Arrived at Los Angeles on Tuesday at 1.15pm after a 5 and half hour flight from New York. We could have opted for a cheaper shuttle at around $25 each but after the time air travel takes it was pretty much a 9 hour day of waiting, queueing for security checks and time getting to the airport. We were happy to pay for an arranged hire car at $100 for both of us direct to our hotel at Anaheim, about a 1 and half hour drive. Doing it this way we have calculated you need to budget around $200 just to get too and from airports unless you choose the shuttle buses which seem to drive around for hours picking people up and dropping them off all over time and you always seem to be the end one on the list to get off but first to get on just so you waste more time than anyone else.

We are staying at Ayres on Katella Avenue, Anaheim. Directly across the road is a Micro Brewery ‘Schmidts’ which is huge. It caters for crowds visiting the Honda Centre diagonally across the road from Ayres and also the Angels Stadium, just around the corner. It is very big but is very convenient for meals when we are here. The other important thing to consider if staying here is ensuring your hotel is one of the stops of the ART shuttle buses (Anaheim Resort Transit) which arrive here every half hour. This route goes to Disneyland which is the terminal for the other routes so you simply change at Disneyland and come back there to get home. Cost for a one day pass is only $5 but you can also get a week pass for a reasonable price.

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Anaheim seems to be very flat and spread out, a bit like a desert area but with palm trees similar to Las Vegas. After a week in the Big Apple it is nice to see some homes with grass and garages. We spent our first day here looking around and riding the shuttle buses to get our bearings and went to a Discount Ticket Store to get our tickets for the next 3 days – Universal Studios, Disneyland and a Hollywood Tour.

After a day exploring Anaheim we ended up back at the hotel for happy hour which is an informal gathering of guests in the lobby where they serve beer, wine, canapes and hot biscuits – all complimentary for an hour. Then we wandered under the freeway and over to Angel Stadium to watch the baseball – Anaheim Angels -v- Seattle Mariners. It was a pretty ordinary game in comparison to the atmosphere at San Francisco when we watched the San Francisco Giants play the Cincinnatti Reds, non the less it is a great thing to do if you are in the states, just to see the vibe of the crowd. Very entertaining. Angels won 1-0.

We got our tickets so tomorrow we’re off to Universal Studios.

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