LA, OC & San Diego, May 25-30
Putting our air miles to good use once again, we took our second Californian road trip in nine months, this time driving south from Los Angeles through the beach cities of Orange County to San Diego.
Our sightseeing began at the Biltmore Hotel, an historic landmark in the business district which has been home to presidents, kings and celebrities since it opened in 1923. We also visited downtown movie locations for LA Confidential, including the "Nite Owl Café" and City Hall.
Then it was up to Burbank for a tour of the Warner Bros Studios. The back lot was eerily quiet as all TV production was on summer hiatus; the next movie to be shot there will be Ocean's 13.
As well as cars used in The Dukes of Hazzard and Batman Begins, we saw old Friends props such as Monica's TV and dining table and Chandler and Joey's reclining chairs and foosball table.
This set was used for the ABC drama Invasion, set in the Florida Everglades. We also saw the warehouse used to hold the townsfolk in the final episode.
This is the 'el' track outside the ambulance bay on NBC's ER. Across the road is the Jumbo Mart. The mountain would look rather out of place in Chicago so has to be kept out of shots.
And this is the Central Perk coffee shop, the only Friends set which has been left intact.
A drive through the Hollywood Hills then down to Robertson Blvd, where we spotted the Hilton heiresses doing what they do best.
Dinner at the Formosa Café on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood: another LA Confidential location and once a regular hangout for Bogart, Monroe and Gable.
Back in the gorgeous lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel, where we were staying, after a drink with some guys at their Hollywood pad.
We stopped by LA's Farmers Market before lunch at the pretty Ivy At The Shore restaurant in Santa Monica. This was followed by a stroll along the pier and some shopping at Fred Segal.
Down the road to Venice, which was built on a series of canals in 1904. (Now we know where it got its name, having previously visited only the Ocean Front Walk and Muscle Beach.)
Then inland to Beverly Hills for a final spot of shopping on the exclusive Rodeo Drive.
I loved the laidback Hollywood glamour of Tropicana Bar, the Roosevelt's hip poolside bar.
The 1935 Griffith Observatory (yes, as seen in Rebel Without A Cause) perched atop Mount Hollywood in the 4,100-acre Griffith Park in north-west Los Angeles.
A photo opp. in front of the Hollywood Sign on Mount Lee. Then we left the park for a drive around the Los Feliz neighbourhood before finding a place for brunch.
We left the city behind and headed down Pacific Coast Highway to Orange County, where our first port of call was Newport Beach.
The next town along the coast was the beautiful artists' colony of Laguna Beach, our base for the next couple of days.
Often referred to as the Pacific Riviera of Southern California, this resort is of course the setting for MTV's Laguna Beach reality show. Its rocky coastline is made up of immaculate beaches and coves.
The final stop on our trip was the pleasant city of San Diego. We left the crowds behind in Mission Beach and headed across Mission Bay to watch the surfers at Sunset Cliffs Park.
Then down through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery to the tip of the Point Loma peninsula to see the Cabrillo National Monument (established in 1913 to commemorate the exploration of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European to set foot in California).
Next we drove past the massive harbour (sailing is one of the most popular sports in town) and into the Gaslamp Quarter, a 16-block National Historic District featuring restored Victorian buildings and full of restaurants and bars, where we had lunch.
A cuppa in the affluent residential seaside enclave of La Jolla (which, according to Indian legend, means 'cave' or 'hole', though residents prefer the Spanish translation of 'jewel').
And a quick walk through the Old Town (now a State Historic Park), which is where San Diego began as the first European settlement in California.
Then it was back downtown to take in a Major League ballgame. Go Padres!
On the way to the airport there was barely time to stop by Mission San Juan Capistrano (founded in 1776 by Father Junípero Serra, it was the seventh in the chain of 21 missions).
