geonurse

We really enjoyed the location of this hotel…Hollywood walk of fame just outside the entrance… and lots of other great stuff…everything was within walking distance so once we parked the car, we never had to get it out again until we departed…….we ate at the hotel for breakfast the next morning …delicious this was the veggie hash with poached eggs♥️ We then walked a couple streets over to the residential areas- very pretty. A lot of homeless scattered about,😢 but were no trouble…we always felt safe We checked out and headed for Santa Monica Pier …on our way to Long Beach! we loved this area….spent several hours …now on to Long Beach! Soon we were checking in to the Hyatt Centric Pike place- it was awesome…we loved the location close to the harbor and surrounded by shops and restaurants. The hotel staff were so friendly and the area was just so enjoyable… Easy parking right beside the hotel. 25$ a night. The view from the rooftop patio- gorgeous A pre- bedtime nap We slept great and the next morning I got up early and walked over to the lighthouse to get a glimpse of our ship! We returned our rental to LB Airport and Ubered to the cruise port at 11ish…..we had a noon check in time…. The terminal was so unique, the staff at port friendly and we breezed right thru the checkin process. First ice cream of the cruise! First Guys Burger of the cruise! We were disappointed with the change in the fries, but Big Chicken fries totally made up for it…. I always wear my swimsuit under my clothes on embarkation day…love hanging out here while waiting for our cabin to be ready

Last week of May found us headed to Cali from Indiana….pretty thrilled to be visiting California for the first time and to be cruising from Long Beach! We flew Delta First class nonstop from Indianapolis to Los Angeles with no delays or issues of any kind… what a blessing❣️ When we arrived at LAX it was about 1030 am Cali time…. We picked up our rental and headed straight to Griffith Park to explore while we waited to check in to Loews Hollywood Hotel. Griffith Park was AMAZING and we totally want to go back there someday! it took us quite awhile to find a parking space, and ended up costing 30$ on the meter.. but everything else was free! We changed into comfy clothes more suitable for hiking and off we went… We walked up to the observatory, and over 17000 steps on magical trails with fantastic views. If you aren’t physically as mobile, going to the observatory and lookout areas just at the top would be totally feasible and worthwhile. Then we headed to Loews Hollywood Hotel to check in and go for a swim Hotel was beautiful and perfectly placed on Hollywood and Highland Blvds. Our room had a sweet view of the Hollywood Sign! Pool wasn’t heated but felt really good after all that hiking. To be continued……..