Hollywood and environs

The bright lights of Hollywood failed to impress us. My parents wanted to see Hollywood. I warned them it would be 1. dull, and 2. far away from West LA. But we went anyway. And they were 1. bored, and 2. tired from the long bus ride. But we saw the walk of "fame", Mann's Cheapo Chinese Theatre (which was so fake and tacky it was definitely Hollywood), the hand prints outside the theatre (George Burns' and Roy Rogers' were the more interesting of the lot), and took pictures of the Hollywood sign (which has recently been given a facelift).

On the plus side, we walked past a Metro rail station, and decided to brave the subway system. We were most pleasantly surprised to find a modern, clean, and dare I say safe, station, and while not state-of-the-art trains, still sufficiently clean to impress us. It was a great way to get from Hollywood and Highland to Chinatown (another stinking disappointment; the new, real Chinatown in Monterey Park is only accessible by car/freeway). The trains were fast. So much faster than the traffic overhead. I was surprised not to find it packed, especially since the relatively cheap day pass of $3 for the bus system was also valid for the subway.

Another pleasant find of the day was Union Station in Downtown LA, where we had to change trains for Chinatown. It's a relic of a bygone era, when people in America actually used Amtrack and didn't squish themselves in their tin can airplanes. The station was maintained beautifully, and the floors were clearly cleaned and polished often. Even the station restaurant looked inviting (and years of UK train stations has put me off eating in a station for life!). The sofas clearly hadn't been replaced since they were first installed, but evoked a sense of age that the rest of LA lacks.

One of these days, we'll be back if only to take in the atmosphere of the subway and the stations to feel like we're in a real Metropolitan city.