Okay okay, now I know. Jon Cryer. To me the guy was only known as Allan, the annoying appendix of Charlie Sheen. He should be called Alan Cryer in Tow and a half Men, because he is complaining all the time. Well, now he is our neighbour. At least for a few days. Judd, our host, has never seen him, but his parents have. They say he is a really nice guy, just how you would imagine a regular neigbour. As soon as Ferdi heard that Alan lives next door, he went crazy like a little school girl and wanted to meet him. We almost had to put him on a leash, because he was continuously inventing new ways to get in contact with Allan. His favorite is the version where he pops up at his door and says in the weirdest german accent: "Hälllooo, Aim fromm Shermäny, Wii want tou pläy Flunkyball wiss you!"
Today is the second full day in L.A. last night Ferdi, Megan (Judd´s cousin) and I chilled at the pool and had a couple of beers, while Natalie went to bed. The first day was just too hard for her. She doesn´t know "work hard, play hard" yet. If the first day was exhausting, the second day was even more. Weather is nice, but we didn´t sleep much, but still we had to check out all spots of L.A. of which still a few were missing. The first stop we made was at a little breakfast place. Very relaxing, good food and assumed to be a good celebrity check-out spot. Judd kept telling us about whom he or his dad had met in L.A. like Eddie Van Halen. Especially in Studio City, Hollywood and Laurel Canyon. Laurel Canyon is the drive that connects Hollywood with Studio City´s Ventura Boulevard. Laurel Canyon is such a windy road. A few famous people live there. Most of all there is the mansion. Not the mansion, but "Theee Mansion" It´s a 10-bedroom house, owned by producer Rick Rubin. Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and The Stones went in and out. Part of the Red Hot Chili Peppers´ success is Rick Rubins work as their producer. Way back in 91, the year I´m born, the RHCP and Rick Rubin produced the album Blood Sugar Sex Magic featuring the utmost famous and my favorite song: Under the Bridge.
There are many bridges in L.A! The traffic is horrible. It´s the Paris of USA, but only worse. It always took us so long to get somewhere. After breakfast at the place where you can sometimes see famous people, we went to NoHo - North Hollywood: It accommodates an art school, many young people are there gentrification is taking place. We went to an amaaaazing Thai restaurant, it was just sooo good! Food in America is a blast, depending on where you go. California is number one for its variety and quality of different foods from all over the world and the best thing is, that it is affordable.
From NoHo we drove south, probably through Laurel Canyon our favorite road. We stopped in Hollywood, actually on the strip to go shopping for CD´s. Amoeba is the place to go. It´s huge and offers a great assortment of CD´s, DVD´s used ones, new ones. Every week they also play a concert there. In September there is going to be the German Herbert Grönemeyer for 40 bucks - for those who want to listen to a man who sounds like he gets kicked in his nutsack all the time. But the CD store is great. Judd bought some CDs as he is very much into music. I bought Lenny Kravitz - the CD I have been looking for all last years since Jakob and I did our first roadtrip to Switzerland. On the road you have to carry JImmy, Lenny and Bobby around.[Who are those guys?....] So far we listened a lot to Jimmy and Bobby on the road. First, Ferdi wasn´t liking Bobby at all, "too mellow" he said, but after listening to Soul Shakedown Party at Yellowstone, he is almost addicted to it. He wouldn´t leave me without burning my CD first to have it in Victoria. So I am very thankful to have Judd show us Amoeba and to reunite the three musicians J, L and B!
If you want to know about music, you have to talk to Judd, he is so into it. Keeps buying new CDs and plays really cool stuff in the car like Greyboy, DJ Shadow and Mr. Scruff. Judd loves going to concerts and festivals like the Oppikoppi in South Africa where his family is from. (http://www.oppikoppi.co.za/).
After Amoeba we checked out Melrose Avenue. It´s a cool place to go shopping for articles you won´t find anywhere else: Custom Skateshops, a hat shops with Panama Hats for over $100 and a store with vintage T-shirts, pretty cool stuff, but it is all pricy. It´s very much something like a Hippster scene. L.A. is great for shopping, but you need the money. We were surprised that Natalie could hold herself back and saved her money.
