We wasted 30 minutes looking for free parking and then just went into the crowded $8.00 lot. It took

We were lucky and got to stay with my husband's aunt and cousins while in L.A. They have lived there for 30 years but still got lost and took wrong turns driving us around! travel bags The freeways were always busy even Sunday night at 10 p.m.
We got there Friday night and ate with them in Glendale. We also switched our rental vehicle there from a minivan to a cheaper Impala after the 1 week mark to save money. A one-way rental SFO to a Glendale travel bags hotel was cheaper than carrying it all the way to San Diego to drop off. We dropped off the Impala Wed at the San Diego airport. That combo was cheaper than one the whole way.
Saturday morning we headed out to Warner Bros Studios for a tour. My cousin-in-law works there so we found it easily. There is a tour parking lot you can use. Don't forget they require a photo i.d. for adults. I realized I had left mine in another bag and panicked but luckily she got me in as an employee guest. We bought coffee in the Starbucks in the gift shop and they gave us a 10% coupon for the store. It might be worth a $2 coffee travel bags to buy a lot of merchandise. The store is small though. The tickets were $42.00 each plus tax and a transaction fee. A lot of Saturday slots were reserved so we had to get a 12pm one. That was fine because we stayed up late Friday.
The tour is about 2 1/2 hours long and mostly a tram ride. Each seats fit 3 adults but will be a tight squeeze for large people. Our guide asked us which shows we liked. He tried to talk about them if he could. On a Saturday, you won't get to see workers milling about like the weekdays. travel bags He said that is ok b/c you never see the actors anyway. Plus on a Saturday there are fewer restrictions on places he can take you since no one is working. A photo of your group is included with a Hogwarts train superimposed onto it.
Unfortunately, they didn't talk about movies too much and we didn't get to see inside any of the sound stages used for movies. I would recommend it though as it was interesting and our tour guide was funny.
My cousin in law eats here at their studio location(for studio employees) travel bags but there is also one a few miles from the studio. It was good, had fast service, and we ate outside under a roof. Traffic was quiet on a Saturday. They have fish tacos but other items as well. My son's tostado looked really good and big. They have about 8 dipping sauces. We liked it and we didn't waste too much time either. They have more locations around L.A.
Next my cousin in law drove us past the Hollywood Bowl and the Kodak Theater where the Oscars are held. We found a parking deck which was $8.00. If you buy something at the pharmacy or shoe store you can get 1 hr or 2 hrs free.
We walked to Grauman's and took photos of the hand prints and footprints. We also took some photos of the stars on the sidewalk. This area is similar to Times Square in New York. It is crowded with lots of stores around and people selling you things. For a few dollars you can get a photo with a costumed person. Some costumes were lame and some were cool.
Across the street, in the old Max Factor Building, is this museum. It costs $15 a person. It has some old glamour products displays and Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe exhibits. I wanted to try it but didn't realize it was so close on this day. (We found it the next day LOL) My kids weren't travel bags interested. travel bags The parking there is awful! They barely have any room and the man wants to hold your keys...weird. If you do go, just use the parking deck across the street near Grauman's. Hollywood High School is right near here too and has actors painted all across the front.
This is a small museum across from the Hollywood Bowl. It is $7 I think. It has a lot of Cecile B Demille's old equipment and collection. It could be good for old movie buffs. We didn't get to go in it though.
Next we drove through Beverly Hills looking for mansions. We rode down the streets you always see in movies lined with tall Palm trees. I stopped to get a homes of the stars map (hokey I know but I am more interested in the 40s and 50s era). She tried to charge $25 and sell it up but when I told her no, she gave me last year's version for $10.00.
My boys looooved all of the luxury sports cars we kept passing. Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, Maseratis, Audi R8s etc. (Yes they watch Top Gear on BBC). The funny thing is that it is a fad in L.A. to buy an $80,000 travel bags car and put a matte black finish on it. It makes it look like those people that don't have money for a real paint job. Our friend who works at a luxury car dealer there said it is becoming more common.
travel bags The sun had just set and all of the lights were coming on. There is a double travel bags set of stairs to get up to the telescopes. You can see the Hollywood Sign and Griffith travel bags Observatory from there. It could be romantic for a couple at night. The lights are very pretty. Note they close the parking lot gates around 8:30 p.m. so don't be too late. You could park on the roadside right past it though and see a similar view but not quite as high if the gates are closed.
