L.A. Trip
My trip out to L.A. started off simply enough. I didn't sleep the night before; partially because there were more important things that I was doing, and partially because I was nervous, and so any sleep would have likely been rather restless and wasted anyway. Arrived at the airport not long before 6; check-in and the security stuff was the normal boring thing it always is, and then I spent the rest of the time until my flight shivering and wondering why I'd been so stupid as to not wear long sleeves, or have a jacket, or anything.
The first flight was rather uneventful. I slept for most of it (just over an hour or so), and so I was a little bit more awake and alert when we landed in Chicago. I spent the majority of my two-hour layover playing games, and wishing desperately that I had some article of clothing to provide warmth - it was cold there, too (a theme that would be repeated all week). My stomach was still rather unhappy with me, so I avoided food at this stop, too.
I couldn't sleep on the second flight - a pity, since it was the longer of the two (4 hours). I ended up playing Professor Layton and watching a movie on my PSP to pass the time - literally, I think, the first time I've used my PSP in about 2 years. I'm almost surprised it still worked. But work it did, and I arrived at LAX... well, not rested, but not dead tired. Baggage collection was uneventful, and I weighed my options to get to the hostel I was staying at for a while before deciding to take a taxi. Knowing I was in California, I prepared myself for the heat outside, and exited to...
Cold. What the hell? It was warmer inside the airport than on the street - I even went back inside just to make sure. Apparently, my trip to LA caused the Earth to freeze over, or -something-. Whatever. I waited for a taxi, got in, told the driver where I wanted to go, and sat back. There wasn't much to do, so I just alternated between watching the scenery, and watching the fare meter go up. ... And up. And up. And up some more. By the time we arrived at the Stay hostel, and after a moderate tip, I'd blown $60 on cab fare. Ouch. Assuming it would be the same to get back, a decent chunk of my spending money had just vanished.
It was 1:30 PM (local) when I arrived; check-in time wasn't until 3. I asked about a room, anyway, and at first the woman said there were none ready - five minutes later, though, she said that there actually was one ready, and I could have it. I got my room key - 5th floor, not too bad. Went in and waited for the elevator. And waited. And waited. Eventually, two guys came down the stairs, talking amongst themselves about how the stairs were so much faster than the elevator, and safer too. That was all it took - I climbed up to my room (which wasn't too bad, really). At $70 a night, I expected that the room wouldn't be awesome, and boy, was I right.
To start, the room itself was tiny. There was just enough room for a poor excuse for a bed (more on that in a sec), a chair shaped like a hand, and a couple of small nightstands. There was no temperature control in the room; the only thing remotely close was a fan over the bed. There was a small sink in the corner of the room, with a container of stuff next to it, which I assumed was soap. Room exploration complete, I dropped my bags and laid out on the bed to relax for a few minutes. And immediately got back up. I stared at the bed, confused for a moment, as to how I had laid down on it and somehow ended up on the floor. Somewhat cautiously, I tried again. Sadly, the bed was one of the least comfortable I've ever slept on, and a quick inspection showed why. There were no springs whatsoever, just a thin mattress on a wooden frame. I thought longingly of my couch, and how much more comfortable it was compared to this monster. Regardless, I was tired, and so I took some time to rest after the long trip out.
Eventually, it was suggested to me that I should go get some food. It seemed like a mostly valid idea, so I summoned my strength to get off the bed, and.... nothing. It took me a good ten minutes just to get myself up. I made my way downstairs (avoiding the elevator), and contemplated where to go. At some point, I decided to just start walking and see where I ended up. Eventually, I ended up outside a Subway - not my first choice by any means, but it would have to do. One sandwich and three cookies later, I was carrying a large drink back to my room (given that there was absolutely no way I was drinking the local water). One thing I noticed about L.A. - it smells. Some parts are just mildly unpleasant, and some parts are really horrible, but there was always a very bad smell in the air. I think, at some point during this first day, my brain unconsciously switched most of the breathing job away from my nose. This helped immensely. I got back to the room, chatted most of the night (and a good part of the next morning) away, and eventually got a few hours' sleep.
