Day 15, 03072008, Santa Monica

Santa Monica!

They picked me up after my jazz class and we went to Santa Monica to explore and shop.

Along the way there was this Beverly Hills Rent A Car and O-M-G!

Do they really rent a car like this or was it just some advertising stint?


Parked the car and walked around Third Street Promenade - that's the happening street. Like our Orchard Road but shorter.


There was a jazz band performance from a summer workshop. The trumpeter was very good for a little boy! Techniques were there just that his tone was still kiddy. Otherwise, really impressive!


Palm trees are all over L.A.



We walked further up to the beach.


And there seem to be a Broadway in every American city! We went to San Francisco and there was Broadway there too. And I'm sure there's one in New York.


What??? Theme park again???? HAHA no la, just passing by. Santa Monica Pacific Park.


They have a lot of such bicycles in the area.




Ivan trying his luck on the fortune-telling machines. This was 'What kind of lover are you' or something like that.


And he got passionate! Like serious??? HAHA.


Next was even funnier. What kind of person are you.


Lovable? So we concluded that these machines aren't accurate.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., where we returned later in the day for dinner.


Ah, finally, Santa Monica beach.



Someone went to the arcade and won this huge lion home!

GRRRR I'M SO JEALOUS.



Tide info at the lifeguard station.


CY and Ivan and John went to the water first, so there was DJ and I left onshore and we entertained each other - no, more like she entertained herself. By burying my feet in the soft lovely sand.




The tides were really high, I wrote this on the sand with my toe the fastest I could. Took a picture, and the next wave immediately came over and erased everything. Thank goodness I kodak-ed it in time!

erina in santa monica

After some time spent at the beach we headed back up to the pier to Bubba Gump. It was more to the expensive side, but worth it.

Bubba Gump is based on the movie Forrest Gump, I've never watched it and I still can't figure out the link between shrimps and Bubba and Forrest.

Anyway, as you see in the picture below, if we flip the sign over and it becomes STOP FORREST STOP then a waiter will stop by to be of assistance to you.


There were drinks that we could order and bring home the cups and they were about USD 10 each. Drink plus souvenir for USD 10, I'm in!

This is Ivan's drink. So cute laaa! It was plastic and could light up! So cheesy but very adorable haha. For a moment I regretted getting my drink. The rest had ice water but John ordered another drink later and we three got cups to bring home.


Mine's glassware!


And the food came!! O-M-G! The food was good, we all had a great time. The service crew there were friendly people too. We ordered four dishes, three were shrimps and one was mahi mahi (a kind of fish).

Before:


After:


After the happy dinner we made our way back. There was a performance going on and seems like the TV's involved too.




At Bubba Gump we actually had to show our receipt to the souvenir shop to collect the cups that come in boxes and after much thought I decided that I should stick to the glass that I was given. 'Cos it was cute too =P hahaha. Instead of blue I chose a red one.


While shopping I bought a blouse at American Eagle and a pair of metallic green flip-flops from Old Navy.

I've been doing too much shopping lately.



Stay tuned!