Hi guys,
a really fast update directly from Hawaii!
Yesterday morning Marina gave me a lift to Los Angeles Airport, and then, after almost 3 weeks in California, I started again my world trip, destination Hawaii!
The weather conditions didn't seem to be good from LA, all the previsions said rain and cloud will be for all the week....instead, when I'm arrived (3pm, after a 5 hours flight!) the weather was amazing: 30 degree and sunny, just some clouds but not too many...
After one hour I was in the hostel, an amazing place, great people, much fun, good position! I've met soon some roommate really cool: Bratish, a malesyan guy with Indian origin, a couple from New Zeland, Giulia, an english girl, and later, another 2 London's girls, Amala and Zevina!
Just to look around, I've decided to run a little bit around Waikiki, so I went out for jogging with Bratish!
Then I remind that I was starving, so I start looking around for a cheap place where to eat hawaiian food but unfortunately at the end I've eat a burget!! :-(
Anyway, staying here is amazing, I really like "O'ahu", a lot of interesting things to do, maybe 5 days are not enough, we will see....
Yesterday night I've tried some amazing cocktail made with fresh fruits, then another tipical drink (made with roots of a particular tree) with some "drug-effect", but I've just tried, I haven't drink too much...so at midnight I just went to sleep (at the end for me it was 3am since I was coming from LA!)
This morning I've visit a waterfall, cool place, really nice, and now I think I'm going to relax a little bit on the beach!
What to say about Hawaii? This place has a 50-50 mixage of Asian-American, nice places to visit and explore (waterfall, surfers beaches, swimming with fishes in some areas, local dancers and musicians, Pearl Harlbor, etc...)
I'm just sad that I cannot visit the others island (ex. Maui) since they're quite far from here and the only connection is by flight, thus expensive! :-(
I'll try to write more, let's stay in touch and check any updates!
see ya
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Goodbye California...
Last week was more interesting since Marina was much more free so we have had the chance to visit a couple of places together and have fun!
During the week we played a lot tennis, good to start again some sport), we went together to the Universal City Walk again (but this time by night, much more funny), we visit Malibu beach and then spent the evening at Santa Monica!
Also, we went to Redeo drive, the most famous street in LA (all the major fashion companies are there, a sort of 5th avenue of new York!), then look around Beverly Hills (such amazing houses...), and finally I've took again some photos at Hollywood sign! :-)
Anyway, an overall of my California experience is definitively positive, in particular I appreciate the cheap transportation (perhaps it work quite well), the nice beaches of Santa Monica and all the south till San Diego. Also, I like the mix between spanish and english speakers (just like Miami), and of course all the bounce of producer around LA, everyday making some movies everywhere!
Don't forget also that California is the capitol about Technology...you can't understand my happyness seeing Apple products everywhere.... :-)
In particular, I reccomend to visit San Diego, which has change my opinion about California, until that moment quite negative....yes, there are also some bad aspects: first of all, I think the people here doesn't really now the words "fun and party"...everybody seems to be too much focused on their job...and if you think that you cannot drink until you're 21, and that your degree ends up at 23 years-old, you don't have too much time left to really enjoy the life!!!
Maybe I've got this opinion just because I've spent all the time with my friends and I haven't had the opportunity to meet different "Kind of" people....
Also, people here are used to eat all the time in restaurants/bars, they never cook home (I'm still shocked about jackie's house, since she never bought pot and pans before my arrive....): prices are around 12-20 dollars for meal, which is too much for my budget, even if I was living and working there (anyway, the supermarket are fucking expensive....) non si cucina mai, si usa uscire per mangiare fuori (10-15$) and also, that's a personal opinion, the food is areally shit!
The second restaurant where I've been I've had poison food and stomach problem all day, ingredients are sweets (even for tomato can), too much mix of strange ingredients, much better my lovely country where there are for sure less stuff but good stuff!!!! :-)
Another bad point against California is the fact that cities here are too spread, thus without a car there is not too much to do....
