Hooray for Hollywood!....Literally!

[jenseib]

I love that it's still a working studio lot so sometimes (like you did) you catch some filming in action or at the very least see the soundstage where current productions are happening.

It really is such a cool experience.

On our last trip there (2016) we drove by the soundstage for Superstore (love that show) and the door was open and my husband literally had to haul me back into my seat on the tram as I was craning my neck to see inside the open door

I think we went by that soundstage too. I have only seen the show a few times, so I don't know much about it.

I'm sorry you had chatty people behind, drives me bonkers!!!

Yes!

Or just humble and doesn't know how awesome she is

Well I thought I was, but my family said no.

I loved it when it was BTTF ride but I do not watch or even like The Simpsons so yeah, no thanks

We like the Simpsons, but only go in streaks watching it. More really when nothing is on and there is a channel that plays the Simpsons all the time

I'm lucky that Rob and I rarely argue, especially on vacation but oh man....my kid!! I need a lot of cool down time with her on trips

It's gotten worse over the years. He's very opinionated....and so am I. hahaha.

I don't know what that means but it's funny!!

It's something a 4 year old would say.

Mine too!!!

I saw the first movie 5 times at the theatres. I just loved it so much.

Nothing brings you closer to the people you love than louder, more annoying people around you.

True

Ok, having problems posting since they updated the site, so sorry if this suddenly posts a lot of times, every time I try to post it doesn't work. Anyway, what is butterbeer? Is it beer with butter in it or something else? I know nothing about Harry Potter.

I have been having issues too. Hopefully it's bug free now and we can post normally.

It's a Harry Potter drink. It's not beer at all. It is hard to describe, but kind of like a butterscotch cream soda.

 

[jenseib]

We now came to the first attraction…Kong. It is pretty much the exact same thing as Orlando, only missing the entrance that Orlando has and the very end with the huge Kong animatronic.



uni170 by Jenseib, on Flickr



This was new for Claire and Skip though as they haven’t been to Universal O since this was added. It is pretty cool!



As we left we saw some wreckage left by Kong and his Dinosaur foes!



uni171 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni172 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Next we went down the row of famous cars….many from Back to the Future.



There is Magnum PI’s car too.



uni99 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni100 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni101 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni102 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni103 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni104 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni105 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni106 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Now we entered a Jurassic Park/World area.



uni139 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni140 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni107 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni108 by Jenseib, on Flickr



You can’t see them well, but those “spit” dinosaurs popped out.



uni109 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni110 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni111 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I am not sure if that is considered an attraction too or not……it was pretty quick but fun.



uni112 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Now we entered some movie rain.



uni24 by Jenseib, on Flickr

Now into a western set, which I also remembered seeing when touring around with Stacy.



uni173 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni174 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And now we moved into Earthquake. It’s basically the same set up as the one at Orlando use to be many years ago, but without any of the intro parts. You just drive in and an Earthquake happens….and my pictures are horrid.



uni25 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni175 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni176 by Jenseib, on Flickr





uni177 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni26 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[Lesley Wake]

Phew, Finally caught up!

Glad you guys had a mostly good first couple days, with some annoying exceptions! You could see my office building from your downtown photos, so let’s just say I waved from the window?

 

[jenseib]

Phew, Finally caught up!

Glad you guys had a mostly good first couple days, with some annoying exceptions! You could see my office building from your downtown photos, so let’s just say I waved from the window?

Ok..and I waved back!

 

[jenseib]

After Earthquake my next set of pictures are from Jaws, so that probably means we drove through an area I had already taken pictures of, or I just took a rest.



uni178 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni179 by Jenseib, on Flickr



There he is out there.



uni180 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni113 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And I took video and kept warning Claire he would be popping up at any minute.

And it was kind of lame. Orlando’s version was much scarier. Claire said she could see it popping up all along the tram before it got to her.



