34 | LA LA LAND
www.nitravelnews.com
January 2023
BY HEIDI MCALPIN
IN the final of a three-part special, travel writer Heidi McAlpin concludes her three-week American railroad adventure with husband Ray and children Scarlett (15) and Freddie (12). This time, they’re loving LA before taking the train back to Chicago where it all began…
I have a terrible reputation for cramming a lot into family holidays and after three full-on theme park visits, it’s safe to say the kids are close to breaking point. What they need now is a little less Mickey and Snoopy and a bit more poolside downtime. And, to be honest, I’m also feeling a bit frazzled and wouldn’t mind a blissful float beneath that sweltering LA sun. Which is why we’re ready to leave Anaheim, happy home of Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, and head 40 miles north to California’s City of Angels. I’d booked The Garland, a fabulously kitsch 70s hotel named after actress owner Beverly Garland who’d manifested a North Hollywood oasis beloved by fellow stars of the silver screen. Fifty years on, her son has retained the hotel’s retro vibe complete with, joy of joys, a gorgeous pool surrounded by super comfy loungers ready to replenish us weary travellers. Togs on, jump in… now that’s what I call California Dreamin’. Another reason for choosing the hotel was its courtesy shuttle bus (vintage, of course) to nearby Universal Studios Hollywood. Turns out one theme park-free day was too much to handle, so where better to head next than this fabulously immersive movie playground. The epic attraction opened to cinephiles in the 1960s and has been packing in film fans ever since. I remember visiting with my dad way back in the ‘80s, cycling across the moon with E.T and getting the fright of my life from an animatronic Jaws. Four decades later and what a journey this iconic adventure park has been on. Joining the evergreen Jaws is a fanfare of film franchises and themed rides designed to bring Universal’s big screen presentations bang up to date. Giant escalators spirit you to the different outdoor levels to experience everything from The Minions to The Simpsons and Harry Potter to Jurassic Park. One minute it’s all smiles and selfies with Marge and Homer beside the overheating nuclear reactor and the next you’re cowering from a roaring T-Rex on the dino-ride of your life.
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, with its Flight of the Hippogriff family-friendly rollercoaster
soaring above stunning
Hogwarts Castle, is as magical as it gets. And, all these years later, the backlot tour still delivers, whisking you past the Psycho house and a certain shark before steering
you through a heart-stoppingly realistic earthquake that literally shakes you to your very core. Whatever a filmmaker - and visitor - wants, Universal will provide. Just when you’re catching your breath, feathered and four-legged film stars bring the cuteness factor with Universal’s Animal Actors showcasing their ‘awe factor’ skills. Then their human chums get to reveal behind-the-scenes stuntman secrets in the ‘don’t try this at home kids’ Special Effects Show. All this, however, is a mere teaser for a live action show like nothing we had seen before. WaterWorld floods the stage then sets it alight in a mind-blowing post- apocalyptic riot of fireballs, duelling jetskis and – get this - full-scale plane crash. As we headed for the exit, still reeling from this sensational show, a sneak peak of SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, due to open in early
2023, had Mario fan Freddie dreaming of a return trip. Universal you’ve been a blast! Los Angeles is built around the movie industry, and the next day we took a Big Bus open top tour passing the main sights including the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2,742 celebrity stars and counting) and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre where Monroe, Gable and many more superstars have famously left their hand and footprints. The iconic HOLLYWOOD sign is a tad further out than I realised but we did get a glimpse of it too. More time would have allowed us to get closer to it and nearby Griffith Observatory where memorable scenes from James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause and Oscar-lavished La La Land were filmed. The Big Bus Hollywood Loop culminated on the fringes of Beverley Hills where we grabbed a quick pic beside the swanky neighbourhood sign before jumping aboard the Beach Loop bus to Santa Monica, a swift 30 minutes’ away. The vast expanse of the Pacific lured Ray and Freddie into its refreshing surf while me and Scarlett collapsed on the warm, welcoming sand. This is where the locals go to chill or, at nearby Muscle and Venice Beaches, pose and preen as they rollerblade, pet pooches in tow. Deftly navigating the native pelicans, we headed further along the beach to Santa Monica Pier whose rollercoaster and big wheel have been attracting crowds since the early ‘20s.
After lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. of Forrest Gump fame, all too soon our day at the beach was drawing to a close, but there was still time for a photo at the famous ‘Route 66 End of the Trail’ sign. Soon we would be returning to the other end of this iconic roadtrip back in Chicago. For now, though, there was time for one final wallow back at our hotel pool before embarking on a two-day train trip through mid-America and back to the Windy City. The Southwest Chief is the longest of Amtrak’s routes, connecting LA with Chicago via the vast empty prairies of the mid-west. It marked the third and final train trip of our Great American Journey and we were happy to lay back in our sleeping compartments and watch this vast expanse roll by. As with
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