Hollywood Vacay

We're back! We had a fabulous time being tourists in Hollywood, California. We flew out Thursday afternoon and arrived to our hotel around midnight. We had already planned on spending Friday at Universal Studios so we got up and around that morning and hit the road. I had prepaid for our parking and tickets, so all we had to do was pull in and start the fun! We ended up spending about 6 hours there and the weather was PERFECT. It was overcast and breezy almost the whole time we were there, then the last hour the sun came out and warmed us up. It was like déjà vu because I went there with my dad in 2000 and loved it then too.

Nick's favorite ride of all was the Simpson ride! It was an interactive simulation ride. Very cool!

After that ride, we did the Studio tour that took us all through back lots where the buildings are that they use for city scenes in tons of movies. It was very informative, and they even played movie clips as we passed by certain spots to show how they looked in the movie!

^The gas station from Back to the Future.

^The clock tower from Back to the Future

 ^A subway scene inside a studio building that was used to film some scenes from Bones

 

 These are a plane crash scene that was used recently in a movie.

 ^This is the log cabin used in the movie The Great Outdoors

 ^A blue screen and a basin they can fill up with water for ocean scenes

 The Transformers ride was MY favorite! It was like a rollercoaster, a simulator, and a 3D movie in one!

 Nick was very excited about seeing the original car used in the Back to the Future movies!

 ^After we ate lunch, we ended our day there with the Waterworld show. It was just as enthralling as when I saw it in 2000!

As we drove around west Hollywood we realized our hotel was right next the huge Church of Scientology (which Tom Cruise goes to....)

 

 On Saturday we took a guided tour around Hollywood that took us all around the popular neighborhoods and sights. Some of the celebrity homes we drove by include Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Halle Berry, Harvey Levin, Michael Jackson (where he died), Playboy Mansion.....

 

  ^Room where MJ was found dead.

 ^Gate to and top of Playboy Mansion

 

^A Bugatti Veyron worth $1.7 million that is was custom made for the owner of the store it is parked in front of--Bijan (the most expensive store in the WORLD. Seriously)

 ^Grauman's Chinese Theater

 ^Drive in that was featured in American Graffiti. We ate lunch there :)

Saturday evening we ventured out to Santa Monica and took in the sights and walked all around the Pier. We rode the Ferris Wheel (only solar powered one in the world!) and got ice cream.

Sunday we headed out to Paramount Studio for another amazing tour. Our guide told us all about the history of the studio and things that have changed over time. He pointed out all of the little areas where scenes where filmed for movies and TV.

 ^Actual Oscars for Best Pictures, including Godfather and Forrest Gump!

 This is a special theater built just for actors and directors to have screening and movie premiers in--not for the public.

 Of course I had to take pics of the props from Glee that they are currently filming the new season of!

We got to go inside the studio on the set of a new TV show that is about to premiere called Instant Mom.

We ended our last day there with a tour of the Titanic exhibit where we got to see real artifacts that have been recovered from the actual shipwreck.

I leave you with some views from the window of the plane as we ended yet another journey!