In general,it's common opinion that people expect more from Los Angeles and California in general, maybe just because all the movies show us the best of this country but they never show the truth! maybe I haven't seen the real LA but I think this city is a real "inculatura"!!!
Bye bye...
During the week we played a lot tennis, good to start again some sport), we went together to the Universal City Walk again (but this time by night, much more funny), we visit Malibu beach and then spent the evening at Santa Monica!
Also, we went to Redeo drive, the most famous street in LA (all the major fashion companies are there, a sort of 5th avenue of new York!), then look around Beverly Hills (such amazing houses...), and finally I've took again some photos at Hollywood sign! :-)
Anyway, an overall of my California experience is definitively positive, in particular I appreciate the cheap transportation (perhaps it work quite well), the nice beaches of Santa Monica and all the south till San Diego. Also, I like the mix between spanish and english speakers (just like Miami), and of course all the bounce of producer around LA, everyday making some movies everywhere!
Don't forget also that California is the capitol about Technology...you can't understand my happyness seeing Apple products everywhere.... :-)
In particular, I reccomend to visit San Diego, which has change my opinion about California, until that moment quite negative....yes, there are also some bad aspects: first of all, I think the people here doesn't really now the words "fun and party"...everybody seems to be too much focused on their job...and if you think that you cannot drink until you're 21, and that your degree ends up at 23 years-old, you don't have too much time left to really enjoy the life!!!
Maybe I've got this opinion just because I've spent all the time with my friends and I haven't had the opportunity to meet different "Kind of" people....
Also, people here are used to eat all the time in restaurants/bars, they never cook home (I'm still shocked about jackie's house, since she never bought pot and pans before my arrive....): prices are around 12-20 dollars for meal, which is too much for my budget, even if I was living and working there (anyway, the supermarket are fucking expensive....) non si cucina mai, si usa uscire per mangiare fuori (10-15$) and also, that's a personal opinion, the food is areally shit!
The second restaurant where I've been I've had poison food and stomach problem all day, ingredients are sweets (even for tomato can), too much mix of strange ingredients, much better my lovely country where there are for sure less stuff but good stuff!!!! :-)
Another bad point against California is the fact that cities here are too spread, thus without a car there is not too much to do....
In general,it's common opinion that people expect more from Los Angeles and California in general, maybe just because all the movies show us the best of this country but they never show the truth! maybe I haven't seen the real LA but I think this city is a real "inculatura"!!!
Bye bye...
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
San Diego!
After almost 2 weeks spent in Los Angeles I believed California was a really crap, I mean, nothing interesting to do and see, boring, not exciting except for few things…now, I think I have this impression of LA only because the way how I’m exploring the city is quite strange, maybe for somebody else this city is great and amazing….
Anyway, last weekend me and Marina planned to visit San Diego, 2 hours south of LA, pretty close to the Mexican border (that unfortunately I haven’t visited!); before arriving we stopped at UCI (University of California, Irvine) where I’ve spent 2 hours talking with Prof. Tsudik for having a Ph. D. over there (and actually this interview was positive, I think there are good chance to spend my next 3 years at Irvine!).
Anyway, after that we arrived to San Diego: this city is much more better than LA, I really like it, it’s completely different from any other cities that I’ve visited before! It’s still an LA style, with all the spread houses and different areas connected by main streets but, the city also has nice places with a sort of European style, a thus really cool and interesting to visit…just like “La jolla”, the first place we visited!
In one day we saw all the city (it’s not so big!): Pacific beach, Mission Beach (between those two beaches there is a cool street just on the beach where everybody go for walking or for ride bikes, rollerblade…..you know, the classic Californian movie, that’s why I like ti!), Ocean beack (where all the surfers are), Downtown (great for Saturday night!), etc…
Also, San Diego finally brings me out again during the night time, since in all those previous weeks I haven’t been out too much…
At the end of those couple of days in San Diego, I can say that this city is just like Miami, the only difference is that is situated on the West coast! Thus, just like Miami, I really liked it, good place where to live!
