My friend and I had been dreaming of a trip to California and LA for years back in our home countries. Palm trees, the ocean, beautiful guys and girls - just like in popular music videos! But our dreams were shattered on the way to our hotel (or rather, a Mexican motel). Since we hadn't booked accommodation in LA in advance, we couldn't find any other options. We stayed in Downtown - a city center you imagine as beautiful, clean, with skyscrapers, art cafes, and cool shops. However, LA Downtown is a haven for the homeless and drug addicts. It smells like a dump almost everywhere. It's scary to walk the streets even during the day, homeless people lie across the sidewalks, and local ghetto fights can be heard around every corner. It happened that while we were returning to our hotel in the evening, cars would stop and drivers would tell us not to walk alone in such a place.

It turned out that all the cool restaurants, boutiques, and entertainment are closer to the ocean in the Santa Monica and Malibu areas.

I never wanted to walk along the Walk of Fame, but there's something about it. You get charged with a kind of Hollywood spirit! It's especially cool there in the evening.

Near our hotel, by the way, we found many cool restaurants and shops. But because of the drug addicts roaming the streets, we didn't really want to walk around our neighborhood.

A super cool bookstore with art galleries on the second floor.

But I liked the subway in LA much more than in NY - it's cleaner, and the stations are designed more interestingly.

After spending just one day in LA, the next day we set off on our tour of the Western US and national parks.

As I already said, the tours are run by a Chinese company, so they are quite cheap. Ours cost $700 for 12 days. But you know, Chinese products speak for themselves. The guide speaks Chinese and a little English. The bus is full of Chinese tourists. And they will take you to Chinese buffets for lunch. Although you can always find a supermarket or other fast food nearby. But overall, the trip turned out to be excellent. Because when you see such beauty that makes your head spin, you forget about everything in the world.

I'll say right away, the wonders started from the very start of the tour! The highway we were driving on was more picturesque than any national park! Scorching sun, sands, old Cadillacs, desert, and incredible landscapes. Everything is like in Western movies. This is the America I always imagined. We spent the whole day on the road. And our first stop was the small town of St. George in Utah, where we spent the night.

The next morning we were to see the most colorful places in the West - Antelope Canyon and Bryce Canyon.

Antelope Canyon still belongs to the Navajo Indians and is not a US national park. To get onto Indian territories, the Indians always demand a fee, and sometimes not a small one. The canyon is famous for the whimsical shape and color of the rocks, which look simply magical in combination with sunlight! The only downside is the large number of tourists. This makes it a bit difficult to enjoy their beauty.

The discovery of the whole trip for me turned out to be Bryce Canyon, which I had never heard of before. Guys, this is a miracle! Red-orange rocks and coniferous forests present an incredible sight! It's a pity that due to our busy schedule, our group was given only an hour for a walk in this park. I would have stayed there for at least a couple of days to walk enough and breathe in the mountain air. Being at an altitude of 2-3 thousand meters, looking at these vast expanses, you understand all the beauty of travel.

Be sure to go down into the canyon.

And then again hotels and the road...

Stopped at a gas station. Such landscapes there...