American Road Trip

[Optional]

Landed in LA about midnight last night after the bash and now have 8 days to see a bit of USA for the first time.

Only had one day here on the way to DR but already blown away how welcoming you guys are to an Aussie accent.

Anyway... Day 1;

When I told rental car rep what my plan was he upgraded me from the 6cyl base model Dodge Challenger I had booked into a just released Camaro RS V8 with 100 miles on the clock. Every interaction I have had here seems to turn out with an unexpected good result like that.

Driving at night in rain on wrong side of road on LA roads proved a bit scarier than anticipated so just got my ass into a motel ASAP last night. Going to cruise jay Leno's hidden LA race track and the Peterson Motor museum and find a shop to fix my laptop today, then will flip a coin and either head north along coast to SF or West along historic route 66 toward Arizona.

Will post pics when have laptop back. Keeps failing from this annoying tablet thing.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

looking forward to the updates here

[5mike5]

Opti sent me a pic of his sweet ass ride

no no idea how to post a pic from my phone on here though

brand new Camero RS V8. Just 100 miles on it

[JAKEPEAVY21]

[Optional]

Had a great day exploring LA.

Also got the laptop fixed so will be able post some pics etc from now on.

It's really late and I've checked into a pretty seedy hotel and feel like I need 12 hours sleep to finally recover from the bash and the travel and the bug I caught a few days ago, so will update tomorrow. Have had a really different/interesting experience tonight. Not sure how much I really want to share online for posterity but have had the FULL Los Angeles experience, and not the tourist kind. Exactly what I said i wanted from this trip... see some of the real America.

DiggityDaggityDo is the one that kind of caused it by standing me up on our date in the OC btw!

[5mike5]

Cut wait to hear about that "real" LA experience

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Cut wait to hear about that "real" LA experience

sat in traffic for hours, mugged?

[Optional]

sat in traffic for hours, mugged?

Well yeah, a bit of that too.

One thing that surprised me was just how far the traffic goes. Was 60-100 miles out of downtown city heading East and still seeing 6 lanes of traffic coming to a complete halt at times.

[Optional]

Stopped in Victorville tonight. Vegas tomorrow!

Trying to get all my work caught up tonight before LV weekend and really really tired from the 'LA Experience' so just going to add some pics and will add more detail later.

[Optional]

Just going to repost a conversation from another thread rather than re describe the LA Experience...

But check latest update at bottom from tonight.

Inglewood, CA - City of Champions

My wife decided she wants to move to Vegas

are you seriously in Inglewood Jaker??

Am there right now myself. On Prarie Avenue. Def no prob for JJ and weed at least. lol

Opti I am not in Inglewood but I am relatively close. What are you doing on Prairie???

Having a grassroots American adventure. Was on lock down in the room last night as some bad dudes surrounded the car in the carpark and even my local protectors said to hide inside. Having a grand ole time so far

lol that is the hood bro

if you want a suggestion on a different hotel let me know

haha, yeah I know. which is why I was wondering why you lived there! But drove around Inglewood a bit further today looking for breakfast place and realize it is huge and has rich, poor and middle areas. (and if you think Prairie is the hood you should have seen where I ended up at a family home for dinner the night before!)

Here's one of my new Blackexian mates and I at a Taco stand scared white guys will swear blind anyone who dares to stop near for too long, or make eye contact with anyone, will surely be killed/robbed/bashed. (you can probably google that truck name and see what block it's on)



Anyway... this is the sort of stuff I meant by a road trip to see some of the real America. His family run one of the crazy motels down there on Prairie and offered to put me up free and put on a party last night. Could not refuse! Was fun (and big time educational) but we had to stay locked inside when the wrong group came a visiting to look at the weird sight of a brand new red Camaro in the car park.



If you would like to meet some real people from your own neighborhood that wish more white people would say hello like fellow members of the human race occasionally... then you are welcome to join us for home made fish tacos and traditional family feast next Wednesday around 7pm before I fly out of LAX for home. ;-)

I am in a nice safe hotel at Victorville tonight and Paris LV tomorrow to Monday... neither will be as fun as the American Apartments or the Seabreeze Motel in Inglewood though I will bet.


@JJ... those are pretty much for sure the very cheapest motels in the LA area and you can get your weed at your own front door 24 hours a day, and hookers make courtesy calls to see if you want a discounted date on slow nights, if that is a benefit for you. Sounds almost exactly what you asked for?

Sounds a little crazy but fun. Inglewood has a lot of different areas like you say. I almost bought a place there a few years back and actually have been keeping an eye out for property there. I currently live Inglewood adjacent... Be safe. Have fun in Vegas. Maybe I'll catch you when you get back for tacos.

Story too long but wasn't intentional to be risky. By the time I was back at their family home it was too late to start worrying and they didn't explain it was 800 block ghetto (or what that was) until late in the visit and by that time I had been adopted already. Had a conversation with a 15yo HS football star who is dealing with having to decide if he wants a shot at an NFL career badly enough to kill people for 2 or 3 thousand a time with his group of friends as a way to finance the rest of the partial scholarship he has been offered so far. And he isn't a piece of shit or stupid or hates the world or thinks its cool to be a gang banger... he's a 100% normal teenager with what sounds like great potential and a good head on his shoulders. It's not up to me or you to save indiviuals ourselves but if you really do end up coming next week I bet you walk away confused and moved by the shitty situation, choices and bad forces he has to navigate at just 15. Cant stop thinking about him myself.

