Hi There,
If you follow me on Instagram then you already know, I recently hopped over to the West Coast to spend some time in the sun 🙂 Frank and I utilized our timeshare and ended up staying in Anaheim right outside of Disney World. Here is a travel diary of all the highlights that happened on my week in LA. Warning it’s a long post, but I tried to keep it fun for you 🙂
Tuesday February 13, 2018
We started our travel extremely early. This never works for me simply because I am never as ready as I feel like I should be. There is always one more thing I need. Of course I only got about an hour of sleep the night before. We called an Uber to to take us to the airport. The upside about going to the airport in the morning is, it’s not as crowded. I got some coffee and endured this long flight to the west coat. When I travel, I like to make sure I have all the entertainment needed. I had a book with me, downloaded a book, and had a few moves stored on my iPad. I ended up sleeping about half of the flight — yes, I was pretty content.
Once we touched down, we taxied to our rental car, checked into our hotel, and went exploring. Our intention for this trip was to spend a lot of time in Los Angeles. Since we were exhausted from our travels we decided to spend our first evening in Laguna Beach. In college I loved watching Laguna Beach and the Hills, so I had to see what was all the hype. It was everything I thought it would be. My favorite part was all the art exhibits open to the public. We popped into an exhibit showcasing Dr. Seuss. I was in awe. It had some of his sketches and artwork from his books. I swear I walked through with my mouth agape! We also went into a National Geographic exhibit. I saw the most beautiful photo. I wanted to buy it, but of course it was worth a small fortune.
After all the art viewing, we decided to watch the sunset. I love a good sunset. I actually came to terms with myself. I learned that I have become pretty much an outdoorsy type of girl. Some of my favorites moments from this trip have come from outdoor activity.
Wednesday Feb 14
Bright and early, we made our way to Paramount Studios, to be audience members for the Dr. Phil show. Fun fact – I watch Dr. Phil every day since I was in middle school. I don’t know why I find it so fascinating but we like what we like. I have to say, I plan on attending other live tapings in the future. It was a great experience to see what really goes into making a TV show. I think I will be on camera, if so I will keep you posted when I have my big TV appearance.
Next, we met up with another couple, who was visiting LA with us at Venice Beach. We got an early dinner/ late lunch. We walked the boardwalk then decided to rent bikes and cruise from Venice Beach to the Santa Monica Pier, about a 3.5 mile ride one way. The sun was starting to go down, and there was an amazing chill in the air. It was amazing to see different types of people living life on the beach. I love bike riding, not so much as a workout but just for a fun activity. And the scene was gorgeous.
Thursday Feb 15
This day, we got to sleep in. I had the biggest case of jet lag but was just starting to get it together. We started the day of with a breakfast for champions at the Blue Jazz Cafe. Then had a little adventure hiking on Runyon Canyon. THIS WAS INTENSE. I have never been on a hike before and I think it showed. In the beginning we had to pretty much climb these crazy looking man-made dirt stairs. I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the top, but once you do, the view is breathtaking. I’m not sure how long we hiked, maybe it was 3 hours. It was worth every second. Another outdoorsy activity for you, lol. Naturally, we were starving and sought out to find food. Somehow we took a detour and drove through some of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen in Beverly Hills. How can you go to Beverly Hills and not stop at Rodeo Drive? We actually found amazing parking on the mall strip and decided to walk around and admire the great shops. One thing I didn’t mention was we went back to the hotel and took a shower to freshen up like civilized humans. Yeah we walked and had dinner on Rodeo Drive in workout clothes, after a workout. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE! Thus why it is important to have presentable workout clothes (I digress).
Friday Feb 16
This morning we rose early again, to meet another friend at the Crenshaw-Baldwin Hills Movie theatre to watch Black Panther. I have to say, I’m not a fan of superhero movies but, this was a good movie. If you haven’t had a chance to see it, you definitely should check it out. We then headed over the the Staples Center to see what was going on in the NBA world. It was a good idea because they were having a “fair” type event for fans with lots of activities and free prizes. We hung out here for the rest of the day. On our way home we made a few detours to see some landmarks starting with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the 1984 Olympics were held. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by Long Beach and saw the legendary RMS Queen Elizabeth Cruise Ship.
We had been out all day and decided to make a quick stop to Downtown Disney. Fun Fact #2, I am a Disney freak. I love everything about Disney. Something about it just makes me so happy. Let me tell you, I was OVER THE MOON to find out we could go to Downtown Disney and it’s free. We ended up just getting some dessert and walking around. Enjoying the sites, and smelling that fresh Disney air! It was a great experience, next time I am getting into the park!
Saturday Feb 17
Let the All Star Festivities Begin. We scored tickets to attend the Rookie Practice. It wasn’t as crowded and I thought it would have been. We got really good seats and could see everything happen right in front of us. We then walked to a Day Party type of event where they had all kinds of art, fashion, and video games inspired by the NBA All Star games. It was more for adults looking to show their kids around, but nonetheless we made the most of it and had a good time. By this point, I think we were all starting to get exhausted so we decided to head back to the hotel and start preparing for the long flight we had ahead of us in the morning.
Sunday Feb 18
The flight- I have to say I am not a fan of flying. Really, I don’t like to travel. I wish there was a way I can just blink myself to new locations. This may have been the worst flight I have ever been on. First, I had to sit in the very last row next to the bathrooms. Then the guys I had to sit next to were very inconsiderate. No shade, but they didn’t smell very well, and the guy leaned on me the entire time. Oh and not to forget, I think the plane almost fell out of the sky. We hit such a big patch of turbulence. It was so bad, people were screaming on the plane. I literally thought that was it for me. Of course I survived because I am here now, but it was one of the most scariest moments of my life.
Sorry for such a long post, but I had to fit a week of travel in here 🙂 I would love to hear some of the fun things you do when you travel!
Thanks for sharing, beautiful photos.