My spontaneous weekend trip to LA

I went to LA for the weekend and had the best time. Let me tell you all about it.

My best friend, Charlotte, works as cabin crew for a very reputable airline (they who shall not be named). So, I got a message from her on the 22nd of May asking if I wanted to tag along on her trip to LA. On the 24th of May, I was sitting in Premium Economy, sipping my prosecco, on my way to LA.

I had never been to LA before. The extent of my US passport stamps is a meagre two: Florida and New York. So, I was very excited to collect a third. And, of course, to explore an entirely new state with a hefty cultural shift from the Floridians I had met before.

We stayed in Pasadena, which really encompassed all things American. I’m using American as an adjective here. You know the things you notice when you watch an American movie: red fire hydrants, flags everywhere, pristine, evenly cut grass. Pasadena was pure America - through my eyes, at least. The weather was beautiful too - warm enough to be certain you have left the UK and cool enough to actually enjoy it.

After a delicious breakfast (by the way, ridiculous portion sizes), Charlotte and I took ourselves shopping. Nothing quite beats shopping in America. Nothing is off-limits; it’s as though you have access to every possible thing you could want or need.

Then, we received an invitation from the rest of the airline crew to join them for a game of golf. Top golf, though, not real golf. Honestly, I spent most of the time embarrassed. I think there is more power in a limp spaghetti strand than there was in my golfing arms. Still, we shared lots of laughs and a few cocktails under the warm Californian sky.

Charlotte and I decided to get a taxi down to the Santa Monica pier. The sun was venturing to bed, and, in its trails, left a beautiful golden hue across the water. It was bustling. No one person looked the same as the other, and no one seemed to care that this was the case. We had our fortunes read and took a turn on the ferris wheel. Atop the wheel I realised two things: Santa Monica is beautiful and so is my friend Charlotte. What a wonderful friend to take me on such adventures.

We were quite tired after a busy day, and were undecided on where we should go to dinner. We walked past a British pub - maybe we were subconsciously pulled there - and bumped into the captain of the plane that took us to LA. He was with some old friends of his who are native to LA. They invited us to dinner with them - a true, authentic LA In-N-Out. The pilot’s friend insisted on paying for our meal; he said it would go against his morals as a citizen of LA if he didn’t buy our first-ever In-N-Out burgers. And what a meal it was.

The next day, we went to hike the Hollywood sign. I’m not completely sure what I was expecting when I saw the sign. Maybe I was expecting it to be grander or more luxurious than it was. But I suppose it was what it said on the tin: a big sign that spells Hollywood. Also, by hiked I mean that we got an Uber to the top and walked about 5 minutes to the sign. What took me by surprise was the residential walk up towards the sign. The houses were stunning. I think a creative person could write an entire story for each house with ease because they had so much character and personality. They were each completely different from one another. Texture, colour, size. It was amazing.

We enjoyed a lunch in Rodeo Drive, where I spent what could only be described as a mortgage deposit amount of money on an Erewhon smoothie. Very yum, though. And then we took ourselves back to the hotel so Charlotte could rest before our flight home.

All in all, it was perfect. I don’t think there was a moment when I wasn’t completely happy during that trip. An adventure owes a lot to spontaneity, and this was certainly a spontaneous adventure. I think we ought to remind ourselves that not everything has to be so rigid. When you can, just say yes.