The Land of Race Car Ya-Yas

Bakersfield CA to Ventura CA (12/6):

Happily, Bakersfield did not smell like manure in the morning. Today's agenda was Los Angeles, and we started in Burbank (strip malls, big box stores) at a sports bar so Brad could watch the Cleveland-San Diego. Strangely, San Diego did not seem to be the hometown team, as there were almost as many Cleveland fans as there were San Diego. Most people seemed to be interested in the Cowboys-Giants game instead (go Giants!!) We then stopped by Hollywood where we walked about 2 blocks before we realized we weren't going to be able to muster much enthusiasm for the stars and hand prints in the sidewalk (though, there were a lot fewer hand prints than I thought there would be). We then headed to Ventura on the coast where we had Thai food. Our visit to Los Angeles is probably the equivalent of a visit to New York that only involves Times Square, but I'm confirming my feelings that this isn't a place I would want to spend any substantial amount of time.
-M