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So our last day started with a drive around Bel Air to find the house used to film the outside shots of the Fresh Prince.  Although we found it, we thought it was a little rude to shimmy up the wall and over the hedge to get a better photo and too many people were around!

In west Philadelphia....

Ornate

We left the rich and famous to do whatever the rich and famous do, and headed back to Beverly Hills and the area close to UCLA - home to Jerry's Famous Deli!

Whoever thinks 16oz of meat doesn't sound like much has never had a Jerry's pastrami and corned beef on rye (and American corned beef is nice - not that canned stuff we get here!) 

Half of my small snack!

Stuffed, we rolled ourselves back to the car and on to the airport.

The courtesy bus to LAX needs to clean its windows!

Thanks for reading this over the last few months.  We have had over 3000 hits to date, we've had fun keeping this up to date (ish) and glad to have readers all over the world, most of whom we have never met!

So after nearly 4 months, 14 flights, 1000s of miles in cars, vans, 4x4s, buses, coaches, trains, tubes, helicopters, trams, boats, ferries, cable cars, a brief stint on a surfboard, a swim or two and too many miles on foot to remember, we landed at Terminal 5 to news that the UK was in drought and the weather had been glorious.

Since we have been home it has rained every single day.

Home sweet home!

D & A

xxx

The Getty & Six Flags - Not Usual Bedfellows!

Jean Paul Getty was an American industrialist  - founder of Getty Oil, and was an avid collector of art. Getty established two museums before his death, and left much of his wealth to his art foundation - the richest in the world. In recent years, the foundation have built a new facility just north of Bel Air in Brentwood, that houses thousands of works of art either owned by Getty or purchased by the J Paul Getty Foundation.

The building itself is stunning. Designed by architect Richard Meier, it houses pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th- and 20th-century American and European photographs. The main centre is separate from the 10 storey basement carpark and is reached by electronic tram.

A rude welcome

Must be cold

Sculptures are in abundance in the outdoor areas

The Getty centre sits atop the Santa Monica hills and offers visitors great views of the city.

Downtown in the distance

Starry Night; Edvard Munch

We aren't the biggest art lovers in the world, but we did have a good look around . The stars of the centre are the Van Goghs and the Monets, but are well supported by works from Edvard Munch and Edouard Manet amongst the 3,000 items on display.

The Portal of  Rouen Cathedral in Morning Light; Claude Monet

Irises; Vincent Van Gogh

By far the most interesting part of the centre for us was the exhibition documenting the life works of Herb Ritts. In his life and work, Herb Ritts was drawn to clean lines and strong forms, and worked almost entirely in black and white print. He took countless iconic cover shots for the worlds leading fashion magazines, featuring the worlds most iconic celebrities.  I'd love to show you the highlights of the exhibition but cameras were banned (I still managed a couple of sneaky ones though!).

Madge; True Blue

Versace Black Dress

Stephanie, Cindy, Christy, Tatjana, Naomi

We left the Getty and headed into Hollywood for our night at the Kodak, home to the Oscars. We love Cirque Du Soleil and  Iris did not disappoint.  Aptly, Iris has a motion picture theme running through the amazing displays of acrobatics and phenomenal set.

Awesome!

Hollywood was quiet - the night before the premiere of Avengers Assemble was in full swing, and thousands lined the streets to see Robert Downey Junior arrive in a $9m supercar. Still, the views were nice!

Looking towards downtown

El Capitan  - now owned by Disney

We headed back to the hotel along Sunset, passed hundreds queuing to get into the notorious clubs like Roxy and Viper Room, both known as the final drinking places of James Belushi and River Phoenix respectively.

ROXY on Sunset

Our next morning, we woke early, full of excitement, as we drove north out of LA towards Valencia. After a quick stop off at Brent's Deli (one of us had a sensible breakfast - I'll let you decide who!) we arrived at Six Flags Magic Mountain. 

Sensible?

Yuuuuuummmm!

Rollercoaster heaven

Six Flags Magic Mountain features some of the worlds biggest, longest, highest and fastest rides. We rode most during the day ranging from Goliath with a 300 foot near vertical drop, to Riddler's Revenge where you are standing up to Tatsu where you are suspended headfirst. Amazing! 

Tastsu

Head first! 

Stand for the Riddler!

Batman - a mess of steel!

Scream if you want

Looks like fun - was a lot of fun!

Goliath. How appropriate

Viper

Colossus - twin wooden coaster is dwarfed by Goliath

We left Six Flags a little dizzy but vowing to return! 

Runyon Canyon & Our Debut on American TV!

Runyon Canyon is a 160 acre park, close to Mulholland Drive. It is the favoured dog walking park for celebrities who live in the mountains, but for us was a chance to stretch our legs and get some fresh (ish) air!

Runyon Canyon

Hummingbird

Views of Downtown!

