Los Angeles is Everthing I Imagined

I don’t know if it’s the summery weather for most of the year, or the ocean’s presence a few miles away. Maybe it’s the classy Palms gracing the streets and the laid back chic vibe of the people that has me crazy about the City of Angels.

Los Angeles is my city of choice—if I had to pick one city to live in for the rest of my life, I’d pick LA…or Cape Town…which is basically the LA version of Africa. I do have a type when it comes to cities. Check out my list…

Must be a big spacious city built by the ocean
Lots of beaches and trees…preferably palms
English speaking
Lots of sun and no snow
A diverse population
Urbanized yet embracing of different cultures
A quiet countryside less than an hour drive away
A transport system that allows me to drive my car around

The thing I love about LA is that even with all the craziness of celebrities, and people trying to survive in this expensive city, there’s still a laid back vibe and everyone can fit in.

Mine was an exciting five day visit. You have probably already seen the Venice Beach post. This specific post is about my visit to Hollywood and Beverly Hills and can I say this day in particular was the most exciting because I got to check off three…no wait, FOUR things on my American bucket list!

I visited the Hollywood sign, walked on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, drove up one of those Hollywood hills where I got to see LA below me and finally, I had a photoshoot on the famous Rodeo Drive.

The family and I started out at the Hollywood sign. Lucky for us, we know some cool people who live in LA and they know the best spot to see it. We drove up a very curvy road through a residential neighborhood and the more turns we took the more I wondered why someone would want to risk their life and family living on a steep hill with a road that has turns as sharp as that. No seriously, if for whatever reason your brakes failed, that car would end up in someone’s living room.

As we got higher we started to see more land scape and less houses and soon enough, there it was, majestically serene, against an untouched backdrop. The cameras and poses came flying out with everyone trying to get the best shot possible. I gotta admit, there’s a deep satisfaction in seeing this landmark that validates your having been to Hollywood.

On our way down, we took a detour up another hill, just above the Hollywood Bowl where concerts are usually held. At the top, we could see most of Los Angeles. I love a good view and I felt like an accomplished hiker, only that this hike happened in a car.

The view isn’t what I would call breathtaking but you’re looking down on this famous city, and that to me is big. The beautiful isolated house whose pics I took has become a landmark of its own. Turns out, the surrounding land isn’t for sale so basically the owner’s view is set for life.

Next stop, Beverly Hills! Having lived in America for a good minute, I know very well you won’t find celebrities aimlessly walking around. So with that in mind, seeing someone famous was the least of my concerns.

My dad, who is about that designer life found this shoe he really liked, but the store didn’t have his size. Lucky for him it was at another location and lucky for me, it was on you guessed it, Rodeo Drive. While he was in the store, I bullied my brother into doing the shoot which was pretty easy considering the fact that we all wanted to take pictures in the area.

I loved the Faux European building alley with the traditional cobblestones and the famous torso sculpture. The rest of the street isn’t much really, except for the expensive shops and the famous celebrities that drop by from time to time for shopping sprees.

Call me lazy but I was so not interested in finding my fav celebrities’ stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aside from watching my brother get star struck over the Halle Berry one (imagine), I got to see the Micheal Jackson star and right by it was this guy all dressed and made up like MJ and get this, he was talking like him too…my IG followers prolly saw his hilarious clip. Well folks, enjoy the pics.


Can I just say how much I loved InNOut Burger. It’s a family owned franchise and uses natural ingredients.

Xoxo Buba.