When we moved on and I looked back I could see him backing up into his launch spot.



uni182 by Jenseib, on Flickr



On to Whoville.



uni183 by Jenseib, on Flickr



It doesn’t quite look so colorful here does it?



uni184 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni185 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And of course Whoville’s next door neighbor is the Bates Motel.



uni114 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni115 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni186 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni187 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We twisted around and went up to the house and saw Norman himself!



uni188 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni189 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We then entered the War of the Worlds set, which I have never seen. (the movie that is)



uni190 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni191 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni192 by Jenseib, on Flickr



This pond is often used for lake scenes and something was being shot there now, which is why the blue screen was up.



uni193 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Somewhere along the line we also went into Fast and Furious. I believe it was towards the end. I was not familiar with the movies so before we left I watched the first one. It took me quite some time to get “into” it, but by the end I enjoyed it. I started the second and had a hard time again with different characters and never finished it.

At least I kind of had an idea of what they are about when we went through.



This is set up just like Kong, with the whole virtual screen and stuff going on on both sides of you. I am assuming this is a duplicate of the ride now in Orlando.



Then our tour was over. This is by far the best part of Universal Hollywood. I would actually ride it twice because it was interesting and a lot to take in and I am sure no 2 tours are the exact same. This is worth the trip to Universal itself.



Skip LOVED it and was now over his pouting and we were all in good moods! Hooray for Hollywood!



We headed back up the escalator and went through Springfield.



uni194 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And back to Hogsmeade to attempt Forbidden Journey again.



uni181 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni196 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni27 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni116 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni117 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Score! The ride was open! We went through the single rider line once again and it was super fast and we enjoyed the ride.



After we got off Skip mentioned that we should have never waited before because the single rider line is so fast….Um yeah…I kind of remember me saying that. Hahaha.



I needed to stop for another Butterbeer so I got in line at a cart. It was a little wait, but not too bad. Skip and Claire now wanted one too…..that was one expensive purchase for 3 drinks….but ooooh so good!



Time was ticking away today and we realized we were not going to see the lower level today as we just didn’t have enough time….guess we better plan another trip!



We sipped our drinks and walked towards Despicable Me, which was a must for the other 2.



We stopped off and finished our drinks and I took some more pictures of the view.



uni28 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Don’t worry, I have no intentions of climbing the wall.



uni197 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I zoomed in on Jurassic World.



uni198 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I slurped down the rest of my drink and we headed off to ride. It had a little line…..I think we waited about 20 minutes or so. We were trying to remember if the story line was the same as in Orlando….I think it was but then some parts seemed different, so maybe not? It’s been a while since I rode the other one. We had fun though and that’s all that matters.



uni30 by Jenseib, on Flickr



After that it was time to start calling it a day. The park closes at 6 Pm and I believe we got off around 5:30ish so we headed to the bathrooms and then the locker and got our belongings and slowly made our way out.



uni118 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni119 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni120 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[Timon]

You can’t see them well, but those “spit” dinosaurs popped out.

I can definitely see those dilophosauruses! Jurassic Park is one of my favourite movies, right up there with Back to the Future! I quote it ALL the time! My fave is "Hold onto your butts!" along with "Must go faster!" And of course, I always have to correct Hammond when he talks about Disneyland opening in 1956!

We twisted around and went up to the house and saw Norman himself!

Did he chase you guys? That's the best part!

Somewhere along the line we also went into Fast and Furious. I believe it was towards the end. I was not familiar with the movies so before we left I watched the first one. It took me quite some time to get “into” it, but by the end I enjoyed it. I started the second and had a hard time again with different characters and never finished it.

LOL! We love the F & F franchise!! Well, everything except Tokyo Drift...that was just bad. The movies get better and better as they go (well, maybe not the second one ) so they are worth a watch.
Still crying over Paul Walker's death

Skip LOVED it and was now over his pouting and we were all in good moods! Hooray for Hollywood!

Hooray for Hollywood! Totally different context now

 

[mickeystoontown]

All caught up again....that seems to be the story of my life lately. Now you know if Skip gets mad at you that you need to suggest a visit to Universal Hollywood so you can do the backlot tour again. LOL

 

[jenseib]

I can definitely see those dilophosauruses! Jurassic Park is one of my favourite movies, right up there with Back to the Future! I quote it ALL the time! My fave is "Hold onto your butts!" along with "Must go faster!" And of course, I always have to correct Hammond when he talks about Disneyland opening in 1956!

