Pacific Coast Highway - SoCal

Saying good-bye to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we were on our way to the Pacific Coast Highway. Along the chunk of highway we were on, we saw the beautiful houses of the rich and famous nestled back in the hills of Malibu, gorgeous CA coastline, surfers getting their wave on, and of course, the Santa Monica Pier.

Nobody goes to Southern California and doesn't see the ocean. Believe it or not, I had been there for 6 days without seeing water! Wow, I had been deprived! This wasn't my first time seeing the Pacific, but it was my first time seeing the Pacific in California. The weather was a little chilly, but I didn't care. I'm from Wisconsin, so anything above 60 degrees is considered hot for me. As we headed to the beach, I kicked off my sandals and ran in the water! What a great feeling the ocean was. A funny things I noticed was all the people who were on the beach. I went on a Thursday afternoon, and all those people made me wonder if anyone had jobs in SoCal???!!! Or are they just really rich and don't have to work???

On that same beach was the Santa Monica Pier, which was essentially Chicago's Navy Pier, but 3/4 its size. Santa Monica Pier is a big tourist attraction with souviner shops, restaurants, and it even has a ferris wheel. Is there a theme going on or what?!

The coast is a very nice repeive from the crazy life of Southern California!

Tips on the Pacific Coast Highway:
-None! I have no tips on the PCH. Look around and enjoy it, and take some time to enjoy the beach, whatever beach you decide to enjoy.

Hollywood Walk of Fame - SoCal

The lyrics of "Celluloid Heroes", a song by The Kinks, tell us: "You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Blvd..." This is 100% true if you look down at your feet. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk on Hollywood Blvd. that serves as an entertainment museum. The stars go down several blocks, and come to their resting place at Grauman's Chinese Theater where they hold the Academy Awards!

Right next to the Chinese Theater is the Kodak Theater, famous for where they hold the American Idol finals, and also the ESPY Awards and the BET Awards, among others. Many headliners have performed here as well.

Directly across from the Kodak Theater is where they tape the late show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! There was actually a line for a viewing of the late show, slated to air that same night!

What is amazing about all these buildings is that they are all so close together. When we see Award shows on TV, they give the impression that these theaters are secluded more. When you see them up close, you are doubting the fact that these buildings are big enough to hold a huge crowd, like the finals of American Idol. Looks can really be deceiving!

Tips on the Walk of Fame:
-The Walk of Fame is a big tourist destination any time of the year, so be patient and allow time.

Hollywood - SoCal

Ohhh Hollywood! Many would call Hollywood a part of Los Angeles, and it is, but it's technically considered a neighborhood of L.A. I am putting it in a new category, however, because there is so much to do and see in Hollywood!

The Hollywood sign started out as an advertisement to build up what they thought would be "Hollywoodland." After the Gold Rush, people started migrating west, and when the city started booming, they refurbished the sign, and took down the "land" to make it say just "Hollywood." It was, back then as it is now, a status symbol, reminding you that you are in the land of opportunity.

In Hollywood I felt like a star. When we were driving down Sunset, I felt like Lauren Conrad from MTV's The Hills! Uncle Matt brought Angie and I up in the hills of Hollywood, and my eyes were on the Hollywood sign the whole time. You see it on TV all the time, but again, TV doesn't do it justice. And if you read the history about it, seeing it in person make it all the better.

There are several routes to get the most ample views of the Hollywood sign. We happened to wind along Beachwood Canyon until there was no better place to view the sign. It was crazy how big it was! Knowing the history of the sign, it made it that much cooler! Although you can see the sign from almost anywhere in L.A., it is much better of a sight up close!

Tips for the Hollywood Sign-
-If you do choose Beachwood Canyon or Lake Hollywood as your path to the sign, be respectful of the residential areas that you will be driving through. Try not to block driveways, and try to keep the noise level down. If you choose the Griffith Observatory route, you can find free parking.
-If you try to hike any closer to the sign, you will be highly disappointed. The sign is fenced off, and it secured with cameras that alert park rangers when someone tampers with anything close to the sign.

Los Angeles - SoCal

After exhausting ourselves in Anaheim, we headed further up the coast to Los Angeles. Being neither my roommate or I was driving, we could take in everything L.A. had to offer. I felt like a whole different person going through downtown L.A., like I was a big star heading into the big city with dreams and aspirations. L.A. will do that to ya! The skyline is absolutely gorgeous, and pictures/TV shows don't do it justice.

The first place Uncle Matt brought us was down skid row. As enticing as L.A. may sound, it definitely has its poor spots. More of the city than I could believe was homeless. It seems like an oximoron to say L.A. is the city where dreams come true when a third of the city streets are littered with homelessness.

After we left skid row, I really got to see the true glam of L.A. Uncle Matt took us down some posch streets like Rodeo Drive, Sunset Blvd., Roberston Blvd. and we even drove by the Beverly Wilshire, where parts of Pretty Woman was filmed. I felt like I was in a whole new world. Even though stopping at just one of these stores would leave me pennyless, it was fun to dream!

Tips on Los Angels:
-If you can (and/or want), avoid driving downtown. Traffic seems heavy at all times of the day.
-If you know where to go to see skid row, DON'T get out of the car!