Finally, the last day we stopped in a small town between San Diego and LA, called Dana Point, famous local attraction, where there was an amazing beach, one of the best ever seen, and this time I finally “met” the Pacific sea!!!! Yes, I’ve tried to swim but it was impossible since there were such big waves that all the time push me out the sea! But it was great, I’ve never seen such high waves, really scaring when you’re at just 1 meter away and that you know that a second later you will be completely covered by it, also with a strong power that push you on the sea ground…really good experience! Unfortunately, the day after I was sick again!!!
Now I’m back again in Pasadena, spending this last week before leaving to Hawaii (27th June) and then Australia! Plans are to visit Malibu on the weekend, Bel Aire in the next few days and, of course, support the Italian team on Thursday against Cesk Republic!
Andrea
x x x x x x x x
P.s: Now it became a normal routine: I've changed again my itinerary, this time drammatically since my last destination to London will be on 7th august instead of 6th September (I've reduced my world trip, too much money that I don't have and things to do when I'm back to italy!)
Anyway, last weekend me and Marina planned to visit San Diego, 2 hours south of LA, pretty close to the Mexican border (that unfortunately I haven’t visited!); before arriving we stopped at UCI (University of California, Irvine) where I’ve spent 2 hours talking with Prof. Tsudik for having a Ph. D. over there (and actually this interview was positive, I think there are good chance to spend my next 3 years at Irvine!).
Anyway, after that we arrived to San Diego: this city is much more better than LA, I really like it, it’s completely different from any other cities that I’ve visited before! It’s still an LA style, with all the spread houses and different areas connected by main streets but, the city also has nice places with a sort of European style, a thus really cool and interesting to visit…just like “La jolla”, the first place we visited!
In one day we saw all the city (it’s not so big!): Pacific beach, Mission Beach (between those two beaches there is a cool street just on the beach where everybody go for walking or for ride bikes, rollerblade…..you know, the classic Californian movie, that’s why I like ti!), Ocean beack (where all the surfers are), Downtown (great for Saturday night!), etc…
Also, San Diego finally brings me out again during the night time, since in all those previous weeks I haven’t been out too much…
At the end of those couple of days in San Diego, I can say that this city is just like Miami, the only difference is that is situated on the West coast! Thus, just like Miami, I really liked it, good place where to live!
Finally, the last day we stopped in a small town between San Diego and LA, called Dana Point, famous local attraction, where there was an amazing beach, one of the best ever seen, and this time I finally “met” the Pacific sea!!!! Yes, I’ve tried to swim but it was impossible since there were such big waves that all the time push me out the sea! But it was great, I’ve never seen such high waves, really scaring when you’re at just 1 meter away and that you know that a second later you will be completely covered by it, also with a strong power that push you on the sea ground…really good experience! Unfortunately, the day after I was sick again!!!
Now I’m back again in Pasadena, spending this last week before leaving to Hawaii (27th June) and then Australia! Plans are to visit Malibu on the weekend, Bel Aire in the next few days and, of course, support the Italian team on Thursday against Cesk Republic!
Andrea
x x x x x x x x
P.s: Now it became a normal routine: I've changed again my itinerary, this time drammatically since my last destination to London will be on 7th august instead of 6th September (I've reduced my world trip, too much money that I don't have and things to do when I'm back to italy!)
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
A fast Update!
Dear friends,
Time to write for the blog is always hard to find….what to say about California??! Well, an overall of the “country” is not so positive: I don’t like at all Los Angeles, nothing interesting to do and see except if you have a lot of money to spend (not my case!)…luckily, the country side and other cities are much more interesting and nicer to see! I still remember my first night in LA, it was really cool but at the same time quite expensive (but luckily Jackie knew some friends to enter for free)….in particular, it was weird to see policeman arresting people that for me where just walking on the street: I think only that night I’ve seen 5-6 persons arrested….it was just like a movie (but it wasn’t!!!).