Yep! I love the movie too. And in Independence Day Jeff Goldblum says "Must go Faster" as they are trying to get out of the Alien ship and I always say..."He says that in Jurassic Park too".

Did he chase you guys? That's the best part!

I don't remember hims doing so, but maybe he did after our part of the tram passed. I'll ask Claire. Maybe she remembers it.

LOL! We love the F & F franchise!! Well, everything except Tokyo Drift...that was just bad. The movies get better and better as they go (well, maybe not the second one ) so they are worth a watch.
Still crying over Paul Walker's death

Ok, I'll try to watch the rest of the 2nd one then and go on from there.

Hooray for Hollywood! Totally different context now

Totally!

All caught up again....that seems to be the story of my life lately. Now you know if Skip gets mad at you that you need to suggest a visit to Universal Hollywood so you can do the backlot tour again. LOL

I wish it was that easy.

 

[jenseib]

Skip started telling me I should call Uber and I told him again that we don’t call and we can’t do it till we arrive at the pick up location as the app uses gps to show the driver where we are.



uni199 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We made our way through City Walk.



uni121 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni141 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I laughed at this place as we always talk about how the grand kids (well Gracie) loves and thinks she needs sugar. Also my Aunt is famous for just giving sugar to any kid who wants it.



uni200 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni201 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni202 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni203 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We got to the drop off/pick-up spot and I went on the app to get Uber. I saw every single person around me doing the exact same thing. So that meant that it took a while for someone to respond to my need of a pick-up.

Stacy texted me that she was running late from a meeting and I told her no problem as we were still waiting on Uber.



We did finally get someone and it took him quite some time to get to us. We could see on the app he did a lot of sitting, so I suspected traffic was heavy. The park was closing and there was probably a lot of traffic still from rush hour.

A vehicle pulled up and it looked just like the one we had coming, but the license plate didn’t match. Skip was sure it was ours but I said nope and we saw another group of people get in.



uni123 by Jenseib, on Flickr



uni124 by Jenseib, on Flickr



There weren’t many benches in the area to sit on and we had to stand or sit on the ground. I thought that was kind of dumb for a pick-up area.



Finally our guy arrived and we opened the door and a waft of BO came flowing out. Oh great!

He immediately started complaining about the traffic and how it took him over 20 minutes to get to us. It didn’t. I know when I put in the request and it was more like 15 minutes at the max.

Skip talked with him quite a bit and the driver calmed down a bit but was still kind of grumpy about taking so long to pick us up and then taking just a 15 minute drive. Come on dude! This is a job you chose to do.



It wasn’t long and we were being dropped off at the restaurant where we would be meeting Stacy, Blue Palms Brewhouse.

When Stacy and I were chatting about meeting up she gave me a few places to choose from, all on the Hollywood Walk of Fame…just to take us to a fun area to eat. Claire is picky picky picky! I went through the menus and this one had chicken wings and Claire likes those, so we settled on that.

This place was on the very end of the Walk of Fame, which was kind of neat. Not a lot of people walk all the way down one way or the other. Most stay in the area of the Chinese Theatre really.



We headed in and it was loud and crowded but we soon got a table.



uni204 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We looked over the menu and Claire stated that she wasn’t eating chicken wings in front of people as they were messy. UGH!

So we looked over the options for her. I ran to the bathroom and told her to watch for Stacy. The bathroom wasn’t too fabulous, but not the worst either. I came back out and Stacy still hadn’t arrived but had texted she was parking.

We talked for a bit and I looked up and there was Stacy. I didn’t even recognize her! Her hair was cut a bit shorter and she had glasses on which I have never seen her wear before. I totally laughed as she could have walked right by me and I probably wouldn’t have noticed.



We settled on what we would have to eat and then did a lot of chatting. I typically see her about once a year and usually it’s with a group of people, so it was nice to have some one on one with her.



Our food arrived. I think we got pretzel bites to start with but I must have taken the picture after they were gone. Claire went with Queso, but she didn’t like the spinach in it so she mostly just at the chips, which she said were really good.



uni31 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I got the chicken wings though and they were good.



uni32 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We talked some more and talked about our trip and about our day at Universal. Stacy had recently gone to Universal when her cousin visited and she said it was the first time she had gone since she was in grade school. And then we had a laugh about that trip. She had shown me the pictures back then and her family were all in sweat pants but she was all dolled up and in a fancy red dress and heels. I had asked her why she was dressed up and the rest of the family wasn’t. Her reply was priceless. “I was hoping to be discovered”. Only a good friend can truly laugh in your face about something like that. Now we have come full circle and her husband works for Universal and she works in the movie industry, has co-produced a few movies and even had a cameo in one!



