19
Apr
2017

California dreaming: Highlights from LA

categories: Travel

Guys, I think I have an addiction to travelling. Because I tend to travel so often, if I’m home for  more than three months I get the itch to go somewhere. My boyfriend had some work stuff in Los Angeles this past weekend so I was more than happy to tag along, especially since it was my first time visiting.

I’ve always wanted to go to LA. When I was younger, I was wanted to be a movie star and would watch all the old Hollywood films and just admire all the classic actors. As I got older, in my teens, I was totally sucked into the LA hype, when Paris Hilton was in her prime and Laguna Beach was the hottest show on TV. Now, between watching Keep Up With the Kardashians and pretty much any show that takes place in LA, it seems like I’m familiar with the city even though I’ve never been.

Anyways, we headed out last weekend since it was Easter long weekend (I used all my vacay days at work except for one, so it worked out perfectly) and I really did have the best time for a first trip there. We stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt, which is right across from the TCL Chinese Theatre and on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We stayed in a cabana room since I found they looked more trendier and modern online. The cabana rooms surround the pool, which is a super iconic spot as Marilyn Monroe held her first professional photo shoot there (she also lived at the hotel for two years or so – she has her own suite named after her and apparently haunts the property). The bottom of the pool was also painted by artist David Hockney and is a million-dollar mural.

Since the BF was off doing work stuff on Friday, I had the whole day to myself. I started at the Morphe store in Burbank, which was quite a hike from everything else, but it was well worth it, as I picked up some goodies for friends, as well as some single eye shadows and a Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick (it’s always so expensive to ship these things to Canada!). Next, I grabbed a Lyft (if you’ve never used Lyft or Uber before, find some promo codes online for money off your first rides!) to Melrose, where I hit up some coffee shops, murals, and shops. I always wanted to stop by Dash and was actually pleasantly surprised to find that the merchandise was pretty affordable, I walked out of there with a black bodysuit by their Dash line which was $65.

After, I made my way to the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood for the TMZ Tour, which I was on the fence about, but since I had time to kill before meeting up with my boyfriend (and the pick up/drop off spot was right across from our hotel), I figured why not? I ended up loving the tour as they give you a pretty good overview of LA and all the hotspots/celebrity history of some landmarks. We saw where Paris Hilton filmed her sextape (the Four Seasons Beverly Hills), we learned that Josh Hartnett shit his pants outside the Chateau Marmont (and called 911 about it), and we found out that the Kardashian family received the keys to the city of Beverly Hills on 90210 day, among so many other juicy tidbits. I found that throughout the trip I kept dropping the facts I learned on the tour to my boyfriend since we hung around the same areas they take you on. I read bad reviews about it online, but I definitely recommend taking the tour, as it was incredibly entertaining and if you’re into celebrity gossip and info, then you’ll find this enjoyable.

Other spots we visited were The Grove, which was a place I’ve always wanted to go to, but to be honest, I found it a little disappointing. There isn’t that many stores there and the stores they do have are pretty well known and available anywhere. We ended up going to Santa Monica after and the Third Street Promenade was so much better for shopping (I even found a pair of Quay x Desi High Keys at Nordstrom, whereas The Grove location was saying they always sell out as soon as they get them in), as well as a walk down Rodeo Drive. While we were in Beverly Hills, we popped into the Beverly Hills Hotels to take some photos and eat brunch at The Polo Lounge, which was fabulous. Other spots we ate at was Farida on Sunset Boulevard, Gjelina in Venice and Catch LA on Melrose (oh, and In ‘n Out burger of course).

On the last day we went to Universal Studios Hollywood and had a total blast. The calibre of rides there were unlike anything I have been on. Since my boyfriend hates lines we opted for the Front of Line passes, which were so worth it since some of the rides had a wait time of 50 minutes or more.

Overall it was such an amazing trip and I was so sad to leave. Considering that it was my first time, I found that everything looked so familiar, since we see Los Angeles all the time on TV and in films. It’ll be tough to top this trip next time I head out there (which, hopefully is sooner rather than later). In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the photos!

Have you been to LA? What are some of the places you recommend checking out?

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