Good bye NYC, it was fun.
Back to the now familiar Los Angeles.
One night sleep at the Andaz West Hollywood before we go home !
If ever there was a concept fail … this was it.
Twenty three minutes (23) to check in.
“From the moment you walk into Andaz West Hollywood, you’ll notice the difference – a refined and relaxed check in process that is located in a space that feels more like a living room than a hotel lobby. Walk through the doors of the hotel, located on the chic Sunset Boulevard, and you’ll be immediately greeted by one of our Andaz Hosts.
Have a seat in the Andaz Lounge – a communal living room – as your Andaz Host offers you a glass of wine, a cup of coffee or a juice and let you relax while they ensure that your room is prepared to your specifications- and remember those preferences on your next visit. Of course if you’d rather, you can head straight to your room and your Host can check you in en route.”
Yes we were initially seated and offered a drink, then came 22 minutes of trying to get somebody’s attention.
The un-uniformed Staff knew we were there waiting, but did a great job of pretending not to see our cry for attention and yearns for eye contact.
Once we were tended to, it was such a relief.
Good location, but pretty ordinary hotel.
We spent what was left of the afternoon worrying about how to re-arrange and re-shuffle our suitcases and carry-on luggage keeping in mind we still had our last day tomorrow to shop and get it all home without paying taxes.
Our 4 suitcases were already packed to the brim and weighed 22 out of the 23kg allowance and carry-ons weighed 10 rather than 7kg.
For dinner, we had a reservation at Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak but being so sick of American steak and potatoes we ditched it.
A google search found some reviews of where some locals eat Thai food.
Before dinner Cat hit up a bookstore on Sunset Boulevard in search of some more cookbooks.
Into a Taxi to the Thai district, we arrived at our google search.
We step inside and feel pleasantly suprised, it felt authentic Thai.
The food was pretty good, which was a nice suprise.
Maybe Craftsteak would have been the better choice, but hey I’m sure we saved $200.
Trying to get a Taxi back to the hotel was difficult, O YEAH this isn’t New York ! You can’t hail a Taxi at night.
We asked the restaurant to call us a Taxi.
A un-marked Toyota Tarago rocked up….. a “Thai Taxi”.
It was a tense ride back to the hotel in our “Gypsy Taxi”.
Cat managed to secure a club lock into her vicinity using her toes because she was convinced we were gonna be shanked and i was gonna get raped.
Luckily we got back safe and the use of the club lock was not necessary.
Cat called it a night and stayed back in the hotel room preparing for the trip home.
I was supposed to return back to the rooftop to take some night pictures but that never happened instead I ended up down the road at The Body Shop
What an interesting place, quiet sleazy but pleasant at the same time.
$10 entry fee and a two drink minimum.
In I go through the bouncers and haze of cigarette smoke and glow of neon lights.
BAM !%&!&*@#! Since i was over dressed (not in t-shirt and track pants) all the scantly cladded girls came to me ants to coke.
The two drink minimum ? Soft drink only ! (One of the girls explained the Californian law regarding zero alcohol where girls get fully nude).
It was an interesting few hours, let your imaginations run wild.
Much better than New York, so therefore so much better than Sydney and Surfers Paradise.
I thought I recognised one of the girls from somewhere … but where ? TV ? PORN ?
Turns out she was an Aussie, a girl from Miranda – She gave me a tip “Never come to America to live – Worse thing I’ve ever done” Somehow i agreed with her.
OK I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING, WHAT THE FU*K HE’S ON HIS HONEYMOON BUT HE’S AT BEEN TO TWO STRIPCLUBS.
My lovely wife allowed me to experience the American strip club culture, and i Love her that extra bit more for that !
Shame i didn’t experience the Mecca…… i.e Las Vegas’ gentlemen’s clubs.
Final shopping tomorrow !