California Adventure - SoCal

California Adventure is where buying the 2-day pass really comes into play. CA Adventure and Disneyland share the same land, and are divided literally with a sidewalk. If you go right, you are in Disneyland, and if you go left, you are in CA Adventure.

California Adventure has more of a theme park feel, and is geared more towards adults, but there are plenty of attractions for kids as well. CA Adventure has attractions like rollercoasters, a ferris wheel, and the swings. CA Adventure also has more theatricals, such as 3-D movies and an attraction called Soarin' Over California. I was ready to ride!

California Adventure has what is called a fast pass, which is available for an additional price. This fast pass allows you to bypass the line and head straight for the front! The pass comes in handy on such rides as California Screamin', a rollercoaster set to music!

Soarin' Over California was the hilight of my day at California Adventure. When you enter this ride, it seems like you are entering a movie theater, with a huge screen in front of you. You are guided to your seats, which are on different levels, and eventually elevate and pivot you off the ground so there is no one in front of you. Eventually the screen comes alives and you are watching a short movie on all California has to offer. Not only that, but the way you are seated has you feel like you are the pilot of a plane, flying low over the CA land. The cool thing about this is when there is movement on the screen, your seat moves as well. You are taken over the snow-capped mountains in Northern California to San Fransisco, to Napa Valley, to L.A. to San Diego, and many points in between.

The 3-D movies are cool as well. We went to several, but the "A Bug's Life" production was exceptional. The concept of a 3-D movie really isn't that difficult to grasp, so I'll leave this up to the imagination.

In a section of California Adventure, there is even a mini-Hollywood, including several mini movie sets. If you are lucky, you might even catch a production of a mini disaster.

Tips on California Adventure:
-Tips on CA Adventure are similar to that of Disneyland. One tip that is different, but applies to both parks is this: go on a week day to avoid long lines, families, and park enthusiasts.

Disneyland - SoCal

As we drove away from the San Diego Zoo, we headed north up the coast a ways until we took the exit for Anaheim. And that could only mean one thing....DISNEYLAND!! I couldn't believe my childhood dream was about to come true in just a matter of hours! I remember not getting a wink of sleep that night!

Disneyland was just a short walk away from our hotel, and I was ancy to get going. We got the 2-day pass into Disneyland and California Adventure, which I will tell you more about in another blog.

Disneyland is split up into 5 different mini-parks, including Main Street U.S.A. (an early 20th century Midwest town based on Walt Disney's childhood), Adventureland (featuring jungle-themed adventures), Frontierland (illustrating western frontier), Fantasyland (bringing fantasy into a reality), and Tomorrowland (looking into the future). We carefully mapped out our plan of attack, and we jumped right in! We started with some of the rides at Tomorrowland, and made our way from there throughout the park. Highlights for some of the rides while in Disneyland were: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, It's a Small World, Indiana Jones Adventure, Autopia, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. See a complete list of the attractions here.

Not only did we wear ourselves out with ride after ride, we made some time to meet the Disney characters in Toontown! By then, the child in me had really come out, and I was practically jumping up and down in excitement!

Disneyland left me speechless. I can't really describe to you the thrill of being there, and how I wanted to stay there for days to come! Everyone's inner child will come out, I can guarantee it!

Tips on Disneyland:
-Plan ahead! Map out your route before you get into the park. Do this for multiple reasons: 1) The park will consume you, 2) You will know exactly what attractions you want to see, and 3) When you get there, you won't waste any time.
-Limit purchases throughout the day or else you will be carrying bags with you. Try and keep your spendings (except for food) for the end of the day.
-I remember getting a little edgy trying to get around people with strollers. Don't get me wrong, Disneyland is the greatest place to bring a family, but personally, I would wait until children are old enough to walk, and also can remember their experience at the park.

San Diego Zoo - SoCal

After our amazing experience with the Blue Angels, we were in for yet another surprise. We woke up early on the 3rd day in CA, and were told to pack our bags for at least 3 days! I was all excited now, waiting for word on where we were going, but Aunt Linda and Uncle Matt wouldn't tell us until we could see it for ourselves! With a little driving ahead of us and much anticipation, our final destination was the San Diego Zoo!

The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. I was ready to run wild as we had the whole day ahead of us, dedicated to the Zoo!! Aunt Linda and Uncle Matt had suggested we take a bus tour through the park as to not miss any great attractions, so we did. Our double-decker, open-aired bus took us by all the hot attractions: koalas, pandas, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, and elephants. The tour guide stopped at almost all attractions for photo opportunities, and also told us a little history on the animal. The guide was very informative, and I believe I got the most the zoo had to offer on this tour.

After the tour was over, we were set loose to see additional attractions. These included smaller animals like turkeys and reptiles. The prettiest animals I saw there were the koala bear and flamingos. We even took the San Diego Zoo Sky Ride to the other side of the zoo, and on it you will see a beatiful view of the San Diego skyline, and the animals from above!

I couldn't get enough of the zoo, and it is one of the best attractions SoCal has to offer.

Tips on the San Diego Zoo:
-I am not a strong advocate on seeing sights from a bus. I would much rather walk and take my time, but this is an exception. The bus tour took its time at each attraction allowing for ample time to ask questions and take pictures. I'm not exactly sure the cost of the tour, but it will save you bunches of time, and you get the highest level of information.