Thursday, 16 August 2018

Thursday, August 16 – Baymont Inn, Lawndale, LAX


Great sleep and when we eventually do wake the sky is blue and we can see the trademark tall palm trees outside, this is how I think of Los Angeles.

Blue sky and palm trees!
We manage to get down to breakfast before it closes at 9.30am and once back in the room organise a rental car for a few days.  We will be picked up around 11am, the Enterprise office is just down the road.  We get a choice of vehicles and drive away in a Hyundai Tucson crossover.

First, we look for a Walmart ‘cos that’s what we know but after a wild goose chase and dicing with death over a misunderstood motorway exit we find Ralphs is a good substitute.  Then we think we will have a nice relaxing drive around the bays from Redondo Beach (where we will be staying for a few days when we get back from the cruise) towards Long Beach to see the Queen Mary hotel.  Also right here also are the cruise line terminals.  The 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise we wanted to go on is getting ready to depart - without us!  I now understand ‘Last Minute Cruises’ aren’t actually on sale up until the last minute, it seems the cabins are all sold out a couple of weeks prior to sailing. Never mind we have a plan B!

Queen Mary, retired from the sea in 1967 to become a historic hotel
We are downtown Long Beach and have some lunch (well maybe early dinner, it’s 3.20pm) at Hooters right next to The Pike Outlets (new open air shopping destination) but I curb my tendency to shop and after lunch we mosey on doing more sightseeing.

The Pike Outlets, pretty grounds with fountains and a ferris wheel
We do stop for a bit of window shopping on the way back home and also look for a laundromat, this hotel doesn’t have laundry facilities, and then it’s a relax on our balcony waiting to see the sun fall below the horizon.

Sunset from our balcony



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