Our flight across was smooth and 'swift' and we were very comfy in premium economy; the staff were lovely.
On arrival we were able to use the electronic immigration booths, with minimised wait times. You have to have already been to the USA once on your current E-passport to use this facility. We collected our bags and still had another long wait to pass by customs. This part of the journey always requires patience.
We walked out into a cool and overcast day - the first time in my LA travels that it hasn't been a crisp, blue morning.
Into a waiting Alamo rental car bus, and off through the morning traffic to collect our hire car. We booked a suburban, and got almost that. A GMC Yukon - huge and comfortable, with heated leather seats. The counter staff were curious as to why we needed such a big car for two of us and tried to talk us into something smaller (but not cheaper!). Whilst we won't be winning any environmental awards, we like the visibility and stability of the 4WD, and plenty of room for our shopping!
We departed towards Palm Springs, where we'd booked our first night's accommodation. The traffic was very heavy on the I10, and we were tired, so we navigated off the highway through Korea Town (not the most welcoming suburb in LA) to Denny's, where we enjoyed pointing bacon and fresh brown water! Lovely.
Back on the freeway it was and hour and a half to Palm Springs. Dom managed the drive wonderfully, whilst I succumbed to teeny, uncontrolled naps - great co-driver I was! I have decided that driving anywhere after that flight is silly, and we'll stay in LA next time.
The majestic San Gabriel mountains (tops of 10,000 feet) and further east, the San Bernadino (11,500 feet) mountains were capped in snow, and swept by misty clouds.
We checked in and accessed our room early (thank you, Hilton!) and napped soundly for a few hours. We then drove back to the Desert Hills Premium Outlet Mall, about 20 minutes drive towards LA, and spent a couple of hours looking through our favourite shops.
It's great to be back in this country with its amazing vistas and friendly people.
One thing I find a little tough to acclimatize to: looking the correct way when I cross the street! Not my best skill for some reason.
On our return to town, we found that most of the local area was closed to vehicles for a farmers market. The streets were packed with people, and we were lucky to get a seat at a trattoria for a late dinner.
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