Damn man. You are lurking deep in the hood.

Update:

Received an ominously threatening text message from one of the Inglewood Mexican crew about midnight tonight. Didnt make a lot of sense so I tried calling to find out more. Of course the big tough hood guy is all brave by text but did not have the actual ball size to allow him to answer the phone and speak to me... so I asked my protector/mate WTF is going on by text and at 2.00am another text comes in from the first guy basically saying I am always here for you bro, will fix any problems for you blah blah.

Long and the short of it was that my mate in the taco truck picture has got himself in the shit specifically because he didn't rip me off...well specifically because others did not believe he hadn't and thought he was holding out on splitting profits with them.

What a world these guys live in. Every day they expect to be shafted or stolen from, even by family and friends.

Was maybe luckier than I realized and decided not to bother going back again. Kind of like how I felt after learning to skydive years ago... loved doing that but why press my luck just for a thrill now I already have done it.

I'll never feel scared to enter a 'hood' in the future though, just don't think it's smart to come back after these dudes have had a few days to think about how they could profit from me if my mate would not do it for them.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

what an interesting LA experience!!

Have fun in Vegas!!

[reigle9]

Just now seeing this thread. Pumped to read it all.

sat in traffic for hours, mugged?

probably the hardest i ever lol'd on here

[reigle9]

jesus opti, you are an insane person

i've done similar things, but i wouldn't advise it

[5mike5]

Opti is now an official American badass!

[Optional]

jesus opti, you are an insane person

i've done similar things, but i wouldn't advise it

Ha, we probably value our own life a bit less than the average person Reigle ;-)

But people who live scared really aren't living at all.

And people like Seaweed who do all they can to drag others into fear of the terrorists with them, or use racial stereotype scare tactics at any opportunity, should be shamed and ostracized and laughed at. In fact that is the only thing I actually don't like about Weed, but it's a BIG one that makes him a close ally of the worst people in this world in my mind.

Not a tough guy at all but feel pretty strongly about those harmful attitudes the quivering scared nobodies espouse so loudly whilst probably never being willing to even have a meal with a Muslim or homeless or illegal immigrant to get a half basic understanding of them.

So I actively try not to be hypocritical about it when things come up, like stopping for a homeless black/Mexican wanting to ask about Australia when I just want to turn away and ignore them in reality. Which is probably why I end up in these situations more than just from basic insanity mate. ;-)


JakePeavy saw a bit of the attitude when I tried to argue we really didnt need to be at the airport 2 hours ahead of time 'just to be safe'. I like him a lot so gave in to the fear and got there early with him that time

[reigle9]

that wish more white people would say hello like fellow members of the human race occasionally

I think they appreciate the fact that you're not scared or ask if they're going to kill you.

I couldn't find weed one night and really wanted some, so I got on a dating site and asked random girls if they could get any. I met a hooker that said she could. She was of course in the ghetto and the person getting the weed was her pimp. So I roll into the ghetto at 1am in my fancy ass sportscar and looking like a macy's ad. Pick up her pimp and we have to go to another place to get it. I have no idea if he's going to pull a gun on me, rob and steal my car, but I say fukk it.

Everything went well. After we got it, I went back to their place, we smoked a blunt, and I left. He told me if I'm ever over there and any of these niggas try to fukk with me, just mention his name and come find him lol.

Another time I was on the way to pittsburgh and my phone died. I had no idea where I was going, so pull off the next exit to find somewhere to charge it. Well it happens to be a ghetto right outside of the city. Again, in my fancy car I pull up to a group of black dudes and ask them if they know a place. He's like park your car and come with me. I'm half in the bag, so say fukk it why not. He takes me to a bar where I'm certain no white person has ever been. We just sit there while my phone charges and I buy him a couple drinks. The place was like you'd see in a movie. After we're there a bit, a look around and say...is it ok that i'm in here? He says yeah it's fine, you're with me. Everything went fine and nobody fukked with my car.

Now these stories are the minor league versions of yours. I don't know if I could've done what you did. The australian accent and your story definitely helped you a lot, at least in that case.

We were both likely pretty lucky. It was day time when I went to the bar, so that one probably wasn't too dangerous. But the weed story could've easily ended badly.