We talked about our plans for tomorrow and Skip asked where the Trump star was as that was one he was hoping to find. She said that it’s near where we should be with the tour and they usually have security around it because people like to try and vandalize it.



We had a great time and a lot of laughs. Even Skip was friendly and joining in the conversation. Not that he is a bump on a log, but this was my friend, who he doesn’t know very well, and I knew he only went along because he had no choice.



Finally we had to say our good byes. We still had a ways to go to get back to the hotel and another early morning tomorrow. We walked out of the restaurant and Stacy walked with us down to the end of the block to show where you could see the Hollywood sign…….



uni205 by Jenseib, on Flickr



…..in the daylight…..not so much at night.



We talked some more and looked at the stars here at the end of the walk of fame.



uni206 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We didn’t know many of the names for the most part.

We talked about taking Uber and Skip was becoming a big fan of it and how easy it was. Then he mentioned the grumpy driver we had had coming and that he gave him a $20 tip to sooth him. WHAT?????? You gave him $20 for a 15 minute ride! And he had complained about the $10 tip I gave earlier. Stacy even agreed that was way too much to give him and especially when the driver was grumpy.



We talked some more and then decided on a selfie. She’s not much better than me when it comes to Selfies. Hahaha. We told Claire to do it, but she wouldn’t.



uni33 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We ordered our Uber and soon one was on the way.



We sadly said our goodbyes one final time. It was so nice to have a chance to see her on her turf!



Our Uber arrived and it was a van. (We almost always had a van or SUV even though we ordered regular sized cars).



We had an awesome driver and Skip chatted with him the whole ride…well I chimed in too. He was actually from NYC and they had moved to the LA area because of family. He drives once or twice a week and is a stay at home dad and usually takes care of the kids. He makes his extra money driving a few nights. He said he actually accidently hit the app to pick us up and was worried as it said long distance drive. He was worried it was going to be in the opposite direction of his home, but he said actually he lived only about 10 minutes or so from Disney, so it worked in his favor.



The ride went really fast as we talked the whole way back. Skip tipped him and I am not sure how much, but hopefully a good amount…but not too much. Hahaha. I believe our ride back was about $42….and I think the drive from Universal to the restaurant was around $13ish.



We settled in for the night. We were super tired! Skip said this was his favorite day and he would be fine not going back to Disney for the rest of the trip. He really enjoyed Universal. Hooray for Hollywood! I am glad he found something he enjoyed.

I had a feeling he would like tomorrow too.

 

[Britsta249]

After that it was time to start calling it a day. The park closes at 6 Pm and I believe we got off around 5:30ish so we headed to the bathrooms and then the locker and got our belongings and slowly made our way out.

I can't believe they close that early!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I've said it before and I'll say it again....we can NOT let Skip and John get together or we'll go broke with the way they tip drivers and porters. John is also like Skip in the talking thing. He will sometimes not talk a lot and then others he will talk their ear off. I'm so glad that you got to spend time with Stacy. It's so wonderful to have a friend that you can go without seeing for year and then pick right up where you left off last time.

 

[jenseib]

I can't believe they close that early!

I know. That is a downer, but it ended up working well for us. They didn't open till 10 either, so it really isn't a long day.

I've said it before and I'll say it again....we can NOT let Skip and John get together or we'll go broke with the way they tip drivers and porters.

He either goes way under or way over! When I tip he thinks I am giving way too much, but then he goes off and gives twice as much.

John is also like Skip in the talking thing. He will sometimes not talk a lot and then others he will talk their ear off.

Yep. Some days I just want to say...Shut UP! hahaha. He will come in and I will be busy doing something and he will say...you keep ignoring me. Well no, I'm not...I am just busy. Just because he has time to waste doesn't mean I have that same time free.

I'm so glad that you got to spend time with Stacy. It's so wonderful to have a friend that you can go without seeing for year and then pick right up where you left off last time.

