.
And that…was my trip.
claire - love the photos! especially the first one….where is that?
C
Taylor Jackson - Hey Claire, thanks! It’s just in a random alley in uptown. I think it’s behind a Cantonese place
Welcome To The Blog | Taylor Jackson - Kitchener, Toronto Wedding Photographer - Photography Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Ontario - […] for whatever reason you want to check out some of my favorite post of 2009 (so far) here they are: Jordan & Laura | Ladybug Bridal Fashion Shoot | Ken & Claire’s Wedding Jan 24, 2009 | […]
Cliff Spicer - Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you I really like your style of shooting and the simple blog design. I see some sites way too overdone but your work is not lost in this nice clean site.
All the best,
Cliff