So, what about the rest of Day 1?

So, we left off with a busted suitcase, a buggered laptop, and the prospects of not being able to keep the blog going as I had wanted to.

So, what happened?

Things got better.

A bit.

One of my biggest concerns about being in America is effectively managing my money. Not necessarily the amounts that I'm spending - I've been saving for a while, and I'm not exactly an extravagant spender anyway - but being accustomed to the automatic addition of sales tax to any purchase, and the evil charges levied against me for using my card to pay. Sometimes it's going to be unavoidable; paying for hotels and motels on the road trip next week is almost inevitably going to have to be on the card. But for basic things, the charges can be avoided by using cash. And being a Barclays customer, I can withdraw cash from Bank of America cash machines without being hit by any charges. Huzzah!

So, after submitting a claim for the busted suitcase, I set off into the streets of Los Angeles looking for a Bank of America. I knew I had to head along Ventura Boulevard, and I knew that if I hit a certain road then I would have gone too far. The walk itself was fairly simple, and the bank was easy to find. What I did find unusual was the coolness of the air. With the storms still rather fresh, ambient temperatures were low. I was walking along in a heavy pair of jeans, t-shirt and an old rugby top, and only just feeling comfortably warm. Sadly, these low temperatures have continued until the time of writing, and it looks like London is having a much better time of the weather than we are having here!

The afternoon saw us hit up Target for some essentials and not-so-essentials! Following that, we stopped off, on Sara's recommendation, at In-N-Out Burger for some classic American fast food, animal style! Then, back home, where the after-effects of jet lag had us both asleep in bed before 9pm.

I think my body adapted to the time-zone whilst we were above the East Coast, as I was awake at 4am the next morning...

Between tiredness, Sara's medical appointments, and the general needs of buying things that we were unwilling or unable to take in suitcases - was I going to risk a can of shaving foam in my bag? - the first full day in LA was a bit of a washout, plenty of tasking and very little in the way of fun and enjoyment. Thankfully, it was to be the only day like this.