Anyway, after the first week in Downtown I moved all my stuff in Marina’s house, in Pasadena, north Los Angeles Here the life is more relaxing and I’m enjoying the time spending with Marina and her friends! I don’t know why but in this period I’m always sick (cool, fiver, ecc…) but when I was fine I have explored Hollywood, Santa Monica (amazing!), Melrose blv, UCLA, ecc…. nice places to visit once but, with the exception of Santa Monica, I don’t think someone want to come back there again! Perhaps I’m still waiting to swim in the Pacific sea since my healthy condition weren’t good enough yet!
Also, my friends are generally busy during the day thus I’m forced to visit the city by myself, shit!!! But now things are getting better since Marina is much more free during the day time, allowing me to spend more time with her (playing tennis, doing things in the city, visiting places…)
Most of the time is spent my watching first the World Cup games (Italy is still first on our group, go Italy!!) and it’s funny to see all the time how different situation come up: the first game I was watching the match completely alone in Marina’s mother house (she doesn’t like soccer, of course!), then I’ve watched another game (Brasilian team) in a pub in Hollywood and here I’ve met some really strange people….then I’ve watched the second Italian game in San Diego (half game, I’ll explain you why later...)
And of course, if you’re in Los Angeles, is not hard to find a street or an area where people are making a movie! Wherever you go you always see videocamera and big truck containing all the needed stuff for make a movie, something amazing compared with other cities (only New York City has something like that)…last day I was walking of Melrose blv and without notice anything strange I was in the middle of a scene…then somebody kick me out!
Some interesting news about computing that I want to let you know are those two service, myspace.com and the craiglist! The first one is a such popular service that everybody has an account (and now me included!), I think in Italy will arrive pretty soon as well….anyway, it’s nothing special, it’s just a desktop manager where to keep in touch with your friends, write e-mails, blogs, comments, ecc…
The other service, craiglist, was already discovered in New Jersey thanks to Susan: this website basically substitute eBay here in Los Angeles, plus it has good services like advertise jobs, dating stuff, etc… it exist for each major citi in U.S., check on google if your city has one!
Also, there is Skype that I hope everybody know: after have spent many dollars buying international phone card, I’ve decided to buy a Skypeout traffic, which allow me to contact my European friends using the PC (also, I can call for free in all US and Canada!!!), and this my choise was such a good thing, it’s so cheap and it work fine!
Ok, let me go, I’ll write something about San Diego later…
Andrea
Time to write for the blog is always hard to find….what to say about California??! Well, an overall of the “country” is not so positive: I don’t like at all Los Angeles, nothing interesting to do and see except if you have a lot of money to spend (not my case!)…luckily, the country side and other cities are much more interesting and nicer to see! I still remember my first night in LA, it was really cool but at the same time quite expensive (but luckily Jackie knew some friends to enter for free)….in particular, it was weird to see policeman arresting people that for me where just walking on the street: I think only that night I’ve seen 5-6 persons arrested….it was just like a movie (but it wasn’t!!!).
Anyway, after the first week in Downtown I moved all my stuff in Marina’s house, in Pasadena, north Los Angeles Here the life is more relaxing and I’m enjoying the time spending with Marina and her friends! I don’t know why but in this period I’m always sick (cool, fiver, ecc…) but when I was fine I have explored Hollywood, Santa Monica (amazing!), Melrose blv, UCLA, ecc…. nice places to visit once but, with the exception of Santa Monica, I don’t think someone want to come back there again! Perhaps I’m still waiting to swim in the Pacific sea since my healthy condition weren’t good enough yet!
Also, my friends are generally busy during the day thus I’m forced to visit the city by myself, shit!!! But now things are getting better since Marina is much more free during the day time, allowing me to spend more time with her (playing tennis, doing things in the city, visiting places…)
Most of the time is spent my watching first the World Cup games (Italy is still first on our group, go Italy!!) and it’s funny to see all the time how different situation come up: the first game I was watching the match completely alone in Marina’s mother house (she doesn’t like soccer, of course!), then I’ve watched another game (Brasilian team) in a pub in Hollywood and here I’ve met some really strange people….then I’ve watched the second Italian game in San Diego (half game, I’ll explain you why later...)