This day we had seen a lot and been in traffic a lot. We were happy to return to Judds house to get ready for the night! We didn´t see Megan for the whole day as she chilled ad Judds place, but she joined us for the evening which was a lot of fun. Especially at the Irish bar she surprised us with her fun-ability. We were also excited to get to Long Beach, because we would meet Raphael there, who then joined us for a good week on our roadtrip through California.
This day we had seen a lot and been in traffic a lot. We were happy to return to Judds house to get ready for the night! We didn´t see Megan for the whole day as she chilled ad Judds place, but she joined us for the evening which was a lot of fun. Especially at the Irish bar she surprised us with her fun-ability. We were also excited to get to Long Beach, because we would meet Raphael there, who then joined us for a good week on our roadtrip through California.
We drove to Long Beach L.A. to meet Elliot, a friend of Judd from UC Riverside. He is working for an insurance company while living on his sail boat over the summer. Pretty cool boat and lifestyle. Elliot was sooooo much fun. He didn´t only show us his boat, but also the marina, and the bars at the haven. I don´t know whom to blame, but somehow he lost against Ferdi in drinking games. Sorry to tell you Elliot, but I saw Ferdi cheating once. I know, it´s incredible and mind blowing what he did. Hold on! While you were drinking, he poured a third of his beer into Raphael´s glas. So Ferdi didn´t drink the same amount. It´s mean of Ferdi to claim Germans know how to drink, when in fact he cheated on you. Sorry Ferdi, but I had to bolster Elliot, because he was so kind to us. By outplaying Elliot I could at least see the boat again and descend to the cabin.
L.A. was fantastic and I can´t wait to be back again soon and meet more people and see new places (if there are any we haven´t seen yet). Thanks a lot Judd for showing us around and also for your and your family´s hospitality.
Raphael also wrote a small part about joining us! Of course we don't wanna hold back on that!
I was meeting Freddy and Ferdi, two friends who I study together with in Maastricht. The two of them had been on a road trip trough the United States for almost five weeks already. After Oliver had brought me to Long Beach, which is part of Los Angeles, I met there with Ferdi who took me to the bar, where all the others were. The others were Freddy, Ferdi's sister, Natalie, Judd at whose place all of us would spend the night, and some of their friends.
I had never seen a bar like this before. There were two piano players on the stage facing each other and playing songs that the audience asked for. It was great! After we had moved on to an Irish Pub and enjoyed some Guinness, Judd took us home in his car - all the way to Hollywood. Only then I realized how incredibly huge Los Angeles is, since it took us about one and a half hours to get to his place. Once we arrived there, everyone just wanted to go to bed - but only after we would try out the Jacuzzi in Judd's backyard. Freddy, Ferdi, Natalie, and me had our own place to sleep in - the poolhouse (How nice is that??). The most intriguing fact about Judd's house was, though, that it is next to Jon Cryer's house, the actor of "Alan" in Two and a Half Men - living next door to Alan (our theme song for the next day)!
I was meeting Freddy and Ferdi, two friends who I study together with in Maastricht. The two of them had been on a road trip trough the United States for almost five weeks already. After Oliver had brought me to Long Beach, which is part of Los Angeles, I met there with Ferdi who took me to the bar, where all the others were. The others were Freddy, Ferdi's sister, Natalie, Judd at whose place all of us would spend the night, and some of their friends.
I had never seen a bar like this before. There were two piano players on the stage facing each other and playing songs that the audience asked for. It was great! After we had moved on to an Irish Pub and enjoyed some Guinness, Judd took us home in his car - all the way to Hollywood. Only then I realized how incredibly huge Los Angeles is, since it took us about one and a half hours to get to his place. Once we arrived there, everyone just wanted to go to bed - but only after we would try out the Jacuzzi in Judd's backyard. Freddy, Ferdi, Natalie, and me had our own place to sleep in - the poolhouse (How nice is that??). The most intriguing fact about Judd's house was, though, that it is next to Jon Cryer's house, the actor of "Alan" in Two and a Half Men - living next door to Alan (our theme song for the next day)!