LOL, no people walk anywhere.
The bus ride was about 6 hours including a short stop off. My logic was for a 1 hour flight I’d end up spending 4 hours with all the stuff involved so why not spend a couple more and actually see some scenery.
No chance of hiring a car, you guys drive on the wrong side of the road and use the horn for indicators. 
I chose El Paso partly for a few mixed up reasons, partly because it wasn’t a normal tourist spot and partly because of the attraction of being able to walk over the border into Mexico.
I don’t know if I’d go back again but I’m really glad I went, it was so different to anything I’m used to but still had a homey feel if that makes sense.
Oh, people are buggers, cuz they like to…bugger…other people.
I don’t live in LA but I’m not that far from it and I’ve thought about taking a bus, cuz there’s no goddamned train between the two, before. Just to not have to deal with the drive but I’ve never really looked into it. So thanks for answering.
America! Fuck Yeah!
Sounds like you had a grand time, stui magpie.
I can dig the El Paso/Juarez stop, as a way to go to a part of Texas that is often neglected and a bit of a more down-home touch, especially since you were hitting other major urban/tourist spots. And heck, a lot of Americans should have a look at The Border and put a foot across. Plus, it also put you across the Continental Divide, in the watershed of the Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic so you can say you did not remain exclusively in Pacific America.
I see that I am not alone in having been dubiously impressed by the amount of existential burnout casualties walking (when able) the San Francisco streets (you did a good turn there). And in having decided right upon sight that the rides atop Stratosphere are for some other mothersmacker who wants to tempt whoever’s the god of metal fatigue. As to Hollywood Boulevard, hey, sounds like you caught on right with it (…costumed pedophiles, indeed!).
Sounds like you did the major whirlwind-style vacation. Which is one way one can do a vacation, of course.
In any of the major metropolitan areas you visited (particularly San Francisco and Los Angeles / Santa Monica) you could easily have spent your entire two weeks there and still not run out of things to see and do – even more so if you rent a car and visit the nearby surrounding areas as well. (Hey, think of right-side driving as part of the adventure!) You could spend a week kicking about Golden Gate Park alone, just about.
To be sure, I’m somewhat partial towards the Bay Area. We’ve had umpteen threads on “Things to See and Do Around San Francisco”. Just a week or so ago I compiled and posted a compendium of links to all of them.
That central motor somewhere would be found in the Cable Barn, which is open to the public and has a little museum of cable car history and a balcony that overlook the machine room with all the big motors and pulleys. If you happened to catch the cable car that runs from downtown to Fisherman’s Wharf, you went right by it. Not clear from your post if you actually went to Fisherman’s Wharf, but I guess not because if you did you would certainly have mentioned the Teeming Masses of sea lions all over the place there.
Funny… I work with a Stewy from Melbourne who visited Las Vegas last year. But since I chatted him up the office yesterday, I know you’re not him!
If you hurry and make it to China, I’ll buy you a beer. Or if you’re slower and make it to The Motor City, the same offer applies!
I did go down to Fishermans wharf with the Powell St Cable car, then I walked back along the waterfront to the Ferry Building then back down Market St to my hotel on the corner of Market and Mason.
I didn’t see any sea lions. 
They’re on Pier 39, but they do come and go at times.
ETA: Here’s a good shot of peak sea-lion sprawl.
That’s quite some hike. If you walked along the waterfront from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Ferry Building, then you also walked right past The Exploratorium. That would have been a must-see too.
I not aware of sea lions being seasonal in that area. And they’re not just at Pier 39 – I’ve seen them also all over the docks behind all those seafood restaurants along the waterfront, like Alioto’s.
Did you notice the crooked block of Lombard Street on your cable-car trip as you passed? (It’s easily identified by the blocks-long line of cars queued up to drive down it, but it’s a fun one-block to walk it.) The Cable Barn is just a block or two from there. Ah well, next trip.
If you’d like to see a silly snarky cartoon view of Los Vegas, hit up YouTube and see if you can find some episodes of Father of the Pride, a parody of Siegfired And Roy and their wild animals, set in Los Vegas.
They are - you’ll usually see peak numbers in the winter and much lower numbers in the summer ( breeding season ). The nearest major rookery is down in the Channel islands, though you apparently get a little bit of breeding action on the Farallons ( outside the Golden Gate ) and Año Nuevo Island. Doesn’t mean they all disappear, but on some days in some years you may not see many/any.
What scenery did you see? Anything interesting?
It did get a bit repetitive but was very different to anything I’ve seen before.
You have these vast flat expanses of rocky desert, not a tree in sight except for the Joshua trees in some patches, just some small tumbleweed style plants.
But it’s framed by these massive rocky outcrops with all different colours coming through from the rocks.
I found it very interesting, also watching how it all started to change as you got closer to LA. Also going through the towns on the highway was interesting, just looking around
Yes, the exposed geology is something that catches the attention of those of us who come from “green” climates. It’s the naked Earth.
And those of us who lived there.
Sometimes I miss the desert.
I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to El Paso, but still a little puzzled. It isn’t really considered one of the top tourist destinations in the US. What made you pick that as a destination - visiting friends or family?
Thanks for letting us in on your impressions.
You (or someone here) should publish “The Strolling Guide to International Travel”. Not power-walking or hiking, but best cities/places to wander around in… on foot.
I set out early one morning in San Francisco to find ‘Barbary Lane’ (from the ‘Tales of the City’ books), and ended up walking through eight different districts/neighborhoods. Put on a lot of vertical miles, but walked from the Mission to Russian Hill to the waterfront. Was shocked to check my watch and realize I’d meandered halfway across a major city in about an hour.
Bonus (in case this upcoming book rates city walks on a point system): I passed a lot of little coffee and European pastry shops that were open at 6 am (including Golden Coffee: good cheap bacon ‘n’ eggs).
Was going to rent a car, then thought I’d rent a bike, but never did either. Walking worked so well!
Well Christ, coffee at 6:00 Ante Meridian. Money to be made, people to awaken.
I wasn’t visiting anyone, the reason was a sort of illogical sequence.
I only knew of El paso from the old Marty Robbins song, I wanted to get around this holiday a bit do I googled El paso. Noticed it was in West Texas so close to California, read a bit about the history and Juarez and got intrigued.
Somewhere a bit different to start the holiday off, and I’m glad I did.
Walking is a great way to get around and see the sights. I can lope along at a pretty quick rate but it’s an economical stride so I can do it for hours without getting puffed even though I smoke.
The bonus of walking is that you can stop and look at anything that attracts your attention, go into different places, take your time and really explore.
The only thing that stuffed me up at start was getting my bearings. In the southern hemisphere if you stand facing the midday sun, you’re basically facing North so West is on your left and East on your right. In the Northern Hemisphere, that’s reversed, so the first couple of days in El paso I kept getting lost until the penny finally dropped. The fact that my GP suggested getting some Melatonin to help get over the jet lag and I didn’t read the directions and was taking it in the morning rather than at night may have also had a contribution. :o
Wait, so when you cross the equator, day and night get reversed too?
If you had listened to Marty Robbins singing Running Gun you’d have visited Kansas City (which isn’t actually in Kansas) and Amarillo.
There is a Kansas City in Kansas, just across the border from Kansas City, Missouri. It’s like a single city divided between two states.
