Los Angeles :)

Warning: this is going to be a very picture-heavy post!

If you read my last post you’ll know I was headed off on a trip to LA. The flight is one of the longest we do (along with I believe Houston and possibly Dallas) clocking in at around 16 hours each way. Such a long time to be stuck in a metal tube! Luckily the crew were great fun and we got to have a break (albeit a very short one – just over 3 hours!) in the CRC. 

Our hotel is actually in Orange County, so a fair old drive from LAX. Once we arrived a few of us girls arranged to meet and do what girls do best – shop, of course! There’s a big mall about a 5-10 minute walk away from the hotel (that’s if you don’t take the wrong exit on your way out and end up taking a 40 minute detour…) so we headed over there for some retail therapy and dinner. Perfectly fitting Forever 21 jeans for 10 dollars? What more could I ask for?! (Ok, so the whole “adding tax on at the till” thing still gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME but what’s a girl to do!).

The next day 4 of us booked a tour through the hotel to see all the sights. We wanted to hire a car but only me and one of the other girls would have been ok with driving, and both of us were under 25 which hikes the price up quite a bit. Seeing as it was also my first time here we decided just to go for the tour, and hire a car and see more places next time. Our first stop was downtown LA, to see the Kodak/Dolby Theatre (where the Oscars are held), the Chinese Theatre and of course the Walk of Fame. 
ImageImageThe King of Pop!ImageChinese TheatreImageImageImageImage

After a good long walk spotting as many famous stars as we could (I tried to find one with “Rachel” in it, no such luck) we drove up towards Mulholland Drive, and to see the Hollywood Sign. I have to say I was a tiny bit disappointed, as I had thought we’d be able to get a bit closer, but it was still awesome to actually see it in real life.
ImageAwesome view over foggy LAImageImageImageImage

Then we drove to Beverly Hills, to see some houses belonging to the rich and famous. Amongst others, we saw AMAZING houses belonging to Cameron Diaz, Brad & Angelina, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and the Playboy Mansion! We must have seen at least 50 houses belonging to celebrities, however they all decided to stay inside πŸ™ It was also pretty difficult to get good pictures, as we mostly just drove by and of course they all have big gates and hedges.
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From there we drover to Santa Monica pier, where we stopped for lunch and a walk along the pier. We then headed towards Venice Beach for another stroll there, so many palm trees! I love it. So pretty, lovely weather and just a great atmosphere. 
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Venice Beach ImageImageImage

Our last stop on the tour was Marina del Rey, a harbour area with lots of beautiful boats and yachts. And of course we had to get an ice cream there πŸ˜‰ImageImage

We finally started the long drive back to the hotel, and decided that we hadn’t done quite enough shopping…back to the mall it was! I decided to splurge on some pretty pink Nike trainers seeing as I’ve had my last ones for about 6 or 7 years (not that they really get used on a regular basis, let’s be honest here) as they were about 40 dollars cheaper than in Dubai. I’m going to try and get as much use out of them as possible!

The next morning I made use of our crew discount on breakfast and stuffed my face American style…bagels with cream cheese, bacon, pancakes with maple syrup and lots of blueberries! Before we knew it was time for the looooooong flight back to Dubai. It wasn’t full which was a pleasant surprise. I have to say I can’t honestly remember the last time I flew on the A380 and it wasn’t completely full!

After a couple of days off relaxing, spending time with Joey and catching up with my friends, it’s back to work now with a night flight to Shanghai. This time I’ll definitely be going out and doing some exploring and sightseeing as I have no more studying to do for the next year!

I also got my February roster while I was in LA, and even though I’m top bid (bidding is a bit complicated to explain – basically there are 7 groups and seniority for bidding works on a rotation basis, so once every 7 months you’re at the top and usually get what you ask for) it’s probably one of the worst rosters I’ve had in ages! 4 turnarounds – 2 of them to Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of our longest (around 4/5 hours each way) and the other 2 to Kuwait and Doha. These 2 are so quick it takes longer to put my make up on than do the flight, haha! Then I got 3 flights to Sau Paolo and one to Clark, Philippines. Now, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, and of course I’m looking forward to going to Brazil, but literally the only thing I bid for was Rio. One single trip and they couldn’t even give it to me! I’ve ended up swapping one of my Sau Paolo’s for a shorter flight to Zurich, which gives me the weekend in Dubai and a bit of cold, snowy weather. My trip to the Philippines is right over Valentine’s Day, which is a bit annoying, as I’m torn between wanting to go to a new destination, and wanting to be able to spend it in Dubai with Joey. We’ll see, maybe someone will swap it for days off. Anyway, enough rambling now – I’ve got a suitcase to pack!

 

P.s. If you want more regular day to day updates of what is happening in my life, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @rachelwwilson!

23 Comments

  1. May 5, 2015 / 12:17 pm

    Hey! I’ve been lurking on here since I got accepted to be a cabin crew – I’m moving to Dubai on June 12th and couldn’t be more excited! I’ve also posted a question on here and you were so kind to respond so quickly πŸ™‚
    I wanted to know whether you’re more likely to get a destination if you speak the local language.
    Also, do you have to re-do all your hair and make-up after resting in the CRC during the longest flights? I’m not really a make-up person so I’ll have to learn about all this stuff :p

    Thanks for doing this, your blog is absolutely awesome!!! xxx

    • May 5, 2015 / 12:17 pm

      Oh I also meant to ask how does the swap work and is there a limit for it?