And of course, if you’re in Los Angeles, is not hard to find a street or an area where people are making a movie! Wherever you go you always see videocamera and big truck containing all the needed stuff for make a movie, something amazing compared with other cities (only New York City has something like that)…last day I was walking of Melrose blv and without notice anything strange I was in the middle of a scene…then somebody kick me out!
Some interesting news about computing that I want to let you know are those two service, myspace.com and the craiglist! The first one is a such popular service that everybody has an account (and now me included!), I think in Italy will arrive pretty soon as well….anyway, it’s nothing special, it’s just a desktop manager where to keep in touch with your friends, write e-mails, blogs, comments, ecc…
The other service, craiglist, was already discovered in New Jersey thanks to Susan: this website basically substitute eBay here in Los Angeles, plus it has good services like advertise jobs, dating stuff, etc… it exist for each major citi in U.S., check on google if your city has one!
Also, there is Skype that I hope everybody know: after have spent many dollars buying international phone card, I’ve decided to buy a Skypeout traffic, which allow me to contact my European friends using the PC (also, I can call for free in all US and Canada!!!), and this my choise was such a good thing, it’s so cheap and it work fine!
Ok, let me go, I’ll write something about San Diego later…
Andrea
Friday, June 09, 2006
First days in Los Angeles
Dear friends,
after the splendid experience in Puerto Rico the next destination was Los Angeles, California. The first day I've found a nice wheatear, of course not so hot as Puerto Rico, just the perfect temperature for a spring season!
At the airport I've seen again Jackie, after two years from the last time we met in Rome: she came with her friend Jon Carl (that, for Italian people, his name is just Giancarlo, same pronunciation!), and then we went all together in sunset st., just for eat something (me and Jon Carl were starving).
Then we moved to my new temporarily house, Jackie’s house, really nice apartment in Downtown: I really enjoy the fact to have free gym, swimming pool and sauna any time I want…and in fact I’ve already used the sauna twice, but I’m still waiting for the pool, since the wheatear is not realy good yet (after the first sunny day all the other days were cloudy). Anyway, Downtown is a good place where to stay since is well connected with all the other main destinations and perhaps it has nice and interesting places to visit. Thus, my first days in LA were spent looking around Downtown: Financial District (nothing special), Jewelry district (good if you want to buy some gold…not for me), Fashion District (incredible place, everything here is sold in sholesale, you can really find good offers, it’s just like a big local market), Toy District (for children), Little Tokyo (I was expecting more from it) and Chinatown (just the same as any other Chinatown in the world!). I really enjoyed the main street in Downtown, Broadway, next to my apartment, since it’s quite busy and 80% of the people are Mexican or Latin in general, thus the main spoken language is Spanish, good for me since after Puerto Rico I really improved this language (perhaps I’m still in contact with Alexandra, and almost every day we spoke on MSN with webcam and microphone…in Spanish of course!!!). In those first days I’ve spend many times in front the PC, since I haven’t use it for all the puertorican period and thus now I was on late answering to the people and doing the daily stuff!
The first night in LA was Saturday, thus even if the night before I couldn’t sleep, it was normal going out and visit Hollywood! Jackie first bring me in a pub where there were local rock band on stage, then she called another friend which allow us to enter to an MTV after hour, really really good as my first night in California!!!
I’m still waiting for really big party, but that one was good to start seeing the LA night life and to start having an idea about the people… maybe I will change idea in the next weeks but I think people here are really weird, different of course from the east coast, it’s a completely different system, I still need to get on it to really understand the people....we will see…
The day after my arrive I’ve also seen again Marina, my main California’s contact, a Russian girl met three years ago in Providence, Rhode Island! It was nice to have spent a dinner all together again, just like a couple of years ago when her and Jackie came in Rome for visit me!
Last night we went in a pub next to the apartment, just for a beer, and I was surprised to see how the bodyguard check if you’re 21 years old or not: they just swap your ID card into a machine which display your age (and maybe many other information…bye bye privacy!), a really innovative system...and of course he couldn’t swap my Italian driving license!!!
