DeadPan Adventures: Los Angeles, CA

LA is a massive city so you really need a day to visit each place at a time. There's so much to do and the beaches are beautiful so we'll definitely be back to spend more time around the coast. This trip is going to be a bit of a taste test for future travels it seems :)

We were super lucky to have a base in Long beach at my pseudo-older brother Ian's house. Unfortunately he was away working most of the time but hopefully we can catch some waves in New York later in the trip. Long beach is great and only about 25 minutes from Bolsa Chica, a nice surf spot. Be prepared to pay $15 at Bolsa and other State Parks as it's a flat fee.

Hollywood, for me, was a bore as I wasn't interested in seeing stars homes or shopping but seeing the sign was nice I guess. Killed some time watching some skaters filming a stair set at Hollywood High School.

Venice Beach was a full day experience. We saw all sorts of market stalls/shops along the boardwalk, Venice beach, the incredible skate park, the freakshow (definitely worth the $5), muscle beach and the basketball courts. I enjoyed my day in Venice and on the main street parallel to the Boardwalk there are some cool surf shops too!

Santa Monica Pier by night was just like Luna Park in Sydney. More of an attraction for the younger crowd. Rode the roller coaster for $5 and the atmosphere is nice.

Huntington Beach was my favourite place to spend a day, though if I was by myself I'd be at better surf spots like Bolsa. The beach itself is so wide, I haven't seen anything like it before. The streets are clean and the atmosphere is relaxed. I highly recommend getting a Chicken Quesadilla at Pete's Mexican food about a block up 5th from the beach. 2nd best Quesadilla I've had. The girls got some sort of super burrito that was ginormous and also very nice.

Malibu Point was a disappointment. Fair enough we didn't catch much swell and it was 1-2 ft. What I didn't realise is that it's a rock bottom break. The beach is small with nothing else around it either.

Downtown LA seemed dirty with not much going on. We went one Sunday morning and luckily there was a small market on 6th st, I wouldn't recommend it otherwise. During the week it may be a different story.

Our last stop in LA was Universal Studios. The tram tour around to the sets is the pick and there are various rides designed for kids of all ages. Don't expect the roller coasters to be scary, but apparently the Orlando Universal is better equipped in that department. All of the 4d shows are top notch and the whole day is a lot of fun. We went all out and paid $25 for a BBQ Buffet that, if I happened to be back at Universal, I would definitely go to again!