      • May 17, 2015 / 12:20 pm

        You have 3 swaps a month, the system is changing next month though so I’m not sure if it will still be the same when you join! Also you can only swap after your 6 months of probation. x

    • May 17, 2015 / 12:19 pm

      Hi, congrats on getting the job! πŸ™‚ Well I do find that as a German speaker I get a lot of German flights, but some other languages which are more common (e.g. Spanish) don’t tend to make much difference! I think it all depends on rostering requirements πŸ™‚ To be honest I usually leave my hair up and all of my make up on, I just take off the lipstick! It’s way too much effort to re-do it all haha! xx

  2. April 18, 2014 / 10:34 pm

    I LOVE your blog! I’ve just decided to apply for your airline once an OD comes to Los Angeles/San Diego/San Francisco…somewhere near me lol. Question though, how often do you get a flight to LAX? Do crew with more seniority get them because it’s a longer flight and you make more money? Just curious because I live in Orange County and it’d be nice to come home every now and then for a day.

    • May 7, 2014 / 7:26 pm

      Hi, I’m glad you like it! πŸ™‚
      To be honest I’ve only had the one flight to LAX, but if you bid for it you’re more likely to get it, and you can always try swapping as well. It’s not really based on seniority/money, I’d say it’s personal preference as the flight is one of the hardest we have! Good luck for the open day πŸ™‚

  3. Andy
    February 3, 2014 / 12:20 am

    Lovely post, I enjoyed reading it πŸ™‚
    Love your sunglasses – do you remember where you got them?
    Andy

    • February 3, 2014 / 8:29 am

      Thank you πŸ™‚ Yes they are from Prada, but I got them maybe 2 or 3 years ago as a gift so I’m not sure if they are still available! πŸ™‚

  4. Christina Daniel
    February 2, 2014 / 9:48 pm

    Hi πŸ™‚ Great blog you have here!! What is CRC? I have been reading a bit on Emirates website in regards to becoming a flight attendant. Do you or them hold costs for apartment in Dubai (assuming that’s the base)? Many thanks in advance for your feedback. πŸ™‚

    • February 3, 2014 / 8:28 am

      Hi, thank you! CRC = Crew rest compartment. It’s an area which has bunk beds in which we use for our rest on really long flights! πŸ™‚ The company provides our accommodation in Dubai, the only thing we have to take care of is the internet bill πŸ™‚

      • Christina Daniel
        February 3, 2014 / 9:38 pm

        Thank you much for your reply! πŸ™‚ That sounds good! I could see that the salary is not that high but if the accommodation is paid for it should be manageable. Keep up the great work on your blog!!

  5. January 30, 2014 / 6:50 am

    i love your blog and your posts ive been planning to be a cabin crew as well but in etihad so wish me luck

  6. Karen
    January 30, 2014 / 6:23 am

    Hi Rachel,

    I just love your blog! It keeps me going as I have been dreaming to be a cabin crew at Emirates for four years now. Now I am still preparing so I can apply and be successful (braces, facial moles, etc). When I feel down, I open your blog and feel alive again and hopeful for my dream. Hopefully I can get the job and meet you in person on one of the flights, that would really be awesome!!!

    • February 3, 2014 / 8:23 am

      Hi Karen! Aww that’s so sweet of you, I’m crossing my fingers for you that you get the job πŸ™‚

  7. Anonymous
    January 29, 2014 / 10:49 pm

    If you were going to Manila, I would say go but depending on where you are staying, I would skip Clarke.

    • February 3, 2014 / 8:22 am

      Ok, thanks for the advice, let’s see what happens haha!

  8. Anna
    January 29, 2014 / 8:27 am

    Hi Rachel! I just love your blog, I found it today and I spent the whole evening reading it πŸ™‚ I’ve been dreaming about Emirates for the last 3 years and I even decided to go to USA to improve my English so I can make it better on interview. I hope one day I will be able to see all of this amazing places πŸ™‚ Please dont stop writing this blog!!!

    • February 3, 2014 / 8:21 am

      Hi Anna! Very glad you like my blog πŸ™‚ Your English seems great already! Maybe one day I’ll see you in Dubai πŸ™‚

  9. January 29, 2014 / 3:58 am

    I found your blog today – I loved the first posts I read that I ended up reading all of them! I love the pics and your perspective of all the places you visit! Thanks for sharing!

  10. Anonymous
    January 28, 2014 / 8:07 pm

    I love the post, I love the photos!
    Rachel how long were you there? Did you have one full day just for sightseeing or more time?:)

    • February 3, 2014 / 8:20 am

      Thank you πŸ™‚ We had 48 hours there, but only really one full day for sightseeing. We arrive in the afternoon, have the whole next day, then the day after that just a few hours in the morning. πŸ™‚

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