Sunset Strip

I wandered along the strip by myself on a dark Monday night in February, 2007. Some on the iconic music venues are the following: The Viper Room, Whisky-a-go-go and Roxy.

Maybe Las Vegas instead of Manhattan

I may not go to New York yet because of the cost of getting over there and for accommodation. My thoughts are to fly to Las Vegas, walk the "Strip" and get a bus for a day trip to Death Valley.

I will need to check in with Oliver as it would mean him taking three days of work to visit Death Valley.

However if I go to New York I could stay with Kamdyn (Oliver's daughter) or Kami as she is known.

Some Photos from the Internet

Proposed Itinerary

It is about 480 km from Aliso Viejo to Death Valley or 28o km from Las Vegas.

Sat 19-Apr Leave NZ, Arrive LA 12.25pm
Sun 20-Apr
Mon 21-Apr Walk Sunset Blvd
Tues 22-Apr
Wed 23-Apr To Death Valley
Thurs 24-Apr Death Valley
Fri 25-Apr From Death Valley

Sat 26-Apr To New York
Sun 27-Apr
Mon 28-Apr Walk 1/2 Manhattan
Tues 29-Apr Walk 2nd 1/2 Manhattan
Wed 30-Apr
Thurs 1-May
Fri 2-May Leave New York Leave LA 9.30pm for New Zealand

How Long Will It Take?

The length of Sunset Boulevard is 24.1km or 40km, not quite the distance of a marathon of 42.2km.

Victor Margolin started from City Hall at 8.30am and finished at 7.30pm taking 11 hours.

Jeremy Rosenberg started from the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Figueroa Street at 7.45am and finished at 5.50pm taking 10 hours amd 5 minutes.

Will Campbell started from Union Station at 6.30am and finished at 4.13pm taking 9 hours and 43 mins.

The walk goes through the following areas:

• Echo Park
• Silverdale
• Hollywood
• West Hollywood
• Beverly Hills
• Bel-Air
• Westwood
• UCLA campus (North)
• Brentwood
• Pacific Palisades

Websites

You can find virtually anything you want on the web including walks along Sunset Boulevard.

http://tigger.uic.edu/~victor/personal/lawalk.pdf - Walking Sunset Boulevard by Victor Margolin

www.losjeremy.com/blog/archives/2002/07/the_long_walkth.html - The Long Walk by Jeremy Rosenberg

http://blogging.la/archives/2007/02/walking_in_la_the_lincoln_town.phtml - Walking in L.A.: The Lincoln Town Camper

www.hollywoodusa.co.uk/sunset-boulevard.htm

www.seeing-stars.com/Streets/SunsetBlvdMap.shtml

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Death+Valley,+CA,+United+States+of+America&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title Map from Aliso Viejo to Death Valley

Why I Want To Go?

I am not sure what it is that attracts me to the States. It maybe the influence of television in the sixties and my desire to visit the cities as shown in the various progarmmes and in particular the westerns.

The proposed trip will be my seventh.

Trip 1 – Summer 1995 – Main purpose was to attend a D.A.R.E. Conference in Houston, Texas. My travelling companion was Dave Middleton, a Dunedin Police Education Police Officer. Over the month we visited Los Angeles. Las Vegas, Houston. New Orleans, Memphis, Chicago and then caught a train to Buffalo. Stayed with my family in Niagara Falls and visited Toronto. Train from Niagara Falls to New York.

Trip 2 – Spring 1998. Main purpose to visit schools in the Lake Arrowhead area as part of a Study Award given by the Otago Primary Principal’s Association. Spent a week in Hollywood with my cousin Marilyn and husband George. Shot down to Tijuana, Mexico. Spent two weeks at Lake Arrowhead including a weekend in Palm Springs. Flew from Ontario Airport to San Francisco. It was back to Los Angeles staying in the Pasadena area.

Trip 3 – Summer 1999. Managed to persuade Denise to spend our first overseas trip outside Australia in North America. Spent time at Anaheim then flew to Vancouver. Drove over the Rockies to Jasper, Edmonton, Calgary, Banff, Kelowna and back to Vancouver. Flew to Paris via Chicago. Came back to Niagara Falls via Buffalo. Spent a week with my cousins including time in Stratford and Toronto. Onto New York and back to LA.

Trip 4 – Winter 2000/2001. I travelled by myself to Los Angeles, Orlando, Chicago, Las Vegas.

Trip 5 – Spring 2005. Flew to Los Angeles and later onto Chicago (Midway Airport). With Oliver my American buddy, drove a rental car on Route 66 back To Los Angeles. The eight states included Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California

Trip 6 - Main purpose - to vist schools in North Amrica as part of my sabbatical. Stayed with Oliver in Aliso Viejo, California, then visited two schools in Hollywood area. Flew to San Antonio and stayed for 2 nights. Flew to Buffalo and then stayed at Niagara Falls, Canada. Visited three schools. Drove to Cleveland, Ohio to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Spent time with cousins. Did road trip to Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal - Stratford - Toronto.