Arriving in Los Angeles, the first thing we did was head to Griffith Park, which is one of the largest city parks in the country. Griffith J. Griffith donated the land to the city of Los Angeles, and part of the funds were allocated to build an observatory that was free for the public, making science more accessible. I’ve wanted to visit since I saw it in Rebel Without a Cause (I’m a James Dean fan). We drove up to the Observatory, which was madness considering it was a weekday. Our friend Brenda was nice enough to drop off us so we could look around since she could not find parking. The murals inside the Observatory are worth taking a look at.
You can look around, but pay for the exhibits if they strike your fancy. I enjoyed walking around outside. The views from up there are amazing…you can see the whole city! Plus, you have to get a picture of the Hollywood sign. I enjoyed taking photographs there, but it is very busy and crowded. I recommend going earlier in the day.
If you’ve never been to Hollywood, you have to just walk around the Walk of Fame to look for your favorite stars. I was happy to find Johnny Cash, Lucille Ball, David Bowie, and Elizabeth Montgomery.
Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Avenue also have some really interesting shops…especially if you like vintage. There are some great costume shops as well. After some sightseeing we had dinner at Roscoes House of Chicken…my sister got the chicken and waffles, and I had an omelette, which was ok. The mac and cheese was good. My sister liked her food and that is the popular dish to try there.
We had a drink at the W Hotel on Hollywood to kill time before our ghost tour since it was meeting there. The decor looked amazing, but it was too fancy for my taste. I prefer places that are older. The ghost tour was pretty funny since we were the only two people on the Dark Angels Ghost Tour. The owner was very nice and took us to different locations down the street like the Pantages Theater (where the Oscars used to be held); to the Knickerbocker Hotel were William Frawley, Fred from I Love Lucy, is said to have died in front of. She had all this different equipment we could use to try to communicate with ghosts, but it got so chilly we just weren’t into doing it…The tour ended at Bourdner’s where I would have loved to be for 80s night.
We had to take a stroll to Grauman’s Chinese Theater, which was much less crowded late at night. The theater opened in 1927 and is famous for the hand prints and signatures of celebrities. It’s very touristy, but it was my first time in Hollywood so I had to take a look. Allot of super drunk, crazy people walking around there, so be prepared to deal with them…if you are a fan of the night life there are some restored speakeasies you can visit.
I know it’s super touristy, but we had a take a studio tour so we went to Paramount Pictures since I didn’t feel the need to go to an amusement park like Universal Studios. You get a guided tour with your ticket, and there was only two other ladies there until this weird couple came an hour and a half late. The costumes on display are beautiful as you enter the waiting area.
The guide took us to the theater where premiers or private viewings are held, as well as the studio lots where different shows are filmed. We saw the Dr. Phil set as part of the tour. I especially enjoyed the sets that are recycled and used in movies over and over. It’s amazing what can be created and reused. The lot that the Ten Commandments parting of the Dead Sea scene was also used to film a scene in Star Trek where they are falling out of the ship. The prop room is a blast, and no wonder they save that for last. There is a truck from Transformers, a 500 lb weight you can impress your friends with, and lots of costumes from different pictures. They saved the most fun for last.
After the studio we went to Pink’s Hot dogs on Melrose where there was a long line that moved pretty fast. Just chat with all the tourists in line next to you…it helps pass the time. The hot dogs were really good though…I got the one with guacamole on it. If your a hot dog fan then you should try this place.
I let my sister pick the places to eat since she is a foodie. After that I grabbed an ice coffee and headed to the airport hours before my flight since LA traffic is crazy, and I didn’t want to miss my flight.
I had a great time in California, and I can’t wait to go back. I really enjoyed San Diego and would go again. The weather is perfect, the people were friendly, and there is allot of fun things to do. I feel so lucky to have been able to take such a fun trip with my sister before she moved to Alaska!