It is. We have a lot of different views on many things, but we know not to discuss those and just talk as friends. She knows I'm crazy.

 

[Timon]

Glad you got to spend some time with Stacy!

Loved the story about her wanting to be discovered

Ugh, I would have not been happy with that stinky Uber driver!

Big spender, Skip!

Glad everyone had a good time at Universal! ☺

 

[Woth2982]

The things he told her were hilarious actually. One being…”She thinks Disney likes her but it really doesn’t”. hahaha. I can handle that!

That would be a great title for a trip Report!

I was wondering if Whoville was still there. We saw it in 2004 and it needed a spruce then, it REALLY needs one now! I wonder if they cant spruce them up due to contracts or something. It is so fun it is a working set. In 04 they were filming Desperate Housewives (I think) while we were on our tour. We have to stop all sound as we drove by the set.

 

[jenseib]

Glad you got to spend some time with Stacy!

Me too! It's always nice to see her and usually it's here at home, so it's more exciting when I can go to her.

Loved the story about her wanting to be discovered

I still laugh about that story.

Ugh, I would have not been happy with that stinky Uber driver!

Yeah. Claire made the funniest face when we got in.

Big spender, Skip!

yeah..for once. hahaha

Glad everyone had a good time at Universal!

It was such a fun day..for the most part. I am glad we did end up going there.

That would be a great title for a trip Report!

OMG! That would be!

was wondering if Whoville was still there. We saw it in 2004 and it needed a spruce then, it REALLY needs one now! I wonder if they cant spruce them up due to contracts or something.

I wonder if it was all green screen with the colors?

It is so fun it is a working set. In 04 they were filming Desperate Housewives (I think) while we were on our tour. We have to stop all sound as we drove by the set.

Oh cool!

 

[jenseib]

Wednesday, March 20, 2019, LA Deluxe Tour



Today we had to get up fairly early! We had a tour booked and pick up time was around 9 AM I believe.



Before I go on, I will give a brief intro about our tour. As I said before, I decided a tour of Hollywood would be fun and let Claire see a lot of the touristy areas. It was one thing I had always wanted to see when I was younger…heck even as an adult, and Stacy had taken me on a great personal tour a few years ago.

I keep saying I didn’t do much planning for this trip, but this was one thing I probably did the most research on. I started by looking at tours offered and read some descriptions. I then found that some offer pickups right from your Anaheim Hotel. This I figured would be the best option for us. We wouldn’t have to Uber anywhere at the crack of dawn.



There were 2 companies I found that picked up in Anaheim and I went back and forth between them. I narrowed it down to 1 tour from each company. The bad thing is, the descriptions on their sites are pretty vague. I emailed back and forth and got the info I was looking for and in the end went with StarLine Tours. This particular tour seemed to go to places I thought Claire would most enjoy.



Now I do want to put out a disclaimer too before I get started. We loved this tour….it was everything we wanted and more! This was by far Skip’s favorite day. (Hooray for Hollywood! Literally!).

This is a perfect tour to get a taste of LA and some of the hot spots. However!!!!!! If you want to spend the day on the Walk of Fame or more time at the beach, this is not for you. We were on a bus the majority of the day with several stops, some short and some an hour or so long. They move you right along and show you a lot! For those who want to visit certain locations longer, then it probably is better to find a different tour or rent a car and do your own thing.



Another thing to note as this is not a tour for someone who wants to take great pictures. We are in a moving bus the majority of the day and the windows are slightly tinted. We didn’t stop in the middle of the road to get a picture of what we were passing. If you want a picture you have to snap quickly and hope you got something…and you will see by my pictures that that is exactly what I did.



So back to our day……



We all got ready for our day. Everyone was excited. I headed off to get Claire and I a bite to eat before going. Claire almost never eats in the morning and I think she only picked at what I brought back.



The hotel had this cute Mickey Mouse outline on the small roof.



fair4 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We were on the third floor and the area with food was right down the hall.



fair5 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Our room had a view of the pool.



fair7 by Jenseib, on Flickr



fair8 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We never made it to the pool. Each day got progressively cooler and we just didn’t have time either.