[reigle9]

also i feel like if we ever hang out, it'll be the first time in my life when i'm the reasonable one lol

"idk opti, that's a lot of hookers"

"idk opti, do we really need an entire 8-ball"

"idk opti, i think driving a bentley down MLK could end badly"

[5mike5]

also i feel like if we ever hang out, it'll be the first time in my life when i'm the reasonable one lol

"idk opti, that's a lot of hookers"

"idk opti, do we really need an entire 8-ball"

"idk opti, i think driving a bentley down MLK could end badly"

[Optional]

What you describe about the hookers, well it seemed like everyone in the place, selling weed and getting pimps to drop it off... and the story about the local tough guy looking after you is pretty much the same scene exactly. I saw crack and meth and shatter and wax for the first time in my life. Did not really understand the pimp thing and how it worked. Just seemed like a thing from old tv shows to me. A girl explained how her old one and new one both wanted a piece of her and that was just how the world works for her. She claimed to be making good money and be happy with it all though. Prostitution is legal in Australia so there is no pimp system (that I know of). The car was the thing that made me least comfortable there too. Just stands out like dogs balls everywhere we went. Driving the Mexican big man around a couple of times whilst he acted big time in the passenger seat and people eye-balled me like they were thinking "WTF is going on here and should I be careful of this white boy" was a little freaky at moments. Although as far as I could tell none of these people actually had guns on them... which was another stereotype shattered for me. I thought all hard people had a gun in America.

And I have heard lines like that a few times in my life Reigle


Glad that is over now though and glad to be back to my safe space world here in Vegas.

Funny how Vegas seems kind of sanitized and clean compared.


Anyway, Sunday morning and about to head out to Bellagio for breakfast with poster Oneunder.

Chances are not a lot will happen today to report, well apart from gambling and eating and drinking... but boring. Have to find some action to get the pulse racing again eh?

[reigle9]

that's great you have to go to vegas to slow down lol

you going to play any poker?

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Ha, we probably value our own life a bit less than the average person Reigle ;-)

But people who live scared really aren't living at all.

And people like Seaweed who do all they can to drag others into fear of the terrorists with them, or use racial stereotype scare tactics at any opportunity, should be shamed and ostracized and laughed at. In fact that is the only thing I actually don't like about Weed, but it's a BIG one that makes him a close ally of the worst people in this world in my mind.

Not a tough guy at all but feel pretty strongly about those harmful attitudes the quivering scared nobodies espouse so loudly whilst probably never being willing to even have a meal with a Muslim or homeless or illegal immigrant to get a half basic understanding of them.

So I actively try not to be hypocritical about it when things come up, like stopping for a homeless black/Mexican wanting to ask about Australia when I just want to turn away and ignore them in reality. Which is probably why I end up in these situations more than just from basic insanity mate. ;-)


JakePeavy saw a bit of the attitude when I tried to argue we really didnt need to be at the airport 2 hours ahead of time 'just to be safe'. I like him a lot so gave in to the fear and got there early with him that time

I usually go an hour early for domestic flights. I was always told 2 hours for international.

[BrickJames]

"US road trip" are you coming to the Midwest at all? Chicago, Minneapolis, KC? Bunch of fukking weirdos out West. Bunch of fukking assholes on the East Coast.

Midwast is "just right"

[evo34]

Inglewood?

[Optional]

I usually go an hour early for domestic flights. I was always told 2 hours for international.

LOL.. I know. How many times did you hear people say the same thing during our trip? I was just mentioning it as an example of my usual 'risky' mindset.

"US road trip" are you coming to the Midwest at all? Chicago, Minneapolis, KC? Bunch of fukking weirdos out West. Bunch of fukking assholes on the East Coast.

Midwast is "just right"

Originally I planned to stop in Atlanta after the bash and do 3 weeks driving around the South and seeing the Daytona 500. Ended up scaling it back to just 8 days and a bit of West coast. But definitely would like to do the more traditional part of the country next time. Now I feel more confident about weeks by myself on the road in a strange country.




I think I have just about burned myself out. Had a nice breakfast with OneUnder and then went to Ceasers poker room where I picked up about $100 on a 1/2 table but started to feel really ill by about 1pm so bailed out and came back to room.

I have a sore calf muscle, the end of a blister on one heel and a slight case of goat going, Which makes walking around Vegas a real ordeal as going anywhere much is a long way. Along with a fever that just wont go away, an ulcer on my tongue and a persistent sore throat since day 3 of the bash, I have been ignoring it but its finally getting me down and would really just like to be in my own bed tonight.

Just stayed in room and ordered room service tonight. Seems a shame to not play up big in Vegas but decided I was just going to have to give myself a break and not worry about it. Had such a great time I will definitely be back soon and can do Vegas properly that time.

[5mike5]

Sorry ur under the weather buddy. U have had a massive trip already no shame in laying up for the big trip home You have coming. Ulcer on the tounge is brutal

[reigle9]

Staying at caeser's? I'd guess their rooms/beds are pretty solid. They are in AC.

Steam shower, smoke a bowl on the shower bench, recover. Hooker in the morning if you're feeling better. Possibly black.

[Optional]

Staying at caeser's? I'd guess their rooms/beds are pretty solid. They are in AC.

Steam shower, smoke a bowl on the shower bench, recover. Hooker in the morning if you're feeling better. Possibly black.

Staying at Paris but poker room at Caesers suits me best with their 1/2 games.

A bowl is probably just the ticket if I knew where tro go for that

[BrickJames]

Staying at Paris but poker room at Caesers suits me best with their 1/2 games.

A bowl is probably just the ticket if I knew where tro go for that

Go to Reef dispensaries. Best exotic strands in the world

[JAKEPEAVY21]

are you back home?

anything exciting happen on the tail end of your holiday?