Back to reality. Whomp, whomp.
Our family (plus the boyfriend) vacation trip to Los Angeles, California was
absolutely amazing. The weather was beautiful. I very much enjoyed the cool
weather. It was a nice little break from the Texas heat. I mean, I wore jeans
for the first time in two months! That says a lot. We did as much as we
possibly could in a span of four short (and fast) days.
Day 1 // We
flew in early afternoon and quickly rushed over to Warner Brothers Studio for
our tour, barely making it on time. We didn’t even get to go check in our hotel
to drop off our bags or even pick up something to eat. Clearly we didn’t plan
this accordingly because halfway through our tour we were practically fainting
because we were so hungry. The weather was great for the tour. Pretty Little
Liars was on set filming, so I was beyond excited to see that. After the tour
we rushed over to the nearest pizza parlor, checked in to our hotel and then
enjoyed the remainder of the day walking down Hollywood Blvd to see the
Hollywood stars, Chinese Theatre and all of its beauty. My feet somehow made
their way to Zara where I did some major shopping damage. It was only day one!
Day 2 // Universal
Studios Hollywood was kind of small compared to the Universal Studios in
Orlando. The lines were ridiculous long. We regretted not purchasing a front of
the line passes. It would have been worth it. Our shuttle driver suggested we
start from the back and work our way to the front as far as rides, and to go to
the studio tour first before anything. It’s great advice for anyone not having
a front of the line pass. The tour was great, especially King Kong. The 3D
rides always blow me away. We only spent half a day at Universal Studios because
we wanted to drive to Santa Monica. It has been my mom’s dream to visit the
Santa Monica Pier. I kind of wish we had spent a whole day there. By the time
we got there, it was chilly. We had dinner on the deck at some Mexican
restaurant at the end of the pier which (Warning: major complaining) we
received the worst service ever. Our waiter never stopped by our table.
Apparently when I order an appetizer I have to inform him that I want it as an
appetizer? Makes no sense. The food was horrible, no flavor and overpriced. We
weren’t the only ones dissatisfied. The tables around us were sending back
their plates and complaining.
Before heading back to the
hotel, we stopped by Paramount Studios to pay our respects to Cory Monteith.
There were flowers, photos, candles and signs for Glee’s Finn Hudson.
Day 3 //
Disneyland, where dreams come true! It truly is the happiest place on earth. I
felt like a little girl. The parade with the Disney princesses nearly brought
tears of joy. Cheesy, I know but I am a huge Disney fan. The Mickey and the
Magical Map show – amazing! I’ve been to Disneyworld in Orlando but Disneyland
was ten times better. I don’t know if it was the nice cool weather or the fact
that we were able to enjoy more shows, but I walked out of Disneyland with a
huge smile on my face, not wanting to ever leave. I wanted keepsakes so I
shopped, shopped and shopped. Disney sweater, scarf, shot glass, photos and
everything! Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to go to Disney California
Adventure. We had to choose between Disneyland or California Adventure. Reviews
suggested Disneyland and I’m glad we went with that choice. The fireworks and
the Fantasmic – wow! I probably will be on a Disneyland high for weeks. That’s
how much fun I had. Although, I do wish we had gone to California Adventure to
see the World of Color show. But it’s okay. Next time.
Day 4 // It did not go as planned. We were hoping
to wake up early to go to the first tour at Paramount Studios but we were
exhausted from a full day at Disneyland. We thought, okay. Let’s go see the
Hollywood sign from the Griffith Observatory and then shop at the Grove. Nope.
Packing took us forever so we just went straight to the Grove where after just
visiting two stores, we were quickly distracted and spent the remainder of our
trip at the filming of EXTRA with Mario Lopez and Maria Menunos. It was a great
experience though. We were able to be a part of the EXTRA audience. Those
unplanned moments make the trip even more exciting and memorable! On our way out,
we just had to buy a Sprinkles Cupcake.
It was a great trip with
the family and boyfriend. The only thing I regret is not booking the trip to be
a week long. Four days is just not enough time to see what California has to
offer. I would’ve liked for us to go hiking to get a view of the Hollywood
sign. Tour Paramount Studios. Enjoy the Farmer’s Market at The Grove (we only
got a sneak peek of it.) Visit San Diego and San Francisco (Anybody watch Full
House? I wanted to visit the Tanners!) And Comic Con was in San Diego! And the
Dallas Cowboys training camp kicked off this past weekend in Oxnard. And James
Franco was having a book signing today! We wanted to do the Star Line tour,
too. And so much more!
Any must-do things in Los
Angeles that I missed? I know there’s probably a lot more that should’ve been
on my must-do list.
Hope everybody had a wonderful and eventful weekend!
Labels: Travel