I woke up later than I wanted to Tuesday morning - check-in at Nokia Theater for the Nintendo presentation started at 7:15, and my initial plan was to leave at 6:45. Given that I woke up at 7, this did not happen. I left closer to 7:15, and walked the mile to Nokia Theater, which took almost half an hour. This still boggles me. Around here, I can walk a mile in a great deal less than that; all the intersections and traffic of the city really threw me off. I arrived close to 8, because I stopped a few times to take pictures, got my admittance-wristband, stood in line, and finally got in. I'm not going to go into much detail about the actual presentation itself, because... well, that's easily accessible online. The best part was the beginning - a full orchestra and choir came up out out of the floor and played a medley of Zelda tunes, set to footage from all of the different Zelda games. It was awesome. I got a couple decent pictures, and I had a great seat for the presentation. It was fun. Afterwards, I got to try out five of the bigger 3DS games coming out - they were mostly good, some better than others. I'm really looking forward to Star Fox 64 and Mario Kart.
I didn't want to go back to my room immediately after finishing up, so I decided to walk around town and look for souvenirs. I didn't really look for any place in particular; I just picked a direction and started walking. I wasn't too worried about getting lost, as my phone's maps would get me back easily enough, so I just let myself get lost. The first area I let myself get lost in had absolutely nothing. Really. Absolutely NOTHING. So I moved on... but I found a place called Carl's Jr., which looked like a decent burger joint... so, in I went to get lunch. One burger and fries later, I was back out on the streets. I kept wandering around, looking for anything that might work as a souvenir - but the only two places that looked promising were "wholesale only". In fact, pretty much every shop I found was "wholesale only". So stupid. I would've been happy to give those shops my money, but nooooo.
So, at some point in looking for souvenirs, I wandered into a very sketchy place, and that wasn't fun.
Eventually, I gave up on the souvenir search, and just went back to my hotel room. I spent the rest of the night packing, talking to Kelsey (and being ridiculous), and generally making myself nervous. Partially because of the flight home, and partially because I'm ridiculous. Most people reading this know what that refers to. Moving on.
I didn't sleep, again, that night. I was very unsure about when would be the best time to leave for LAX. The trip on Monday had taken half an hour, but I didn't know when rush hour started in L.A. The last thing I wanted to do was leave too late, and miss my flight. So, I decided to err on the side of caution. My flight was scheduled to leave at 8:25; at 4:30 AM, I was in the lobby of the hostel, checking out and calling a cab. One short cab ride (and $60) later, I was at LAX, and it was 5 AM. ... Fuck. The line for check-in took a little while - there were a lot more people there at 5 AM than I expected. Same for the security checkpoint. This was my first experience with one of those full-body scanners - I don't really see why some people have issues with them. It was quick, easy, and relatively hassle-free (if a bit nerve-wracking as you waited for the all-clear). The gate waiting areas were absolutely frigid. I almost considering buying a blanket to keep myself warm, but in the end, I just couldn't justify the cost. I ended up wasting an hour wandering into every shop that existed within the airport, and finding nothing suitable as a souvenir. Eventually, I just crashed in a chair and played more Professor Layton. I did allow myself to get a Vanilla Chai from Starbucks to help keep myself warm, though I only drank about half of it before feeling sick and discarding the rest.
This time, I slept through most of the 4-hour flight back to Chicago. It was nice to get some rest. After we disembarked, I wandered through all the shops in that airport, repeating my search for a decent souvenir. I failed. Ironically, airports suck for souvenirs that aren't meant for old people or young children. I forced myself to eat some lunch (despite not being hungry), and settled in to wait for boarding on the second plane. I started Radiant Historia for the DS, and... well, sorry, Professor Layton, but you're going away for a while. I'm really enjoying it. The music, especially, is grabbing me, somewhat. Anyway. About 10 minutes before boarding was going to start, we were informed that there was a gate change for our flight. Not fun, but not a huge deal - I (along with a big crowd of other passengers) headed over to the other gate... which was full of people waiting to board another flight. There were no seats left, so I just went over and leaned against the window. Had a somewhat uncomfortable moment within that, but I don't know that it's worth mentioning, so I won't.
We ended up leaving 40 minutes late. I played a bit more Historia, and started another movie, which was unfortunately left unfinished. Looking back, I should have slept more... but, ah well. We landed at Dulles, I grabbed my bag, and was on my way. I stepped outside the airport terminal, into... 90+ degree heat. Apparently, whatever weather god I had pissed off by leaving Virginia was welcoming me back. I was looking forward to my plans for the night, but they got altered, unfortunately. I made myself eat dinner (still, not hungry), and now I'm staying up late to get this typed before I go to sleep and forget half of it. I feel tired, like I really should sleep soon. I'm not going to, though. I have more important things to do.
