Los Angeles Coastal Cities Guided Tour

What a great day we had with Alexander behind the wheel, driving us around some of LA's most popular, and more esoteric, neighbourhoods. He picked us up from our hotel, the Roosevelt, in a wonderful metallic blue '70s (if I remember rightly!) Cadillac, which turned heads pretty much throughout the wonderful, four-hour experience. LA being a huge town, and having chosen the half-day option (I think they offer an eight-hour option too, but check!), we had to select where we'd like to go, and opted for a trip to downtown LA rather than Venice Beach/Santa Monica, as the latter felt like it deserved a separate trip of its own. I'm so pleased we did, as I have never seen Downtown before and probably wouldn't have made a journey out there specially, and the architecture and vibes are something really very worth experiencing, not to mention the tiny Spanish neighbourhood that is where the town began. Alexander was full of information about the buildings and the locales, a mix of LA 101 and more quirky tales and anecdotes, which was the engaging approach he took throughout the day. We actually started with Sunset Strip and then Beverly Hills, the latter involving ticking off numerous star homes and places of note, very interesting and super fun. We stopped for a coffee at a lovely local café, then Alexander took us to the cemetery to take in Marilyn Monroe's grave (and Hugh Hefner beside her!), his idea, but really something special for me as a lifelong Marilyn fan. It was really quite magical to be able to pay my respects to a true legend and star. After that, Rodeo Drive and the shops, then Downtown, and finally back via the Hollywood Hills with a pitstop to walk up to the Hollywood sign, which was just wonderful. So peaceful and serene, surprisingly so - Alexander took us to a less popular, 'secret' route which was actually brilliant as it was so calm, just us and two other people walking up to the sign. Again, a really special thing. Throughout the trip Alexander was friendly and full of interesting facts and figures. I keep using the word 'special', and it was. It's not a cheap excursion by any means, but as a treat, it really is a truly memorable way to see Los Angeles, the obvious bits but also some hidden gems. Thanks, Alexander!

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