Salt Lake City, Utah.

I decided to take a spur of the moment trip in April to see my friend Meg who has been doing her year abroad in Salt Lake City. I was excited and curious to visit Utah and see how different it was from California. When I arrived I had a wander around the city and became aware of how nice it was and how different it was to downtown Long Beach. It was refreshing to have the main shopping mall actually in the city centre and it was designed to have the roof open on warm days. The area was very nicely designed and well-kept to compliment the impressive Mormon Temple which is also at the heart of the city. It was even more interesting on that particular day as there was a Comic Convention which meant people were walking around in all types of wacky costumes. I met Meg and after grabbing some food at Subway she showed me around the city. That night we went out for Pizza at The Pie with her friend which was really good.

The next day we walked through the University campus and went to the bookstore where I bought a couple of T-shirts. We then went to a British Store where an American was pretending to be English with a bad Cockney accent. I'm sure it was obvious to the American customers who the real English were when they heard us! We then went downtown and saw some of the important old buildings and a colourful arty mural which I would not have expected to see in Salt Lake but it shows how interesting and diverse the city actually is.

University of Utah stadium:

Downtown Salt Lake Art:

After we had seen downtown we took the train to Syracuse for Easter weekend to stay with a family Meg had met when she arrived in the US. We went for a walk and saw the snow-capped mountains and then headed back to the house to try an American Easter tradition, dip-dyeing eggs!

View of the Mountains from Syracuse:

An American Easter Tradition, Dip-Dying Eggs:

On Easter Sunday we had a relaxing day, including an Easter egg hunt, lots of candy, and some amazing food, which you appreciate that much more when you've been living on dining hall food for months! We then went back to the city and visited the LDS Church temple and also saw the Utah State Capitol Building.

The Salt Lake Temple:

Salt Lake Selfie with Meg:

Utah State Capitol:

Salt Lake City Council Hall:

View of the Salt Lake in the background:

The Temple at Sunset:

The Mother and Children Statue in Temple Square:

The Temple at dusk:

Salt Lake City, surrounded by its impressive mountains, is definitely worth a visit! Thanks Meg for having me! I'd love to go back to Utah for longer, especially to fully experience the natural beauty of the state, which unfortunately I did not get time to do while in the USA.

Semester two: Changes, The Beach, LA and MOCA.

After my Christmas at home in England with my family and then my fun but exhausting trips, I was excited to settle back into life in Long Beach. I had decided to move into on-campus dorms where the majority of my friends live as it is much more convenient. I was even going to be living in the same building as friends, where I had spent a lot of time in my first semester anyway, so I felt very lucky and happy with my decision. I checked into my new room, met my new roommate and with the help of my friends moved my stuff in. That first night was really fun, seeing everyone after so long, it felt like the beginning of my year abroad again!

My new classes started the next day and I was making a change from the first semester in which I had taken all film classes. I was now taking a mixture of subjects, 'Religion in American History', 'The U.S. in the Twenties, the Great Depression and WW2', 'Celebrity in American Culture' and 'Women in the History of U.S. Film'. 

That day we also got some good news (for us anyway) that Steph and Sera had missed their flight connection to Sydney and so would have another day to spend with us in Long Beach. So the next morning, we got up at 6am to pick them up from LAX. It was surreal as we had already said our goodbyes, but they were excited to surprise everyone and I was excited to see them again! We spent the day on campus as we were all tired, them especially, but it was great for us to have more time with them before they went back to Australia.

The only photo I have of the day, Steph sleeping:

The following weekend was Kim's birthday and I tried Sushi for the first time which I enjoyed, but I can't say the same for Sonnee and Sara! It seems to be something that people from California grow up with, unlike us Europeans. The other highlights of the weekend were the basketball game and also going to see American Hustle at the cinema.

At the beginning of February was the Superbowl. I don't really enjoy American football as I still don't have any clue what is going on, but I watched it anyway and the team I was rooting for, the Seattle Seahawks, won 43-8 against the Broncos, a huge victory!

On the 21st February I had a great day when I went with friends from my building to the beach to have a bonfire, play some American football and have S'mores. Then the next day I went with Sonnee and Sara to LA using the Metro blue line. We got off in Downtown LA where we saw the City Hall, the Courthouses and the Los Angeles Times building.

The beach at sunset:

The LA City Hall:

The Los Angeles Times building:

We then went to the Old Town part of LA (El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Park), which has a pretty church and the famous Olvera Street. This is filled with colourful Mexican stalls and restaurants and the traditional music played by live musicians gives the street a charming atmosphere.

The church:

Praying:

Olvera Street:

We then walked up to the Disney Concert Hall which is a very impressive building, designed by architect Frank Gehry. It opened in 2003 and is still one of the most impressive structures in LA, serving as home to the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. It has become an iconic building, and seeing it in real life did not disappoint.

Walt Disney Concert Hall:

We then grabbed a burrito for lunch before heading to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) which had a great student price and some very interesting art including a very eery clown piece.

Some of the artwork:

Heading home at sunset:

The following weekend was rainy, the worst it has been the whole time I've been in California. There was thunder and lightening, making it hard to do anything very exciting, but we did go to Seal Beach for brunch and kept ourselves entertained by watching the Oscars on TV. It was weird that the awards were happening so close to us, if only we could have gone and met some celebrities! 

Thanks for reading, I have more exciting posts coming up! :)

Hike to the Hollywood Sign

On our last Saturday in Long Beach before Christmas we took a trip to LA to hike up to the Hollywood sign. It was Steph and Sera's final weekend in California so this was something we just had to do. After talking about it for the whole semester, we finally got out and did it, and it was a great trip! It was a really hot day; it did not feel like December at all, and Christmas definitely did not feel like it was little more than a week away!

It was quite a difficult hike due to the heat, but we made it to the top and the view was amazing! It is one of those very iconic things you never expect to do and it felt so surreal.

Our first glimpse of the Hollywood sign:

 Hiking:

Horses, right next to the edge.. scary stuff:

About halfway up: 

The now-famous stick had been found, held by Steph:

Steph and Sonnee decided to follow some guys' lead by taking a short cut up a very steep mountain side. The eery-looking wooden cross did not deter them. With the help of the stick they made their way up while the rest of us were on edge, worrying that they would fall, like good friends.

They made it to the top, and named their climb Mount Copperopolis, after the legendary town we had previously visited. They have not shut up about it since..

 View of the Griffith Observatory and Downtown LA:

Barrier separating us from the sign, sad its not the olden days where you could go sit on it:

The sign and Downtown LA:

 Me and Sera:

Group photo at the top, we made it.. even if we do all look exhausted:

Downtown LA behind:

 On the way back down Steph and Sonnee wanted a celebratory photo at the top of their hill, with their stick... notice the warning barrier...

We saw coyotes:

And again at the bottom of their hill, where they left the stick for the next brave hikers ;)

Great day, great people, great end to the semester! We made our mark on the railings up there, we go down in Hollywood history!

One more post from before Christmas, my (first) last day in Long Beach with Steph and Sera, will be up soon too! Then I will try to keep on track...