The first flight was rather uneventful. I slept for most of it (just over an hour or so), and so I was a little bit more awake and alert when we landed in Chicago. I spent the majority of my two-hour layover playing games, and wishing desperately that I had some article of clothing to provide warmth - it was cold there, too (a theme that would be repeated all week). My stomach was still rather unhappy with me, so I avoided food at this stop, too.
I couldn't sleep on the second flight - a pity, since it was the longer of the two (4 hours). I ended up playing Professor Layton and watching a movie on my PSP to pass the time - literally, I think, the first time I've used my PSP in about 2 years. I'm almost surprised it still worked. But work it did, and I arrived at LAX... well, not rested, but not dead tired. Baggage collection was uneventful, and I weighed my options to get to the hostel I was staying at for a while before deciding to take a taxi. Knowing I was in California, I prepared myself for the heat outside, and exited to...
Cold. What the hell? It was warmer inside the airport than on the street - I even went back inside just to make sure. Apparently, my trip to LA caused the Earth to freeze over, or -something-. Whatever. I waited for a taxi, got in, told the driver where I wanted to go, and sat back. There wasn't much to do, so I just alternated between watching the scenery, and watching the fare meter go up. ... And up. And up. And up some more. By the time we arrived at the Stay hostel, and after a moderate tip, I'd blown $60 on cab fare. Ouch. Assuming it would be the same to get back, a decent chunk of my spending money had just vanished.
It was 1:30 PM (local) when I arrived; check-in time wasn't until 3. I asked about a room, anyway, and at first the woman said there were none ready - five minutes later, though, she said that there actually was one ready, and I could have it. I got my room key - 5th floor, not too bad. Went in and waited for the elevator. And waited. And waited. Eventually, two guys came down the stairs, talking amongst themselves about how the stairs were so much faster than the elevator, and safer too. That was all it took - I climbed up to my room (which wasn't too bad, really). At $70 a night, I expected that the room wouldn't be awesome, and boy, was I right.
To start, the room itself was tiny. There was just enough room for a poor excuse for a bed (more on that in a sec), a chair shaped like a hand, and a couple of small nightstands. There was no temperature control in the room; the only thing remotely close was a fan over the bed. There was a small sink in the corner of the room, with a container of stuff next to it, which I assumed was soap. Room exploration complete, I dropped my bags and laid out on the bed to relax for a few minutes. And immediately got back up. I stared at the bed, confused for a moment, as to how I had laid down on it and somehow ended up on the floor. Somewhat cautiously, I tried again. Sadly, the bed was one of the least comfortable I've ever slept on, and a quick inspection showed why. There were no springs whatsoever, just a thin mattress on a wooden frame. I thought longingly of my couch, and how much more comfortable it was compared to this monster. Regardless, I was tired, and so I took some time to rest after the long trip out.
Eventually, it was suggested to me that I should go get some food. It seemed like a mostly valid idea, so I summoned my strength to get off the bed, and.... nothing. It took me a good ten minutes just to get myself up. I made my way downstairs (avoiding the elevator), and contemplated where to go. At some point, I decided to just start walking and see where I ended up. Eventually, I ended up outside a Subway - not my first choice by any means, but it would have to do. One sandwich and three cookies later, I was carrying a large drink back to my room (given that there was absolutely no way I was drinking the local water). One thing I noticed about L.A. - it smells. Some parts are just mildly unpleasant, and some parts are really horrible, but there was always a very bad smell in the air. I think, at some point during this first day, my brain unconsciously switched most of the breathing job away from my nose. This helped immensely. I got back to the room, chatted most of the night (and a good part of the next morning) away, and eventually got a few hours' sleep.
