NYC

I'm in NYC for a few days c/o my old friend Judith, who I haven't seen for 20 years or so. Today we have had a very pleasant walk round the American Museum of Natural History and back through Central Park (on a fine Autumn day). Tonight we are off to a production of the "39 Steps" at the Cort Theatre on 48th street.
And I am pleased to report that Elaine and Chloe are safely back and that all is well there - except that Tanya the Sheltie seems to have put on a bit of weight!

Farewell to LA

Just a quick note here to say that the last two days have gone very well, with Disney yesterday and Huntington Beach again today - and some more boogie boarding. I think we all feel we have just scratched the surface in terms of what is on offer here and we would love to be able to stay longer! But tomorrow we all move on, leaving LAX in the morning: Elaine and Chloe for Edinburgh via Newark; me for a few extra days in New York before I have to get back where I came from.

The beach

Today was beach day. There is a wide choice around here, but we settled on Huntington Beach, mainly because it is relatively close. It turns out that it is one of the best surf beaches around; so we all had a go at boogie boarding. This is a short board that you lie on; so it is a whole lot easier than the real thing. Anyway it is great fun and we had some difficulty in pulling ourselves away. We stayed in Huntington this evening - for a stroll through the evening street market and dinner. Elaine undertook some fairly serious retail therapy! All in all, this is a great place. It is Disney again tomorrow, but Thursday is scheduled for the beach again and it will be a difficult choice between Laguna (as planned) and going back to Huntington. Sorry, but today's picture has to be me with board and wetsuit. The air temparature is high seventies, but the water is pretty cold!

Rubberneckin'

We have been all over the place these last couple of days - as tourists in LA. Yesterday I did the driving; today we took a small minibus guided tour. So we have been to many of the hot tourist spots in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica etc. It is genuinely good fun in lots of ways - e.g. bumping into movie icon lookalikes at every turn. Everything from John Wayne, Jack Sparrow, Batman, Dorothy (from Oz), Marilyn Monro, and Spiderman (halfway up a scaffold). My new favourite place here has to be the LA Farmers market: a great place for lunch and people watching (and lots of shopping if that is your fancy). Venice Beach is about the only place that has been a bit disappointing. It seems to have lost its cool and moved to the sleazy side. My solo pic today is of the "bakery for dogs" at the farmers market. I just like the name!

Disneyland

Of course Disneyland was always central to the plan for this trip, and we have spent the whole day there today - at least till after the fireworks show. A great experience, which everyone should do at least once. The camera has recovered very slightly, but the display still isn't working, which makes it pretty difficult to take pictures. And this computer doesn't allow any editing. Nevertheless, I offer a pic of Elaine and Chloe yesterday at KBF and today on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney.

Knott's Berry Farm

Another brief update today. Elaine and Chloe arrived safely and on time yesterday, and they have acclimatised pretty well after a decent night's sleep. Today we took the relatively easy option of the Knott's Berry Farm just down the road, with its great selection of roller-coasters and the like. We all survived - except, rather sad to say, my camera, which had a significant water encounter during the Bigfoot Rapids ride. Maybe it will dry out OK but I am pessimistic about that. Tonight we took a drive and saw the Disneyland evening fireworks from a distance. The weather forcast tomorrow is for one of the cooler days, and we seem to have voted for a Disney day. Sorry no photos to post for now!

LALA Land

Just a quick note here. It is Thursday morning and after yesterday's drive I'm in Buena Park, Orange County, just south of Los Angeles. Elaine and Chloë are due to arrive later today. Knotts Berry Farm is across the road and Disneyland is just a short drive away. Plenty other things to do too of course, and the sun is shining!