An Intermission?

8 days had passed in Los Angeles.. looking back, it was an excellent trip. I'd recommend it to any of you for an end-year trip.. Here's a little food for thought though, for those planning to make your way there any time soon.

1. Downtown LA is an excellent place to stay. Not too many subway stations downtown though (as opposed to Chicago), but staying close to the Union Station won't hurt.

2. Bid for hotels online months in advance. We really had it pretty cheap.

3. If you've been to Times Square in New York, you'll hardly find Hollywood much fun.

4. Never plan too much on a Sunday.. almost everything's closed and the same goes for Christmas for that matter..

5. Public transportation will do, as long as you have a map in hand at all times. It's more fun as well, as you try to find stations and landmarks by foot (as opposed to signboards and parking spots if you drive..).

6. Give Universal Studios an entire day. Disneyland calls for a day or two. You'd find so much more in Disneyworld, Florida.

7. At Disneyland, make sure you don't purchase a One-Day Park Hopper.. seriously, a day's not enough to catch both parks, and you'd be better off spending your whole day on a single park.

8. In Disneyland, make sure you drop by at the City Hall to grab your 'First Time in Disneyland' badge. It's free, and it makes a sweet souvenir.

9. Never fixate on one cuisine. LA has so much to offer, so hop around. I strongly recommend the El Paseo Inn (oldest restaurant in LA) on Olvera Street for Mexican cuisine.

10. If you see a signboard that says Micheli's, walk away from it.. be it in Universal City or Hollywood (Heh.. this one just had to be in the list).

With all that done, we were pretty much satisfied (personally I wish I had stayed in LA longer.. just for the weather). All set to go home, no? NOPE.. We were only halfway through our Californian adventure! A short plane ride, and it was hello San Francisco!