I woke up later than I wanted to Tuesday morning - check-in at Nokia Theater for the Nintendo presentation started at 7:15, and my initial plan was to leave at 6:45. Given that I woke up at 7, this did not happen. I left closer to 7:15, and walked the mile to Nokia Theater, which took almost half an hour. This still boggles me. Around here, I can walk a mile in a great deal less than that; all the intersections and traffic of the city really threw me off. I arrived close to 8, because I stopped a few times to take pictures, got my admittance-wristband, stood in line, and finally got in. I'm not going to go into much detail about the actual presentation itself, because... well, that's easily accessible online. The best part was the beginning - a full orchestra and choir came up out out of the floor and played a medley of Zelda tunes, set to footage from all of the different Zelda games. It was awesome. I got a couple decent pictures, and I had a great seat for the presentation. It was fun. Afterwards, I got to try out five of the bigger 3DS games coming out - they were mostly good, some better than others. I'm really looking forward to Star Fox 64 and Mario Kart.
I didn't want to go back to my room immediately after finishing up, so I decided to walk around town and look for souvenirs. I didn't really look for any place in particular; I just picked a direction and started walking. I wasn't too worried about getting lost, as my phone's maps would get me back easily enough, so I just let myself get lost. The first area I let myself get lost in had absolutely nothing. Really. Absolutely NOTHING. So I moved on... but I found a place called Carl's Jr., which looked like a decent burger joint... so, in I went to get lunch. One burger and fries later, I was back out on the streets. I kept wandering around, looking for anything that might work as a souvenir - but the only two places that looked promising were "wholesale only". In fact, pretty much every shop I found was "wholesale only". So stupid. I would've been happy to give those shops my money, but nooooo.
So, at some point in looking for souvenirs, I wandered into a very sketchy place, and that wasn't fun.
Eventually, I gave up on the souvenir search, and just went back to my hotel room. I spent the rest of the night packing, talking to Kelsey (and being ridiculous), and generally making myself nervous. Partially because of the flight home, and partially because I'm ridiculous. Most people reading this know what that refers to. Moving on.
I didn't sleep, again, that night. I was very unsure about when would be the best time to leave for LAX. The trip on Monday had taken half an hour, but I didn't know when rush hour started in L.A. The last thing I wanted to do was leave too late, and miss my flight. So, I decided to err on the side of caution. My flight was scheduled to leave at 8:25; at 4:30 AM, I was in the lobby of the hostel, checking out and calling a cab. One short cab ride (and $60) later, I was at LAX, and it was 5 AM. ... Fuck. The line for check-in took a little while - there were a lot more people there at 5 AM than I expected. Same for the security checkpoint. This was my first experience with one of those full-body scanners - I don't really see why some people have issues with them. It was quick, easy, and relatively hassle-free (if a bit nerve-wracking as you waited for the all-clear). The gate waiting areas were absolutely frigid. I almost considering buying a blanket to keep myself warm, but in the end, I just couldn't justify the cost. I ended up wasting an hour wandering into every shop that existed within the airport, and finding nothing suitable as a souvenir. Eventually, I just crashed in a chair and played more Professor Layton. I did allow myself to get a Vanilla Chai from Starbucks to help keep myself warm, though I only drank about half of it before feeling sick and discarding the rest.
This time, I slept through most of the 4-hour flight back to Chicago. It was nice to get some rest. After we disembarked, I wandered through all the shops in that airport, repeating my search for a decent souvenir. I failed. Ironically, airports suck for souvenirs that aren't meant for old people or young children. I forced myself to eat some lunch (despite not being hungry), and settled in to wait for boarding on the second plane. I started Radiant Historia for the DS, and... well, sorry, Professor Layton, but you're going away for a while. I'm really enjoying it. The music, especially, is grabbing me, somewhat. Anyway. About 10 minutes before boarding was going to start, we were informed that there was a gate change for our flight. Not fun, but not a huge deal - I (along with a big crowd of other passengers) headed over to the other gate... which was full of people waiting to board another flight. There were no seats left, so I just went over and leaned against the window. Had a somewhat uncomfortable moment within that, but I don't know that it's worth mentioning, so I won't.
We ended up leaving 40 minutes late. I played a bit more Historia, and started another movie, which was unfortunately left unfinished. Looking back, I should have slept more... but, ah well. We landed at Dulles, I grabbed my bag, and was on my way. I stepped outside the airport terminal, into... 90+ degree heat. Apparently, whatever weather god I had pissed off by leaving Virginia was welcoming me back. I was looking forward to my plans for the night, but they got altered, unfortunately. I made myself eat dinner (still, not hungry), and now I'm staying up late to get this typed before I go to sleep and forget half of it. I feel tired, like I really should sleep soon. I'm not going to, though. I have more important things to do.