a pinch of jasmine: Hollywood and Disneyland, the Happiest Place On Earth

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!