View towards the parks.



fair9 by Jenseib, on Flickr



The Fairfield is set back off the road.



fair10 by Jenseib, on Flickr



This is the dining area with a Pizza Hut…but it sold other things too.



fair11 by Jenseib, on Flickr



fair12 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I got a cheese Danish.



fair6 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Once everyone was spruced up and fed we headed downstairs and out towards the road to Panara.



This is the way to the parks down the road.



holly179 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Looking back at the hotel from Panara.



holly180 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And Panara.



holly181 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly182 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly183 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly184 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Now why are we waiting at Panara you ask? Well the directions said that pick up would be at Panara’s curb. So there we waited. There was another family there too and Skip asked if they were doing the Hollywood tour and they said no they were going to Legoland today, but through StarLine.

After a little wait a bus pulled up and stopped and we all got on. We then made a few more stops at other hotels in the area.



holly1 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Our driver talked to us quite a bit but he was hard to understand. He said he was one of the drivers today for the tours and though he seemed nice, I was hoping he wasn’t ours since I couldn’t understand about half of what he said with his thick accent.



We arrived soon at the StarLine’s office in Anaheim. I hadn’t realized they had one there and it totally makes since. We can start our tour from here and not worry about going all the way into LA and then get started.

We all had to get off and check in at the window and show our paperwork and then were assigned a bus and driver for our tours. There were probably 5 or 6 tours in all going out that day.



Our bus wasn’t there yet, but did arrive shortly. We were the first on so we picked some seats, Claire and I in one and Skip behind us, and settled in. Then I decided I should probably use the restroom so we ran off and made use of that and grabbed some brochures.



holly4 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Soon the bus filled up. We had a small bus, but every seat was filled. The last family had like 5 or 6 people and they had to scatter around in seats with one boy sitting with Skip.



Our drive was Albert and he was a lot of fun. He told us he could talk on the way to LA and point out stuff or be quiet. We chose for him to talk. He also said he had stuff which he called “Need to Know” and he would announce when a Need to Know was nearby and we could veer off to those to see them or pass by. We always chose the Need to Knows. He also said there are areas that buses just aren’t allowed to go but he did go there anyways for a few things, but usually for a quick run through to point something out. Some areas he said you could kind of get away with it and others were so strict that he would not attempt it.



I do want to add that Albert pointed out a lot of things on our trip, but seriously…he could point at a toilet and tell us it was famous and how would we know if he was telling the truth. We went with it, but I can’t say everything he told us was 100% accurate.



I took random shots out the window. Some were things he would point out and others…just a snapshot.



holly5 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Look familiar?



holly2 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Think about it…..



holly3 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Did you say Grease?



holly112 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Something else was filmed there too but I can’t remember what now.



holly113 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly6 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I think this stretch of Highway was from Lalaland.



holly7 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Speaking of Lalaland….this is another movie I tried watching recently….and I had to quit. I love singing and dancing…but I just did not like this movie.



holly8 by Jenseib, on Flickr



LA in the distance.



holly9 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And we saw it…but were going fast and it was hard to get. Claire got the best shot and then we cropped it. Hahaha..



holly29 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

As we drove into civilization, Albert pointed out more things. We then approached our first stop where we could get out and take some pictures and stretch for about 15 minutes.



holly185 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I’m not a sports fan…but obviously this is a stadium.



holly186 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly187 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We parked and got out and took a look around. There were quite a few things within walking distance here, but far enough away that we really couldn’t get too close to anything for great pictures.



holly114 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly298 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly189 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I believe this is a space/aircraft museum over there.



holly190 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Holly116 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly115 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly117 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly10 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Skip and Claire roamed around together a bit.



holly11 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly118 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And then back on the bus and off we went. I will admit, this was not a major highlight for me, but still interesting to see.



And I believe down there was something worthy of a picture…and look how great the picture is! Hahaha.



holly191 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Felix is the oldest Dealership in LA.



holly300 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly192 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And Carls jr…because we see the commercials for them all the time, but we don’t have one in Ohio.



holly193 by Jenseib, on Flickr



This is the Stimson House.

