Los Angeles - Two day vacation





Day one: We reached Los Angeles International Airport at 5.00 AM after picking up the rental car we headed to the Beverly Hills. The shops had not opened for the day, the road was clear from traffic. We just drove through the streets. We were not keen on doing shopping or on taking a chance to see any film starts. So we checked this place first on our list

Empty roads of Beverly Hills
 After a drive through Beverly Hills we went to Santa Monica Mountain National Recreational Area viewpoint we observed the most famous Hollywood sign.

Hollywood sign
It was still early in the morning around 7.30 and the day was still cloudy. If you want a clear picture I suggest you visit in the latter part of the day. You will also need good zoom lenses for a clear picture.

You cannot get close to the sign or hike up to the hill is not allowed. However, there are people who do the same. I found this blog by Mr. Hansome Jimmy at http://www.hollywoodsigntrip.com he gives a detailed trail may and video of his hike.

Then we headed towards the next interesting location, Hollywood Walk of Fame. We stopped at Starbucks for breakfast and coffee.

Walk of Fame

Next, we headed to Self Realization Fellowship center founded by Paramhansa Yogananda, 3880 San Rafael Avenue and got a tour by a Saint at the center. The place was very peaceful and relaxing.

Temple of Leaves, it is believed when you stand under the tree, falling leave indicates Guru's blessings



Next, we headed to visit Bradbury Building architectural landmark located at 304 South Broadway at West 3rd Street in downtown. Many movies are shot in this building. Do visit the building for its unique European touch.


Next, after lunch, we headed to the California Science Center which had lots of interesting science and space exhibits.  



                             

                                                                                                                                                                 
                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                  


The Science Center was overwhelming with information and interesting facts. There is also a science lab where kids can learn through experiment. After the visit, we headed to the hotel for Rest and dinner.

Day two: It was time for us to hit the world famous Universal Studios.

If you want to make the most of your visit here there is only one secret, get your day ahead start and pre-book your tickets online.

Reaching early will ensure you a parking spot, beating the crowd for the famous rides, pre-booked tickets ensure early entry to the park at 9.00 AM which otherwise its 10.00 AM. You will need one full day to spend your time here. Even if you decide to spend two days at Universal Studios you will not be disappointed. We, however, spent one day. Entry to all rides and exhibits are included in the entry fee.




We reached the park at 8.45AM there were two parking lots that were already filled up, after parking the car followed by security we headed straight to the Harry Potter ride by around 9.30 AM, We still had a wait time of 30 minutes.  We enjoyed this ride most of all.

We hope the same goes with most of the people who visit the studio.  After enjoying all the rides we decided to go once again on the Harry Potter ride, the time was around 3.30 PM and the wait time was 2hours 15 min, So we skipped the ride and exited the park.

Next, we headed to Forest Lawn Memorial Park at 1712 S Glendale Ave, Glendale, to visit the memorial of Yoga Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda.

The memorial is not in a prominent location, it's inside a building with several other memorials. We took help of security to locate the memorial.



After the visit, we headed to the Santa Monica Beach, the day was a great bright and sunny, water was cold. After dinner around the beach we, headed to the hotel and crashed around 9.00 PM .

Next day morning we started early for the long drive to Las Vegas via Death valley National Park


2 comments:

  1. I have heard so much about LA and it is one place i always wanted to ot and your adventures are amazing keep travelling. check out my travel blog www,travelweekli.com

    ReplyDelete

Powered by Blogger.