Restaurants: Plenty of McDonald's - almost on every corner - kind of like Waffle House at home. KFC and Taco Bell are also in good supply here. NO Waffle House or Krystal. Chick-fil-As are few and far between. We have seen one each of Applebee's, Macaroni Grill, Dairy Queen, and Red Robin; a couple of Wendy's; a few IHOP; and several Denny's. No Arby's (Even though my GPS says there is one around here, I have yet to see it). Del Taco, Carl Jr., and Jack in the Box are popular here. Also El Pollo Loco (LOTS of Mexican and Italian restaurants out here). There is something called Weinerschntzel that I just figured out today is a hot dog stand. I may have to try that before we leave. In and Out Burgers are plentiful in Los Angeles, and I have heard they are good. So lots of familiar "faces" with several new and different.
Shopping: Targets are the favorite out here, hands down. It wasn't until we were headed out here to Redlands that we saw our first Wal-Mart or KMart. But there was a Target on almost every corner in LA. Didn't really see any other familiar chain stores in LA, but out here in the suburbs, we have seen all the usual: Kohl's, Dress Barn, Michael's, Jo-Ann's, Mervyns, Best Buy, Big Lots, Ross, Marshalls, etc. Home Depot seems to be the more popular home improvement store out here; we've only seen a couple of Lowe's and those were not in LA. We did find a Goodwill here. There are a few Dollar Trees around, but the 99 cent store seems to be the more popular choice. Oh, and there is no shortage of CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, or RiteAid!
Convenience stores: 7 Eleven and Circle K are almost everywhere. No Raceway, Racetrac, or QuikTrip. The rest are the usual Shell or others I don't recognize. There's no BP out here that we've seen. Gas is running anywhere from about $2.83/gal to $2.99. Not nearly as high as I thought it would be.
Plants: Of course, there are LOTS of palm trees. According to Mom, there used to tons of orange trees, but they are almost all gone now. Not a whole lot of cactus... we're not out in the desert here. Saw this bird of paradise out in front of the building where the reunion was held last night:
There is also hibiscus, but I haven't gotten a picture yet. I posted an earlier picture of the "Graveyard Cyprus." They are everywhere out here. There is also a lot of eucalyptus and roses. Beyond that, I wouldn't know what I was looking at! LOL
Prices are a little higher out here, but nothing like I imagined. Or had been told. Maybe it's just housing prices that are through the roof; I don't know. In some of the local restaurants, food can be pricey; like $15.99 for a sandwich, but the chains seem to be pretty comparable.
Of course the air is dryer out here. There was some humidity a few days ago, and everyone we talked to was complaining about it and even saying we brought it with us. Mom and I say they know NOTHING about humidity!!
I've already mentioned the no cell phone while driving laws. I can see it works. Also, I told you about the weird way motorcycles weave through traffic in LA, but I haven't noticed that out here. You can turn right on red here, which is great. I haven't noticed an obvious "green" movement like I thought there would be. Maybe that is more in Northern California. I've noticed a lot of Priuses on the road, but that is it. And like I said, the only rude people we have encountered are the drivers in LA.
That's some of the things I've observed here. I'm really tired, and you're probably really bored, so I'll quit now and get some sleep!
1 comment:
Not boring-I like to know about the differences :) I have traveled so much that if I didn't note the differences, I would feel like everything is the same in every state I go to....there are so many chains that are national at this point that it could be easy to feel that way.
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