We drove from Big Sur into the California sunset and out towards the happiest place on earth….Disneyland.
We arrived late that night and ended up meeting the most awesome hosts in Anaheim - Sarah & Long. They had just moved to Anaheim and set up their house to accommodate Airbnb people and just 5 min walk to Disneyland!!!
Next morning I was up early - the air was crisp, there was a buzz in the atmosphere and I could almost smell the sweets.
It felt like Christmas morning as a kid! We practically ran there!
Now for those of you who don’t know, Greg isn’t a thrill seeker - not in the least. He hates all roller coaster rides and anything that gives you that belly drop. So I was very proud when he gathered his courage to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean with me (there is one drop at the end).
Space Mountain and Splash mountain were out of his league though - so I had to ride those alone!
Also I must mention that I met another man - he was muscly, blond, and strong as a god. In fact it was Thor. We are going on a date soon - sorry Greg! We went to a lovely New Orleans Cafe for dinner and watched the hyperactive kids dance around tired mums and dads as the sun set.
We arrived late that night and ended up meeting the most awesome hosts in Anaheim - Sarah & Long. They had just moved to Anaheim and set up their house to accommodate Airbnb people and just 5 min walk to Disneyland!!!
Next morning I was up early - the air was crisp, there was a buzz in the atmosphere and I could almost smell the sweets.
It felt like Christmas morning as a kid! We practically ran there!
Now for those of you who don’t know, Greg isn’t a thrill seeker - not in the least. He hates all roller coaster rides and anything that gives you that belly drop. So I was very proud when he gathered his courage to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean with me (there is one drop at the end).
Space Mountain and Splash mountain were out of his league though - so I had to ride those alone!
Also I must mention that I met another man - he was muscly, blond, and strong as a god. In fact it was Thor. We are going on a date soon - sorry Greg! We went to a lovely New Orleans Cafe for dinner and watched the hyperactive kids dance around tired mums and dads as the sun set.
After Anaheim we headed to our hippy retreat in Santa Monica. We had booked ourselves into a ‘Pod’ in the Giving Garden. A lovely space owned by Gidget and open to the surrounding community to help grow herbs, fruits and greens.
We were lucky to stay both in the pod and in the main house, whilst being accepted with open arms into the hippie community there.
We were lucky to stay both in the pod and in the main house, whilst being accepted with open arms into the hippie community there.
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I also got to catch up with some friends there too, had a great dinner/drinks at Laurel Hardware with the awesome Kym and saw a play co-directed by the honorary brit Ashley, who is hanging out with all the movers and shakers in LA.
Incidentally her play The Life & Almost Death of Eric Argyle was fantastic and there is some talk of taking it to London - so keep an eye out!
Gidget and Guzel invited us along to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a movie night (yes its a real cemetery and stars are buried there!). We brought a picnic and they all brought tequila and vodka - worked out quite well ; )
The movie was Pretty in Pink, which was an odd juxtaposition and while one might feel a little uncomfortable about the screening movies in a cemetery, this is a cemetery of entertainers and I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
We also attended a Garden Party at the Giving Garden - which was less of a party and more of a gardening day! Great fun, meeting all sorts of like minded souls who came to help weed, trim and do a bit of gardening. Afterwards there was a pot luck dinner where Greg cooked a vegan coconut curry which went down a storm!
Incidentally her play The Life & Almost Death of Eric Argyle was fantastic and there is some talk of taking it to London - so keep an eye out!
Gidget and Guzel invited us along to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a movie night (yes its a real cemetery and stars are buried there!). We brought a picnic and they all brought tequila and vodka - worked out quite well ; )
The movie was Pretty in Pink, which was an odd juxtaposition and while one might feel a little uncomfortable about the screening movies in a cemetery, this is a cemetery of entertainers and I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
We also attended a Garden Party at the Giving Garden - which was less of a party and more of a gardening day! Great fun, meeting all sorts of like minded souls who came to help weed, trim and do a bit of gardening. Afterwards there was a pot luck dinner where Greg cooked a vegan coconut curry which went down a storm!
And on our last day we met the lovely Kirstie (Lily’s aunt) before diving into the depths of South America. She asked us what we liked best in America - so here is the list we came up with.
Greg & Jade’s Top Ten of America
Things we loved that you should try to experience too!
1 Ornette Coleman Tribute Concert in Brooklyn / Big Reds Juke Joint, Clarkesdale
2 Seeing Sweet Georgia Brown perform in NYC
3 Watching the Blue Planet performed live in Chicago
4 Swimming in the river & Cycling at Yosemite, CA
5 San Fran Mission District Food tour day eating & hanging out w Chelsea and Rafael
6 Dancing to New Orleans band Yojimbo
7 Dinner at Madison's & running across the bridges in Seattle
8 Seeing Olympic National Park (Seattle) / Climbing Cathedral Rock, Sedona
9 Walking through the amazing Bryce Canyon Hoodoos in Utah
10 Dancing to the Don Kelley band, Nashville
All in all LA was a time for us to relax, reflect and rejuvenate for the road ahead!
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