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Living The American Dream
Flying over Los Angeles was an experience I will never forget; the huge mass of buildings, blocks and freeways beneathe us stretched as far as the eye could see. This was no regular city and it can take hours to drive from one side to the next, this was America - where everything has to be large! We landed in LA after our ten hour flight feeling slightly tiered only to catch another internal flight up to San Francisco. The security was high profile in LAX and pretty much all our bags were searched which is always annoying. Waiting to board our flight we commented on the people around us, I must admit entering America was a culture shock. Everyone seemed in a rush, children were begging their parents for sweets and adults gorged on fast food. Unlike the other countries we've visited the US and especially California is driven entirely by consumerism or so it seems. The women definately have that 'American' look about them whether its the tell tale smooth forehead or full lips, signs of surgery are present in the regular public not just celebs. We feel rather human in comparison. Whilst in the airport we helped this disabled Indian lady find her way to the check in counter, a worker from the airport thanked us with "Oh my gosh that was so human of you," which made me laugh.
San Francisco has been all about sightseeing, shopping and celebrations. We've explored Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39 and the cities districts of Haight, Castro and Union St. Sam's bought a laptop and I've got a new ipod so weve satisfied the urge to splurge...for now. The American girls are hilarious, walking around the clothes shops there's a constant chatter of "Oh, that is SO cute" or "oh my gosh check this out," perhaps its just the accent but everyones a little over the top and we feel we're on set of Clueless. The shopping is good though, but lack of dollars is preventing me from buying as much as I'd like. The city of San Fran is very cosmopolitan although a little more edgy than New York with people dressing more urban than chic'.
New Years Eve was a great night, we checked in at a hotel as I made the biggest school girl error and booked out hostel for NY's 2007, a whole year ahead!!! However, this was a blessing in disguise as the hotel was lovely and pretty cheap. We had wireless internet up and running so listened to Radio 1 as we got ready, a couple of bottles of wine later we left the hotel a little tipsy and headed down to the waterfront for fireworks. Illuminating the bay it was a great display and everyone was in the party mood. Sam was giving randoms high fives, I witnessed some hooded gangsters getting arrested by armed police and took pictures as they pinned them down (very CSI) and Sam gave away our special NY's hats to a boy stuck in a hedge! It was safe to say that January 1st was spent nursing a hangover and the hotel room looked like a bomb had hit it the next day. I woke up and remembered there was half an uneaten Snickers in the bed somewhere - poor cleaner!
We can barely believe its 2007, our time away has gone so quickly and shortly we'll be touching down in Heathrow. However there's lots to do before that so we're off back to LA to explore Hollywood, Beverley Hills and Santa Monica before heading to Las Vegas to place some bets and hunt down Paris and Britney.Meanwhile, enjoy the opportunities and excitement that come with a new year and prepare yourselves for our arrival back into the UK. We both miss everyone this much ---------------------------------------------------------------!!!
All our love from Orange County
The Flashpackers xxxx
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