The fresh air was a little too fresh, so we drove to the Griffith Observatory and back to the sunshine. As it turned out, nearly everyone in LA had decided to do the same. We parked over a mile away and walked in - just as the chilly breeze turned into a freezing wind! Tickets are sold on a first come first served basis. It was early afternoon.  We took in the views of the city.

Newly renovated

The views over the city were great!

Cheese

It was cold!

Scary eyes! 

Spot the main road!

Downtown

Who knew she was a war veteran?

The next day we made our debut on American TV! We managed to get hold of tickets to watch filming of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. We had never heard of the guests nor the band but arrived at 2:30pm and in we went!

As no cameras are allowed in we can't really show you inside, but here we are caught on TV!

Jay

The guests were actually quite good - Albert Brooks and Chumley & Big Hoss from Pawn Stars, but the band, Neon Trees were awesome.  So much so we downloaded both albums!

Hollywood Baby

We started our Hollywood trip with a drive along Sunset Boulevard, passing all the famous places like Roxy, Viper Room and House of Blues. We parked up at the Kodak Theatre, home to the Oscars, and headed straight out down the red carpet and on to Hollywood Boulevard.

First stop was Grauman's Chinese Theatre, a legendary location! Built in the 1920s by Sid Grauman, it is known worldwide as the site for countless movies premieres and the 200+ footprints on the forecourt. 

Premieres are still held here, and celebrities are still being immortalised in concrete - the last were Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson in January this year. 

Bad Boy Fresh Prince

These are HUGE!!!

Different!

From Grauman's, we headed along the walk of fame, and bumped into a few famous faces!

Shrek (on the left)

Never mess with an angry bird

Each of the stars on the walk of fame, all 2400 of them, are made of terrazzo and brass and stretch over 15 blocks along Hollywood Boulevard and Wine Street. It costs $30,000 per star - paid by the selected individual! In truth most stars are paid for by movie companies or fan groups.

There are 2 MJ stars. One is a radio presenter! 

Just checking on his £30,000 investment

No idea who she is supposed to be (the pirate before any of you come up with smart answers!) 

We stopped for a coffee in the Hollywood & Highland complex and got our first glimpse of the sign! 

Yes I know its mile away! 

And from the front we could see all the way to Downtown LA.

LA is massive! 

After a five mile (or 40 minute!!) drive we reached the mecca of shopping - Rodeo Drive!

Home to glamorous international brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, it also houses a few unique boutiques and specialist shops too.  One of these is House of Bijan - an appointment only mens 'store' that dresses world leaders, Royals and the Hollywood elite.

I've made my appointment; 1st April 2013. 

It must pay reasonably well judging by the owners wheels; the first Veyron we have seen (OK the colour isn't the best but it does match the store!)

Not too shabby

When I posed for this photo at least 2 Japanese tourists took my photo thinking I owned it - v amusing!

Our hire car turned a few heads

As we were cooing over the Veyron, two cars pulled up, both with 'STUNT' number plates. 1 man got out of the Rolls - James Stunt, the husband of Petra Ecclestone.  I guess having 2 cars to drive you around at the same time goes with the territory. They do live in the most expensive house in the America - $85m bought from the late Aaron Spelling, creator of Dynasty and Charlies Angels. As well as 15 bedrooms, the property has three hair salons, a massage room, a walk-in wardrobe so large it has a second level accessed by an internal staircase, a nightclub, cinema and a bowling alley!

Hmmm - which is the best? No contest! 

Wonder what he was called at school?

We left the crowds gathering around the cars and the store and headed off to (window) shop.

Even the signs are bling!

European inspired 'annex' to the main street

The shops were all pretty empty but the people who were around were all clutching some expensive looking carrier bags before loading them into their expensive looking cars!

All the money in the world but hasn't had any parking lessons!

Kim & Khloe Kardashian - can't even spell 'fabulous'!

A Rapide - a good 5 door family run-about.

We left the rich to boost the US economy and headed off to the Farmers Market, a permanent fixture full of all things gastronomic! A bit like Borough Market, we ate like kings! Du Pars is the best bakery by far! 

Yum!

Full of goodness, we drove in search of a closer look at the Hollywood sign. Originally an advertising hoarding for a new housing developement, Hollywoodland, the sign was erected by Harry Chandler at a cost of £30,000. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of commerce bought and rebuilt the sign, loosing the 'land' from the end. 

By 1978, the sign was rotting and was at risk of being pulled down.  A number of high profile donors raised nearly $250,000 to ensure its survival and continued maintenance. Now each of the letters is 'owned' by its donor; 

H – Terrence Donnelly, publisher of the Hollywood Independent Newspaper

O – Giovanni Mazza, Italian movie producer

L – Les Kelley, originator of the Kelley Blue Book

L – Gene Autry, singer, actor and businessman

Y – Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy magazine

W – Andy Williams, singer

O – Warner Bros. Records

O – Alice Cooper, singer and leader of the campaign to save the sign, who donated in memory of comedian Groucho Marx

D – Thomas Pooley, donated in the name of Mathew Williams.

Properly world famous!