Sun, Sea and Cities Cycling In North America
My plane came to a bumpy landing, bouncing along the tarmac like a skimmed stone across a lake. Nothing out of the ordinary in that sense, except the round of applause that reverberated and travelled down the cabin. People were applauding the pilot and crew – I was landing in LA, a place where people are seemingly more outward with their praise than in soggy old England.
For those of you who read about my previous bike-hire adventures around Thailand and Vietnam, this is a part II of sorts. This one, however, takes place on virtually the other side of the world; across North America.
This was my first taste of America, and LAX airport was a pretty good place to start. A huge airport for a huge city that I was about to explore on foot and bike for the next week.
Eventually arriving at my hostel on Hollywood Boulevard after flitting in and out of sleep for what could have been hours or minutes (jet lag does this to a person), I was finally there! Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or perhaps it was just the glowing evening sun altering my perception, but everyone on the street seemed to be radiating with health and a TV-friendly sparkle. I needed to sleep.
A couple of rest days later, which involved walking up and down the boulevards and taking in the intense atmosphere, I had grown accustomed to my surroundings. Hollywood was a strange place in a lot of ways, but the bars, cafes and vintage shops made me feel like I was living in a film, and I fully embraced it all. It was time for a cycle, though, and I found a great hire place called Bikes and Hikes LA…
Robert James
When Robert James isn’t cycling around the parks and countryside of North London, or chilling out with his cats, he’s exploring the world on two wheels with his wife
Excerpt from BIKE Magazine, click here to continue reading the full article