Built in 1891, it was the home of lumber and banking millionaire Thomas Douglas Stimson. During Stimson's lifetime, the house survived a dynamite attack by a blackmailer in 1896. After Stimson's death, the house has been occupied by a brewer who reportedly stored wines and other spirits in the basement, a fraternity house that conducted noisy parties (causing consternation among occupants of neighboring mansions), as student housing for Mount St. Mary's College, and as a convent for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.



holly194 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly301 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Again, we passed a lot of places and Albert talked the whole time, I just didn’t take pictures of everything.



We then came upon the Staples Center, where we would park again and get out for 10 minutes or so to take pictures and stretch.



holly196 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly197 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly198 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly119 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

They had all sorts of sports figures and it was kind of neat.



holly201 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly120 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly12 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly13 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly302 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly303 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly304 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly14 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly15 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly202 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly203 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Our time was up and we headed back to the bus again.



This is an old firehouse house that has been restored and turned into a restaurant.



holly16 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly17 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly305 by Jenseib, on Flickr



And I was on the wrong side of the bus for this site.



holly121 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Albert said the name lights up at night and it’s really neat looking.



holly205 by Jenseib, on Flickr



I believe this is Grand Park.

Grand Park, with its majestic views extending from the Music Center to City Hall, provides Angelenos of all walks of life a place where they can come together to celebrate, reflect, and shape the future, in one central gathering place. Throughout Grand Park, open spaces are available not only for casual sitting and leisurely strolling, but also for civic gatherings. Grand Park has four distinct areas featuring amenities ranging from a restored historic Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain with a new wade-able membrane pool, a small intimate performance lawn, a community terrace planted with drought tolerant specimen plants representing the diverse cultural make-up of Los Angeles itself, and a grand event lawn.



holly206 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly306 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We came upon this building…which is Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts. A super cool looking high school!



holly208 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly18 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We then drove by China Town, which is very small.



holly19 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly123 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly20 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly210 by Jenseib, on Flickr



We then made our next stop. It was a Latino area and we could walk around a bit. They had some booths open for shopping, but we didn’t walk over there.



holly207 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly307 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly21 by Jenseib, on Flickr



They had some public bathrooms and we used them….and ick! The smell….oh the smell. I will tell you now, we didn’t find any good public bathrooms on our tour unless it was part of an establishment. It was pretty gross otherwise.



holly124 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly211 by Jenseib, on Flickr



holly212 by Jenseib, on Flickr



Back to the bus we went.



The Old Plaza Firehouse is the oldest fire station in the city. The first occupants of the firehouse were called the Volunteer 38s, after the number of men in Engine Company No. 1. Built in 1884, it operated as a firehouse until 1897. In later incarnations, the building was used as a saloon, cigar store, poolroom, "seedy hotel," Chinese market, "flop house" and drugstore. The building was restored in the 1950s and opened as a firefighting museum in 1960 with displays of helmets, photos and firefighting equipment of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.



holly213 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[bcwife76]

Finally caught up!! Glad your Universal day ended well!! Coming from Disney, it's always baffling that Universal closes so 'early' but yeah, usually by closing time we are done

Ugh, grumpy Uber driver sounds annoying. Like you said, his job is DRIVING so yeah, don't like it? Do something else. If you don't like getting stuck in traffic, then being an Uber driver in LA is not for you. And then Skip goes and over tips lol Oh well.

Yay for being able to meet up with your friend!! Love when it works out like that!

Looks like you're getting a pretty decent tour of LA so far (horrible bathrooms aside!)

 

[jenseib]

Finally caught up!! Glad your Universal day ended well!! Coming from Disney, it's always baffling that Universal closes so 'early' but yeah, usually by closing time we are done

For the most part we did what we wanted to do anyways, but I do want to go back someday and do what we missed.

Ugh, grumpy Uber driver sounds annoying. Like you said, his job is DRIVING so yeah, don't like it? Do something else. If you don't like getting stuck in traffic, then being an Uber driver in LA is not for you. And then Skip goes and over tips lol Oh well.

That was my thought too.

Yay for being able to meet up with your friend!! Love when it works out like that!

I was happy to see her. She is one of the few people I would make a strong effort to meet up with and I am glad we could work it out.

Looks like you're getting a pretty decent tour of LA so far (horrible bathrooms aside!)

We really enjoyed this tour.