PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Virgin Australia to celebrate one of their newest routes: Melbourne to Los Angeles. As of April 4th, you’ll be able to throw on those oversized Miu Miu shades, pack your LV cabin trunk and hotfoot it straight to the City of Angels, all glam, no stopover. You can book a flight here.
Think about your major goal in life. You know, the bigger picture, your craziest dream. Just take a moment to visualise it.
Now imagine that you’ve hit it, you’ve clocked it; you’re there.
Do you not picture yourself riding away into the sunset in a convertible?! No?!
It goes that way in all the best stories. Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson. Marge Simpson and Ruth Powers. Thelma and Lou—
oh wait
Regardless of how it ends, there’s definitely something special about a droptop. The most iconic place to ride ’round getting your hair all wind-whipped? America! LA is the perfect place to take a sneaky lil’ road trip from – there are tons of amazing places just a few hours away, and most take you on some pretty incredible winding roads, past gorgeous beaches or through desert plains.
Here’s a brief index of the places you must roll into on a vehicular trip through the states. And absolutely do so in a convertible.
LA > JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
Time: 2 hours.
Photo: Emil Muench / Getty.
Sitting between the Colorado and Mojave deserts, this region is a protected national landmark that’s basically built for a road trip. Rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes are what make this place really special. Named after the iconic twisted trees that dot its landscape, Joshua Tree National Park is just the place you can imagine driving through, blaring Jamiroquai. It even has desert tortoises.
LA > MALIBU
Time: 45 minutes.
Photo: Doug Pensinger / Getty.
Make like Malibu Barbie, hire yo’self a hot pink convertible and take in all that the California coastline has to offer. This highway is the longest in the state, running from top to bottom, but from LA, even cruising down to Malibu will get you maximum coastal vibes and fresh salt air. Plus, Malibu is home to a significant portion of LA’s best mansions – and plenty of celebs live in the quieter area, so you’re likely to spot a few when you stop for a green juice.
LA > PALM SPRINGS
Time: 2 hours.
Photo: Frederic Lewis / Getty.
If you’re a fan of midcentury-modern architecture, hot springs and rolling greens, Palm Springs if the place 4 U. Lucile Ball, Don Barclay & Leonardo DiCaprio have (or had) all called this place home at some point, and it’s not hard to see why. Cruise the suburban streets – that’s where you’ll cop the sight of most of the best homes.
LA > LAS VEGAS
Time: 4 hours.
Photo: PictureNet / Getty.
The views on the way there aren’t much to write home about – think bumper to bumper highway traffic – but the route from LA to Vegas is featured in a billion movies (The Hangover, anyone?) so you’ll love it sick regardless. The real visual win comes when you hit The Strip – try and get in at dusk for the best blend of Vegas lights and the beaut desert sunset. Cruise in a loop for as long as you want – there’s plenty to check out, from the fountain show at Bellagio to the faux-volcano at Mirage.
LA > LAGUNA BEACH
Time: 1 hour.
Photo: Jessica Crutchfield / Getty.
Consider this trip the perfect blend of gorgeous beachside vistas, and all the 00’s mem’s. This semi-sleepy beach town full of rich people was the setting for the eponymous MTV show starring real teens who went on to be big stars (paging Kristen Cavallari and Lauren Conrad), so if you were a fan back in the days of elastic belts and chequered Vans, expect to fan hard over all the memorable sites. Never heard of it? Well you definitely once watched The OC, and this trip’ll take you through most of general Orange County, where Marissa and Ryan lived it up in the coastal mansions.
Wanna hit up LA yourself and give one of these road trips a whirl? You could win return tix from Melbs > LA thanks to Virgin Australia if you enter our lil’ comp right here:
Photo: Nrah Michelle.
