Category: California

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!

San Diego has a neighborhood called Old Town that has a historic State Park, with buildings that look like they are from the 1900s. This was the original settlement where the government and commerce took place when the city was settled. You can go into the buildings like the General Store. I enjoyed it, and recommend the sodas, which are delicious, and come in different flavors like lavender lemonade. Go in the back and you can find even more varieties. You have to visit the tobacco shop. The man that works there is perfect. He looks like he was pulled out of time…he poses well for pictures too.

The area is also know for the Mexican restaurants. We had lunch at Fred’s Cafe (nachos of course), and then Mexican hot chocolate at The Living Room, which is such a neat place…looks like, you guessed it, a living room. If you like Dias del los Muertos, you’ll love the souvenirs in the shops and stalls. I am a fan of colorful places and there was many things that caught my eye.

My sister and I also went to one of the most haunted homes in San Diego, the Whaley House, which was owned by Thomas Whaley who bought the place in 1857. He also had his general store there, along with the town courthouse, and the upstairs was rented to a theater troupe. All these rooms, along with the family’s rooms, are preserved for you to see. A wide variety of people have lived and been through the home. Now it is a landmark and museum. The guides are dressed from the time the Whaley’s lived there, and will answer any questions you through at them.

Many people claim to see Anna Whaley’s ghost, along with other entities that are said to haunt the place. Old Town does have a ghost tour and this is one of the stops. The guides are entertaining; they will tell you all about the history of the place. We sat upstairs in the old theater, and listened to the guide’s stories, along with her paranormal encounters. If you’re in Old Town, and you like historical homes, you’ll enjoy your experience here…especially if you’re a fan of haunted sites.

The next day, we went Navy Pier to see the USS Midway Museum, which is a retired aircraft carrier that had the longest service, from 1945 to 1992, and houses a large collection of aircraft there as well. You can even go inside the aircraft. There are also rides for the youngsters like flight simulators (made me queasy). I especially enjoyed seeing the sailors’ living quarters. They lived in such small spaces. You can also see the engine room, galley, eating quarters, officers quarters, post office, medical areas, and much more. It’s an impressive museum, and recommended if you have not ever been on a naval warship museum.

Being a fan of ghost tours, I wanted to visit the Hotel del Coronado since I have see on it on many ghost shows. It is across the San Diego Bay in Coronado, and built in the Victorian Beach Resort style. It opened in 1888 and is now a historic landmark. It has housed many famous guests like Thomas Edison and Frank L. Baum. The ghost of Kate Morgan is supposed to haunt the hotel. You can even purchase a book about her and the hotel if you are interested in learning more about her story. We looked around the hotel, which I thought was beautiful (check out the inside as well). The deck is a nice place to have lunch, but definitely pricey, so split something with a friend.

The beach makes for a beautiful walk, so spend some time frolicking and enjoying the view. We even found a sea horse that washed a shore, and put her back in the water. There are also some gorgeous homes near the hotel. The Livingston House caught my eye with it’s green wrought iron fence. It is nicknamed “Baby Del” since it resembles the hotel. We returned to San Diego that evening to hang out in the Gaslamp neighborhood, which has great shops and night life.

Another famous site we visited the next day was the Queen Mary, which is a ship and hotel that also is known for being haunted. This is in Long Beach, which is a few hours away from San Diego. This is a retired ship from the golden age of ocean travel; it sailed from 1936 to 1967. She even  ferried soldiers across the Atlantic during the second world war.

We started out with the ghost tour, which is done in a haunted house style meant to scare you. I preferred the one that we took later that explained the history, and why certain rooms were haunted and by whom. I was excited to see the pool room since that is known for its activity since a little girl is said to haunt it, which is a sad story since she drowned there. There are other historical tours you can take, which our friends did and enjoyed. The restaurant on the top, Sir Winston’s, has delicious food and great service. I would have preferred to spend a couple hours, but the people we were with wanted to stay all day. I think you can condense it and just take one of the tours (we took two). Then you can go hang out at Santa Monica Pier for some carnival style fun, and call it a night!

I took a trip to San Diego last month, and fell in love with Southern California. A family friend of our’s had moved down there a few years ago, and now I understand why. She let us crash on her couch, which helped with expenses. She lives in La Mesa so we were fifteen minutes away from San Diego. She was also nice enough to show us the sights, and help with our transit even though there is a trolley system.

We started off in Seaport Village just walking around, but had to stop at the Unconditional Surrender statue that honors the famous WWII photograph of the sailor kissing the nurse after victory was declared by the Allies. There are tons of people around this, but I managed to get a photo without anyone in it…good thing we came out early. There are lots of street artists around and small shops if you are a shopper. I’m not since I live in an apartment in the city with limited space. My favorite souvenirs are magnets since they are easy to carry and everyone has a fridge.

The coral trees near the statue are neat for someone from the Midwest so we took some silly pics climbing them…after we finished I noticed there was people lined up waiting to do the same. Along the pier there are also some interesting old ships like the replica of an eighteenth century Royal Navy frigate that you can ride…

After our walk, we decided to drive up to Point Loma to get some great views of the city.  Cabrillo Monument is there, honoring Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who landed on San Diego Bay in 1542. There is also an Old Point Loma Lighthouse that you can look through and read about the history of the place. I have a thing for lighthouses since they remind me of things past. Later, we walked down to the beach and watched people surf, and listened to the waves crash. It was peaceful and beautiful…I was glad our friend took us up there since it was not only a photographer’s dream, but a great place to just let it all soak in…

We went to Ocean Beach to frolic on the beach, as well as try the famous Hodad’s burgers, which was delicious. I went with a bacon cheeseburger that I did not regret eating…much better then In and Out.  Warning: there is always a line there, but it moves pretty fast. The place is decorated really fun with all these different licenses plates, and worth a try if you’re a burger fan. If your lucky you can sit in the car booth. Ocean Beach has neat shops, as well as street art…it’s a good area to people watch.

La Jolla was the next stop since I wanted to see the cove with the sea lions, as well as watch the sunset there. The sea lions just stroll along the beach, not caring about all the humans around. Please don’t try to touch them, they get upset when people get too close. I did my best to not get too close, but still got some pictures. My friend is a photographer and asked my sister and I to model. So we got to do some yoga poses on the beach with the setting sun behind us. The funny thing was that there was allot of photo shoots going on…it’s the place to model. When you go to the downtown, it’s pretty fancy and high end, and has tons of boutiques and expensive stores.

The next day we went to Balboa Park, which I think is another must see in San Diego. The park is named after the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa. It is a park devoted to culture with many museums, gardens, paths to hike along, and green space. There is a theater you can see performances at…along with shops and places to eat. I had to walk the whole park to make sure I saw everything. The buildings are built in the Spanish architectural style, which adds a sense of going back in time. I think everyone takes a picture of the Casa de Balboa with the refection from the water.

I really enjoyed the Spanish Village since I love the painted tiles, and how colorful it is. The artists village is located here so you can buy amazing sculptures, drawings, paintings, etc. If you’re an art fan, you’ll love this part. The gardens are beautiful and you should take a stroll through; we went to the Alcazar Gardens and Japanese ones…there is also a desert one, but I went to a great one in Phoenix that I’ll have to post about later on. Even if you’re not into museums, just walk around Balboa Park and take it in…it’s a beautiful space you won’t regret visiting!