前回にひきつづきBriannaによるカリフォルニア編！
今回は南部、
特にアメリカ人のみならず世界中の人々に大人気の都市、
ロサンジェルスをご紹介します！
Southern California (SoCal) has more of a big-city, trendy atmosphere.
It's more highly populated because of the great weather: it rarely rains, the summer is dry and comfortable, and even the coldest day in winter is like spring in Japan.
Going to the beach is the locals' favorite activity on a sunny day, but the beaches can be crowded in summer, and the water is very cold in the winter.
Besides the beaches, the most famous attraction is the original Disneyland.
It's smaller and older than the one in Tokyo, but it's still worth visiting for real Disney fans.
California Adventures, which is a new part of Disneyland (like Disney Sea in Japan), is actually not very interesting.
Disneyland's California Adventures
Also, there is Universal Studios Hollywood, but I heard it's not as good as the one in Osaka.
The main city that represents SoCal is Los Angeles.
This is a huge city,
but it doesn't have the metropolis feel of New York or Tokyo because it's very spread out.
In fact, unlike San Fransisco, you need a car to get around,
because everything is too far to walk or bike, and the public transportation system is not very good.
Unfortunately, everyone has a car, and this is why LA is famous for traffic.
If you drive in the LA area, please avoid rush hour - between 3:30 and 6 pm - because your car won't be moving very much at all!
But once you're able to get around, you'll discover a lot of different areas, each with their own character.
West LA is the richer and prettier area.
In Beverly Hills you can shop at expensive designer brand stores, and sometimes spot celebrities.
In Bel Air you can see huge houses where celebrities live.
(On the side of the street, a lot of people sell "star maps" so you can find your favorite celebrity's house.)
West Hollywood is famous for gay bars and clubs.
Westwood is home to UCLA, the most famous college in SoCal, and a small town where students like to shop, eat, and drink at bars.
(A popular shop here is Diddy Reese, which sells ice cream sandwiches: ice cream between two cookies, for only 35 cents each.)
Santa Monica has an outdoor shopping center called 3rd Street Promenade, and famous beach with a pier.
My favorite part of LA is Venice Beach:
if you start at the Santa Monica pier and walk for about 20 minutes south along the beach,
you'll reach a boardwalk with local artists selling their goods, and performers entertaining crowds.
It's not as clean and rich as other places in West LA, but more artistic and there are more unique people.
It's also the birthplace of skateboarding, so you will see a lot of people skating there.
Sunset at Venice Beach
If you start early, in one day you can see 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica Beach, and Venice Beach, and enjoy the beautiful sunset on the beach.
This is one of my favorite views in LA.
East LA is more dangerous and dirty.
Hollywood is here, but some visitors might be disappointed, because there are a lot of homeless people, the souveniers are tacky, and there's not much to see besides the Walk of Fame and the Graumann's Theatre with the celebrities' handprints.
The best part about Hollywood might be the night clubs. One of the best night views in LA is from the Griffith Park Observatory, from which you can also see the Hollywood sign.
The night view from Griffith Park Observatory, Hollywood
LA is only a few hours' drive from Mexico, so many students go to Mexico to party during school breaks.
One reason is because the legal drinking age in Mexico is only 18 (in California it's 21
and the laws are enforced strictly.)
Lately, some areas of Mexico have been dangerous, though, so it's important to be careful.
BriannaはUCLAの卒業生。
彼女へのUCLAについてのインタビューもUP予定です：）
春休みも後半、楽しんでくださいね！
Chiaki
http://orangecountyhomeforsale.wordpress.com/2011/07/03/orange-county-homes-for-sale/
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23673985
http://www.pachd.com/free-images/los-angeles.html
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/33074680
http://downtownsm.com/about/history.html
http://www.rickbucich.com/ucla-royce-hall-daytime/
1870年にはアメリカで初めて女性が陪審員を勤め
