There’s no place like LA

Last June, we found ourselves happily basking under the sunny skies of Los Angeles. Chuck and I were looking forward to spending three-days in the golden state of California. It was my first time in LA and I didn’t know what to expect. But what I immediately fell in love with were the beaches, the weather and all the beautiful landscapes.

Take me to the beach

As soon as we got off the plane, we picked up our car and headed straight to the ocean. Because it’s the ocean, duh! We left Winnipeg at 8:00 a.m., arrived in LAX at 10:00 a.m. and found ourselves at Santa Monica Pier by 11:00 a.m. From the centre of the Canadian prairies to the beaches of Southern California in five hours… you can’t beat that! Love a direct flight.

We walked along the beach for awhile with a cup of fresh fruit and took in the overall atmosphere of Santa Monica Beach and Pier. I was hoping to see ‘The Hoff’ working a Baywatch shift, but no such luck!

Fortunately, the pier wasn’t too busy, which made it an enjoyable spot to move around. We acquired a few kitschy souvenirs before finding one of those penny press machines. A friend turned me onto them years ago and I’m always delighted when I see one. Only 51 cents (2 quarters and 1 penny) to grind yourself the coolest souvenir around!

We only stayed in Santa Monica for a short while before heading up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to Malibu.

Sky’s so blue, in Malibu

After Santa Monica, we cruised up the PCH to Malibu.

Along the way, we were diverted up into the hills because of a fire. So we weaved our way up Topanga Canyon Road and then immediately came back down to the coast via the Tuna Canyon Road, which was an insanely fun drive.

We then made our way to Malibu Farm Café to share a sandwich and drink some cold local beers before moving further up the coast to the breathtaking Point Dume where Chuck adorned me with flowers.

We didn’t have a long time to linger in Malibu as the day was getting away from us, but we were able to spend some time stretched out on Zuma Beach listening to the ocean waves, basking in the breezes and watching the surfers zip by. Generally enjoying a condensed version of a So-Cal life.

The canyon roads are twisty, the beaches run forever, the glass houses are grand, the vibes are chill and the sky’s so blue. That’s Malibu. 💙

In those Hollywood nights, in those Hollywood hills

Our stay in LA found us based in West Hollywood (WeHo). Our hotel, Andaz West Hollywood, had the loveliest rooftop pool with the most spectacular views. They had a DJ spinning the best mix of afro-pop the afternoon we spent up there. The pool seemed super familiar to me and I finally placed it as a spot I’ve seen featured many a time on Vanderpump Rules. (I didn’t have time to make it to any other Pump Rules venues though. Shoot.)

The hotel was situated right beside The Comedy Store. We hit up the famous club and got tickets for the 10:00 p.m. show in the Original Room. We watched over 12 comedians perform, including Marc Maron, Neal Brennan, Caroline Rhea. Many were belly-laughing hilarious, others were groan-inducing and a couple were downright awful (and they knew it, which kinda made it even more hilarious).

We loved spending our nights staying in WeHo, exploring the area, eating in the eclectic restaurants and being surrounded by all the colours.

Where magic is made and dreams come true

One thing that was a must on our LA adventure was a tour of a Hollywood studio. We decided on the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. It’s a magical way to get a behind-the-scenes look at how filmmakers make movies, well, magical.

The first part of the tour took us (via golf carts, of course) through Warner Brothers Studios’ 110 acre lot smack-dab in the middle of Los Angeles.

To say this place is massive is an understatement. We drove through fake neighbourhoods to fake towns before hitting them fake cities. We drove by fake school buildings (Abbott Elementary) along to a fake forest (Jurassic Park’s T-Rex chase scene) beside the fake lagoon (spot for iconic George Clooney ER scene). Then we drove around a maze of extremely large sound stages and stopped to walk through one that houses a current set (Bob ♥️’s Abishola).

One thing we noticed was the entire place is probably the cleanest working environment we’ve ever seen. Not a lick of litter, not a speck of dirt anywhere, nothing is out of order, everything is accounted for, and nothing is stinky. All 110 acres of it. So impressive.

I’ll be there for youuuuuu

We sat on the ✨Friends✨ sofa in front of the Friends fountain in front of a fake town. Everything looks so real that I plopped down on that orange sofa without realizing it’s actually painted cement. Ouch.

They even have a “Central Perk Cafe” where you can grab a latte in your giant cup and sit on the famous orange sofa and chat with your Friends. 😉

Lights, camera, action

After seeing the backlots, we were delivered to Stage 48, an interactive museum that shows you how they make all this stuff.

We walked through replica sets (The Big Bang Theory), “acted” on green screens (Batman, Harry Potter), listened to the weirdest Foley sound effects and looked at tons of cool costumes (Most random had to be Armond’s wrinkly concierge suit from The White Lotus).

Oh, and Chuck ended the tour with a big Oscar win for his work in Batman (see video above). Congrats, babe!

Potter my world

Here’s me nerding out big time in the Wizarding World experience.

I emerged from the cupboard under the stairs, I tried to catch one of my Hogwarts acceptance letters, I made a potion (terribly, I might add), I two-stepped with Dobby, I harvested the mandrakes and I got properly sorted. Sighhhh ✨♥️

Also, what you don’t see here is my official photographer Chuck shaking his head at me throughout.

Oh, and I flew around the Wizarding World waving my wand like a music conductor (def not a wizard) casting the lamest spells…

Walking among the stars

After the studio tour, we made our way to Hollywood Boulevard where we could stand on the names of giants (and frogs).

We strolled around comparing shoe sizes with all the Hollywood greats at TCL Chinese Theater. Chuck found out he’s the same size as one of his sports heroes, Kobe Bryant. RIP And I discovered John Wayne had tiny feet! Size 7 at most. He was over 6 feet! How in the heck did he stay upright???

Once upon a time in Hollywood

That’s us at the most touristy spot in the Hollywood hills.

And honestly, driving through the neighbourhoods in this area as well as driving down Mulholland Drive is just a delight. You’re up, you’re down, there’s a sharp corner here and a narrow road there.

Aside: As soon as we arrived in LA, I changed the Google Maps settings on my phone to avoid all highways. It made a huge difference! Every road we were on was pretty damn scenic and we were rarely stuck in any traffic. Did we get anywhere super fast? No. But were we in any rush? Also, no. Highly recommend changing your Google settings if you’re visiting LA.

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams

Our last day in LA saw us driving through the impeccably manicured streets of the rich and famous of Beverly Hills.

We drove up the iconic Rodeo Drive with mouths agape as we saw the most insane cars and stores. At the end of the road we got a glimpse of the Beverly Wiltshire and its unmistakable yellow and white striped awnings. It instantly made me think of Julia Roberts and Pretty Woman.

Oh, and those palm trees of Rodeo Drive? I’ve never seen more well-cared for trees. They freaking glisten!

And all that jazz

We ended our glorious three-days in LA up in the hills of Bel Air listening to the silky vocals of Amy Keys at Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz. Fancy AF doesn’t even cut it.