LA vs SF

Some of you might have noticed my absence in the past weeks. Now I finally find the time to tell you about the reason for my absence. I travelled to California to do a little roadtrip along the coast, from SF to LA and back. We flew from Germany to San Francisco airport and there we got a rental car, a very new Ford Focus. For a couple of days we stayed in SF and then we slowly made our way to LA stopping in Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara. It's been my second time to travel to the USA and therefore I wasn't that "impressed" anymore. It's difficult to explain, but I just haven't been that overwhelmed like the first time I've been there and I saw many things through European eyes and had to find out that not everything is heaven there. So, since Katharina asked me what I thought about LA, I wanted to write a short little post about both cities.

best view we got of the bridge

What I liked about SF:

• the different "climate" zones, seems odd, but I really liked it that it can be cold and cloudy in one part of the city and in the next area there is bright sunshine. You have to take that into account when you get dressed in the morning, but it feels quite nice actually.
• it is so "small" , we mostly spend time in the touristy areas and they were very close to each other,one day we even walked from Powel to Fishermans wharf
• the different quarters had totally different vibes
• Mels Diner, the apple salad, so yummy with a very tasty dressing
• public transport, it runs very punctual and the three day pass is really cheap

cute street in SF

What I didn't like about SF:

• it is so European and less American that other cities, that you barely notice you're in the US ( well it's a bit exaggerated, but you get the point). While for Americans it is very progressive, for me as a well travelled European it's not that big of a deal
• people dressing like it was winter, come on there is no need for a beanie when it's 25°C outside

backyard on Melrose Av

What I liked about LA:

• the sun and the beaches, an evening at Venice Beach boardwalk and you feel like you stepped into a cool movie scene
• the people we met ( and who kindly offered us shelter via couchsurfing, everything was organized rather spontaneously but they made our stay in the city memorable)
• Long Beach, a cool city with an interesting street ( 4th ) and lovely vintage shops like La Bomba ( check ou their tumblr to see when the next pile sale is)

What I didn't like about LA:

• can you call this really a city ? it's more like an aggolmeration of different cities that spreads out enormously ( since I live in a city which is sort of  similar to that, I'm used to it, but I also know that it's not that good for the people who live there)
• the city without a car ? forget it. I love to ride my bike and in LA this love would probably come to an end.

So, what are your impressions of the two cities ? You want to know more about my trip ? Just ask and I will add some more of my travel memories.