Now Los Angelinos are often accused of living on a different planet.
Well, space cadets or not we’re all able to reach for the stars at The California Space Center.
With over 100 permanent exhibitions, including the NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour. Free general admission.
The outdoor life
Easy rider: Venice Beach
Now, we’re all used to the grandeur of the Great Canyon (and yes, it is all that) but LA boasts its gargantuan gorges, like the Runyon Canyon, favoured by celebrities and the Bronson Canyon, loved by superheroes as the home of the Batcave.
For those more interested in strolls or picnics than hikes, the reservoir at Lake Hollywood Park has a direct view of the sign and is accessible by car and a short walk.
Going to the Chapel: Pray and play in West Hollywood
Accommodation is consistently one of the biggest travel expenses so it’s good to get some local knowledge from the locals.
To maximise savings when booking a hotel, keep in mind that the lowest prices for hotel rooms are typically found just 15 days before your stay.
To find a good deal, go beyond the most-popular neighbourhoods and look at options in surrounding areas such as the San Gabriel Valley or near the Los Angeles International Airport.
With 98 direct, non-stop weekly flights from the UK and Ireland to Los Angeles this summer, offering more than 28,000 seats, there are plenty of options to find a flight that fits your budget.
Where every September 17 they hold an annual Batman Day.
And who knows you could even mock yourself up in a scene.
With a Hollywood sign background and a bubble quote: Holy Hollywood Batman.
CalAerfornia Dreamin’
Of course you need to know how best to get there and where to stay.
And we always recommend availing of Aer Lingus’s pre-clearance through Dublin.
We’re advised too of the best hotels to stay at from which to get the money shots of the Hollywood Sign.
And often the best place to start is at boutique hotel specialists Kimpton.
Hotel signs
Reflections: Of the Hollywood sign
The Kimpton Everly Hotel: Right in the heart of Hollywood glitz and glamour the Everly offers views from the rooftop and select guest rooms.
Thompson Hollywood: The chic rooftop pool, dining experiences and event spaces at the laid back, yet refined Thompson Hollywood offer impressive vistas.
Loews Hollywood: An urban oasis at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, Loews Hollywood a collection of guest rooms and meeting spaces offer the best observations.
W Hollywood: On Hollywood Boulevard, W Hollywood offers expansive vistas from their rooftop pool and lounge, guest rooms and suites, and event venues.
But the closest we got was Las Vegas and this inscription to the Rat Pack in Neon City.
All-Hit Radio
Sibling space cadets: Karen and Richard Carpenter
Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft, The Carpenters: Now this one is a new one on us but this was actually originally written by the Canadian band Klaatu (no us too but they were named after an ambassador from the extraterrestrial confederation in the film The Day The Earth Stood Still).
But it was in the hands of Richard and Karen Carpenter that the song really took off.
And it naturally has that Californian twang with the unique lead-in of Mike Ledgerwood on All Hit Radio.
But the Irishman did after reading Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Daniken, with a sprinkle of WB Yeats and his belief that every 2,000 years something cataclysmic happens.
Never mind that the Nativity Story is only mentioned in two out of the four gospels.
And the Monty Python boys went this way too when they had a spaceship land in Bethlehem in the Holy Land in Life of Brian.
A Galaxy far, far away
Idle life: Monty Python
Which brings us neatly to Eric Idle’s pithy reflection on the human condition in Galaxyin The Meaning of Life.
So it applies to us all, John Glenn and other space cadets.
Nobody likes their passport pic, particularly now we can’t even smile.
Mine’s looks like it could have been taken more than 100 years ago when they were first introduced.
But we don’t even flinch at being asked now for it and I suspect we’ll quickly get used to the technology being rolled out by the Canary Islands to get us back travelling.
The Canary Islands (Spain) and the World Tourism Organisation have agreed a flight in July for the world’s first ‘safe’ flight using the Digital Health Passport, developed by Canarian firm Hi + Card
I can just taste that Tenerife Shakespearean wine Malvasia.
If your family is driving you up the wall you may be taking sanctuary in a TV family… me, I’ve been a fly on the wall at the Pritchards and the Dunphys in LA.
Colorado rocks
