Disclaimer: The views expressed in this web log are the personal opinions of Ian D Smith, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff or members of the Official Lord of the Rings fan club. The Flight

		It's Friday morning and Chris Tarrant on Capital FM is expressing a view I can empathise with: "You've got to feel sorry for all those people leaving to go on their Summer hols. The weather forecast says we are going to have the best three days of Summer over the weekend - people would be better off staying here". As I wait at check-in and survey Lady Penelope - the aristocratic name Virgin Airways have assigned to the plane that will be carrying me to Los Angeles today - I chuckle at both this and a report I have just finished reading in "The Week", which says that current weather forecasts for 3 days ahead are as accurate as weather forecasts for just 1 day ahead were 15 years ago. If you define "completely wrong" as "accurate" then I guess you can't argue with the report!
As it is, at 11am check-in time, there is thick cloud base obscuring the sun. When our plane finally takes off the runway at 20 past midday, that thick cloudbase is still there. Weather forecasters - don't you just love 'em?! I guess it's possible it miraculously dispersed just after we left, but it somehow seems unlikely.

The flight leaves on time, and the same impressive service I witnessed on my Virgin flights to Florida a few years back is thankfully much in evidence. The free "goody bag" contains all the essentials for a long-haul flight like this (toothpaste, mints, earplugs, slippers, blindfold, tissues, a notepad and face wipes), the cabin crew are hard-working, efficient and friendly, and the in-seat entertainment system is excellent. Throughout the flight our air speed, distance to final destination and map location are available and it's hard not to let out a whoop of delight as names familiar from other Ringers like Salt Lake City (Rosie!) and Phoenix (Pip!) suddenly appear on the navigation display. Any plans to sleep for part of the trip are dashed upon discovering the films available for viewing during the flight and I end up watching three films in a row: Panic Room, Bend It Like Beckham and The Time Machine.
"The Panic Room" proves to be a disappointing Hollywood do-it-by-numbers action movie, with even Jodie Foster unable to make one silly cliche after another seem believable. The only really memorable part of the film was the haunting and very atmospheric music, written by some guy called Howard Shore (although VERY different from his score for "Lord of the Rings"). Thankfully "Bend It Like Beckham" is much more fun - one of those rather old-fashioned "feel good" movies that will have you guffawing out loud (thank goodness the passenger next to me was watching the same movie and making as much of a fool of himself laughing as I was!), and given a unique British-Indian feel. "The Time Machine" was also disappointing - a pointless retread of the superior original movie based on the H.G. Wells story of the same name. Guy Pearce acted his heart out, but a rather tired script meant nothing he could do really elevated the movie above boredom threshold. Fortunately, we make excellent time and arrive 30 minutes earlier than scheduled - a flight that has lasted just over 10 hours in total. Baggage clearance is quick and efficient, as is customs who, aside from asking about the two items I'd declared as gifts having some non-zero value, were far less inquisitive than on my trip here in March. I am booked into the Miyako Inn and Spa - not my first choice, but the result of bidding as low a price as possible on www.priceline.co.uk for a decent hotel in "downtown LA" The hotel is situated about half an hour's drive from the airport and they advise that the cheapest way to reach them is to use the Super Shuttle service to Downtown LA that is available from the airport for just $15.
The Super Shuttle

The Super Shuttle pick-up point is immediately outside the airport exit our flight directs us to. Each blue shuttle can take up to 9 passengers and their luggage and offers an airport-to-front-door service. Different shuttles service different areas, but fortunately an assistant turns up about 10 minutes after I arrive to advise me that I need shuttle 868 for downtown LA. Alas, it seems like there is a new empty shuttle every couple of minutes - but none of them heading for downtown LA. It goes without saying that when the downtown LA shuttle eventually arrives it is already full to bursting, but somehow I manage to squeeze in.
		The driver seems friendly enough, until our first drop-off point where two passengers lead us a merry dance around various side streets that add a good 20 minutes onto our journey. When the next passenger also has trouble indicating which turn (left or right) is needed for his hotel, hardly unreasonable since he's a tourist and only has an address to go on, the formerly polite driver suddenly becomes less friendly. "Some people seem to think I'm a genius and know every goddamned road" he declares. There is an awkward silence from the rest of the passengers and it is a good 5 minutes before conversation strikes up again!

As we rejoin a congested motorway, one can't help but be impressed by the sudden view of downtown LA from the shuttle - a small central group of skyscrapers stand out from the generally flat layout around them. My hotel is quickly found and one hour 15 minutes after leaving the LA airport I am at my destination for the next four days. The total bill of $13 (plus driver's tip) is a pleasant surprise - I shudder to think what a taxi might have cost me. It's taken longer than I'd have liked to get here, but the circuitous route that has lead us here has shown me parts of LA that I might otherwise not have seen.
The Miyako Inn and Spa

There is some trouble finding my reservation, but my suggestion that Smith might be a common name is met with some amusement by the hotel receptionist: "It is mainly Japanese people who stay here" he tells me, before adding "Smith is not a common name in Japan". Well at least he has a sense of humour!

The reception area to what, from the street, looks like a rather small hotel, is impressive. As is the room (room 614) I have been allocated. The manager tells me it was refurbished just two weeks ago, and it shows. The air conditioning is efficient but not too noisy, and the en-suite bathroom is definitely 4-star quality, even if the attempt to cut down on providing clean towels isn't: "Save our earth!" declares the hotel brochure, before requesting that guests show their commitment to the environment by reusing their towels! A VERY quick reccie of the area shows I am indeed in the heart of JapanTown, with some very interesting stores and stalls in the area that will warrant further investigation tomorrow. Tomorrow, for me, will be a rest day, with a short visit to Golden Apple comics in Melrose Avenue (unfortunately some 2-3 miles away - oh well! I need the exercise!) Click here for report for July 28th - El Pueblo De Los Angeles Historical Monument and Trip to Golden Apple Comics