Saturday, March 19, 2016

Trip to L.A., California

Last week was my first college Spring Break. My younger sister and I went to Los Angeles, California to stay with our uncle. During our five day trip, our uncle took us to a number of different cities near L.A. We had fun everywhere we went, but there was definitely a ranking order of the places we visited. As I said, we went to a number of different places. Unfortunately, writing about each place would be far too difficult, and may even exceed the word limit of this blog. Instead, I'm going to write about the top five places to go if you're ever in L.A., and one that is skip-worthy, if you're short on time.

Must Do's:


1) Universal Studios

- Our uncle was able to arrange for us to take a day to go to Universal Studios, while we were in town. That day was probably the most fun of all. Not only is Universal Studios a super fun theme park, but the design is also very cool. One of my favorite parts about the park was seeing the layout of the park. Since the park is built on a large hill, it is separated into two "levels". When traveling from one level to the next, there is a great view, and you can see how the park is constructed on different tiers of the hill. Out of all the rides in the park, the best one would have to be the mummy ride. If you get a chance to go to Universal, do NOT pass up a giant donut from "Lard Lad Donuts" by the Simpsons ride (BEST DONUTS EVER!!!). While there are many attractions at the park, if you plan your day out in advance, you will definitely be able to get everything done!

2) Santa Anita Park

- I would most definitely recommend making your way out to Pasadena. We went to three places there, one of which was Santa Anita Park Race Track. First of all, the track is gorgeous. Behind the track, there are mountains all the way across the sky, it's surreal. It is also a very nice, clean racing park. There are great seats in the regular admission section, with a great view of the whole track. Our uncle put money on a horse we wanted and we won! (Liberty will tell you that SHE picked the horse and SHE won.) Another thing that I really liked about the track is that before each race, you could go out to this barn and see the horses up close. Our entire experience at the race track was fantastic.

3) Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden

- Another stop that you should make in Pasadena is the L.A. County Arboretum. It's maybe 5 minutes from the race track. Ok, I know what you're thinking, "Arboretum? Isn't that just a fancy word for garden? Why would we waste our time there??" But... You'd be completely wrong! Well... Technically, yes, it is a fancy garden, but it isn't boring! The Arboretum has a huge chunk of land with numerous gardens. It was very relaxing to go through and see all the pieces of the gardens. There are also peacocks everywhere you turn. As we were leaving, we saw a peacock standing in the middle of the sidewalk with all of its feathers standing. It was incredible! I will suggest that you go on a day that is cooler in temperature, because walking through the whole garden in the heat can be a bit harder than in cool weather. While they do have a nice fountain there, if you put your feet in to cool off, you will get kicked out, as my sister and I did ;)

4) Santa Monica Pier

- The Santa Monica Pier is a nice place to go on a warm weather day! They have shopping, rides, and it is right above the beach, so you could take a dip in the ocean too! Sadly, we went one day before the rides opened, so I can't tell you how they were. But, they did look fun! The view of the ocean from the pier was very nice. There were multiple musicians on the pier too, so it was nice to just look at the ocean and listen to the music. While some people (lib and I) may leave souvenir shopping until the end of their trip, don't bank on the pier for good souvenirs. Since it is a tourist attraction, the stores have nice things, but they are pretty high in price. But, if you walk up the pier to the street, there is a lot of shopping to be done there. Especially if you have kids, I would try to get out to the Santa Monica Pier for at least part of your day.

5) In-N-Out Burger
- It's crazy to think that out of all of the things there are to do in L.A., one of the top 5 things is to eat at In-N-Out Burger! To portray how good it is -- my sister doesn't like burgers, at all. She decided to try a burger from In-N-Out since we were eating there already. She then took a bite, and said, "this is the best burger I've ever had in my life, I want to eat it forever." Aside from the taste, In-N-Out is very fresh, they don't use frozen meats, which is why they can't expand outside of California. Since they are only in California, why not make a quick stop to try it, while you are there.

Skippable:

1) Hollywood Blvd.
- I know you're thinking something is wrong with me if I expect that you will go to Los Angeles, California and skip the chance to go to Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood Blvd. is definitely seen as "the place to go" in California. Let me tell you, it is not what it's fixed up to be. In the movies and pictures, it is portrayed as bright and beautiful and full of life.... It's really not. If I were to be completely honest, it's a dirtier, sketchier version of New York City. Now there are places around Hollywood Blvd. that are nicer, so if you MUST go to Hollywood, just to say you have been, either plan a tour, or have something lined up for after Hollywood Blvd. We took a tour from a company called, "Ultimate Hollywood Tours", I definitely recommend taking it. The people are very nice and they take you on great tours of stars' homes, great views of L.A. and the Hollywood sign, and through the streets of shops. Again, not to say that Hollywood isn't fun or that you wouldn't have a good time, but if it was on your list of "To-Do's" and you needed to kick something out, Hollywood would be the one to throw out. 

Our trip to L.A. was amazing. We were able to squeeze a ton of stuff into our trip and we were excited about all of it. It was good to have our uncle, who is very familiar with California, take us to all the best spots. If you're ever in L.A. and you go to those 5 "Must Do's" then you will definitely have a great time!

I'm happy to answer questions for anyone who is going or wants to know more about L.A.!!

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