John and Cathy are experienced international RV travelers. They are currently exploring New Zealand in a rented campervan and have agreed to blog about their adventures. Here is the next installment…
Our trip began in Los Angeles, or more correctly, Santa Monica, California. We booked two days in LA prior to flying to New Zealand so that we could experience Southern California a little and not have to fly for 20 hours from Philly to Auckland.
We had two beautiful days there. We left snow, cold, and winter at home to find sunshine and warm weather in California. We watched the L.A. marathon run right past our hotel, even seeing the elite runners sprint past. They run the whole 26 miles faster than I run when crossing the street against the light! Our “Flat Stanley” even managed to join the regular runners.
Being “car people” we went to the Peterson Automotive Museum which was only about a 20 minute drive from our hotel. Here is a good place to mention that you should pack your GPS on every trip. The were many roads closed due to the marathon but we got to the museum with no bother at all. I would argue that a GPS is now an essential part of any travel kit. A portable one allows you to use it in a rental car, rather than paying extra for it.
There are many iconic cars in this museum: Big Daddy Roth’s first hot rod, cars owned by FDR and the Perons of Argentina. There is also a kid’s area and a Johnny Rockets restaurant if that is the way you roll.
Monday was a perfect “beach day” in Santa Monica. Hard to imagine after our winter in the Northeast. We rode on the Carousel, had lunch outside on the “walk,” and had a great time. Southern California is really everything that people say it is.
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