We wasted 30 minutes looking for free parking and then just went into the crowded $8.00 lot. It took a lot of time there too because people would stop and wait for someone to pull out which blocked the path.
It was soooo crowded crowded crowded! It isn't a relax and work on your tan beach. It is a people watching beach. My husband and one son went into the water and it was really cold. We are used to the Gulf of Mexico water....so warm there. The beach is nice and wide but that means more walking travel bags to the water. The water was packed with waders.
Another cousin travel bags in law set up Segway travel bags rentals for us and the boys were really excited. A 3rd cousin came with spouse and 17 yr old daughter so she could join them. They loved it although the girl and my 13 yr old fell and got bruised and scraped. Not a big deal. I think it is $80 for 2 hours but you can share. Someone threw a shoe in front of one son to trip him. But he swerved in time. There are acrobats, stuntmen, people swinging on rings, etc. to watch. They rode the Segways down to Venice Beach and said it was weird but interesting. There are a lot of bikers there as well (bicycle bikers). We parked a mile from the Segway place though so it was 7pm by the time we got to a restaurant in Venice Beach. Someone recommended to my cousin in law that we try Lenny's for a good beer selection. They had a 1 hour wait and we needed to get to Griffith Observatory which closed at 10 p.m.
We decided to get burgers to go and head to the Obersevatory. They were so fast and inexpensive! What a good deal! The menu is limited though travel bags to double or single burger, travel bags fries, and milkshakes. They were good and we were happy we tried that instead.
Unfortunately it took over an hour to get there from Venice Beach. We got there at 9 p.m. but the street was already closed off. My cousin travel bags in law couldn't remember the way to the other street so we lost more time trying to figure it out.
Luckily we found parking up at the top. The observatory is at the top of a hill with limited parking up top. Most people have to park somewhere on the hill. You could be in for a long uphill hike if this is the case. There was probably a mile or more of cars along the road. Bring a stroller if you have kids.
We packed up Monday morning and headed to Disneyland. I know Universal Studios travel bags is a lot bigger and better in Orlando so we figured we would do that there later. It was a half day of stuff for $72 so we figured we would get more out of Disney for all day long at $105).
I bought travel bags our tickets right before the price increase. Each one-day park hopper was $105.00 Since the two parks are less than 100 yards from each other it is easy and fast to go back and forth. The bag check is outside that area so you only have to do it once. We found lockers for $7 on an alley right near the Lincoln Experience in Disneyland to put our jackets in. It was warm during the day, but cold at night.
We utilized single rider lines, which were 15 min or less, since our boys are teenagers and can ride alone if need be. We were also smart with our Fastpasses. travel bags I studied the Mousewait app ahead of time to get a good game plan. I wanted us to be efficient and not waste time.
There was no good way to see Cars Land though (the new addition). Even the last hour before closing, the Radiator Springs travel bags Racer ride was a 2 hour wait and the single rider line 1 hour! We just walked through it. Fastpasses for it were gone by 11 a.m.
I got us reservations for lunch but debated wasting the time. It was fine; portions were small. We still had to wait a little to be seated. travel bags We sat in the sunroom which didn't have a ritzy 1930s feel like the rest of the restaurant. But the odd thing is the main dining area has the kitchen opened to it which ruins the ambiance. Who wants to hear clanging pans when their meal is $30 or more for lunch?
Coming from the southeast, I have been to WDW about 7 times. The main difference I see is as you know WDW has four parks, 2 water parks, and a much larger Downtown Disney area. There is a lot more acreage in each park and a lot more hotels and resorts, plus a lake for boating and skiing and a campgground.
The plus with Disneyland is you can get around faster. If we are in tomorrowland and want to do a ride in adventureland we can be there in a minute. You can also switch parks quickly and easily. I wouldn't trade Epcot in for California Adventure though. Both resorts are fun in their own ways.
We stayed here from 12 pm to 8:30 pm. Granted, we were worn out and rested a lot. (We left Disney at 12:30 am the night before). We watched an acrobat show, saw 2 good bands in concert, and watched a short animal show. It was too kiddy so we left in the middle. We loved the Sky Buckets or whatever they call them. Disney used to have those but closed them before my boys could ride them.
The park is large (thus the shuttle tram) and has a confusing map. Since each animal has a great, large exhibit it can