We take the metro to Venice Beach which is just as full of crazy characters as I was expecting. Not that we were actually in Hollywood but I wouldn't have been surprised to see the man from 'Pretty Woman' calling out:

What's your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don't; but keep on dreamin' - this is Hollywood.

We end up walking all along Venice Beach until we reach Santa Monica Pier which is just like the pictures I've seen. A couple of beers at a rooftop bar watching the sun go down about 8pm puts us in a mellow mood and we're ready to get the metro back to our hotel. It's too late to eat at a restaurant but we go to the Original Pantry Café across the road from our hotel. It's a 24 hour diner that has been open since 1924 and it's packed at 11pm. It's an old fashioned greasy spoon that looks straight out of an American sitcom. I love it. We order and the meals are outrageously large. It will take us a while to embrace the concept of only ordering one or two meals between the three of us or get the leftovers 'to go' at the end.