Now I’m ready to explore other areas of LA, starting from the famous beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu’, for then visiting Hollywood and Beverly Hills (this time during the day, and not drunk as the first night, when I’ve spent hours reading all the VIP names written on the stars stamped on sunset street…..I didn’t know one, all unknown name for me except for Frank Sinatra!!), Pasadena and who know whatever else!! Also, next weekend we planned to visit San Diego (and thus I really hope to visit the Mexican border as well), then Las Vegas (just 2-3 hours driving from LA!).
I will let you know…
Take care
Andrea
P.s: let's see some photos...
after the splendid experience in Puerto Rico the next destination was Los Angeles, California. The first day I've found a nice wheatear, of course not so hot as Puerto Rico, just the perfect temperature for a spring season!
At the airport I've seen again Jackie, after two years from the last time we met in Rome: she came with her friend Jon Carl (that, for Italian people, his name is just Giancarlo, same pronunciation!), and then we went all together in sunset st., just for eat something (me and Jon Carl were starving).
Then we moved to my new temporarily house, Jackie’s house, really nice apartment in Downtown: I really enjoy the fact to have free gym, swimming pool and sauna any time I want…and in fact I’ve already used the sauna twice, but I’m still waiting for the pool, since the wheatear is not realy good yet (after the first sunny day all the other days were cloudy). Anyway, Downtown is a good place where to stay since is well connected with all the other main destinations and perhaps it has nice and interesting places to visit. Thus, my first days in LA were spent looking around Downtown: Financial District (nothing special), Jewelry district (good if you want to buy some gold…not for me), Fashion District (incredible place, everything here is sold in sholesale, you can really find good offers, it’s just like a big local market), Toy District (for children), Little Tokyo (I was expecting more from it) and Chinatown (just the same as any other Chinatown in the world!). I really enjoyed the main street in Downtown, Broadway, next to my apartment, since it’s quite busy and 80% of the people are Mexican or Latin in general, thus the main spoken language is Spanish, good for me since after Puerto Rico I really improved this language (perhaps I’m still in contact with Alexandra, and almost every day we spoke on MSN with webcam and microphone…in Spanish of course!!!). In those first days I’ve spend many times in front the PC, since I haven’t use it for all the puertorican period and thus now I was on late answering to the people and doing the daily stuff!
The first night in LA was Saturday, thus even if the night before I couldn’t sleep, it was normal going out and visit Hollywood! Jackie first bring me in a pub where there were local rock band on stage, then she called another friend which allow us to enter to an MTV after hour, really really good as my first night in California!!!
I’m still waiting for really big party, but that one was good to start seeing the LA night life and to start having an idea about the people… maybe I will change idea in the next weeks but I think people here are really weird, different of course from the east coast, it’s a completely different system, I still need to get on it to really understand the people....we will see…
The day after my arrive I’ve also seen again Marina, my main California’s contact, a Russian girl met three years ago in Providence, Rhode Island! It was nice to have spent a dinner all together again, just like a couple of years ago when her and Jackie came in Rome for visit me!
Last night we went in a pub next to the apartment, just for a beer, and I was surprised to see how the bodyguard check if you’re 21 years old or not: they just swap your ID card into a machine which display your age (and maybe many other information…bye bye privacy!), a really innovative system...and of course he couldn’t swap my Italian driving license!!!
Now I’m ready to explore other areas of LA, starting from the famous beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu’, for then visiting Hollywood and Beverly Hills (this time during the day, and not drunk as the first night, when I’ve spent hours reading all the VIP names written on the stars stamped on sunset street…..I didn’t know one, all unknown name for me except for Frank Sinatra!!), Pasadena and who know whatever else!! Also, next weekend we planned to visit San Diego (and thus I really hope to visit the Mexican border as well), then Las Vegas (just 2-3 hours driving from LA!).
I will let you know…
Take care
Andrea
P.s: let's see some photos...
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