Cali Vacay Day 2–A Day in LA

*****HEADS UP - - Extremely Long Post Ahead with Picture Overload*****

It has been just a little over a week since the day of our trip that I am about to write about and I am trying to remember exactly what we did.  With that being said I am so glad that  I do this blog.  I do this blog 1)for family and friends to keep up with us all the way over here on the West Coast, 2)to have something to show our kids that we did have a life before they came along, and 3) so I remember!  I have the worst memory ever!  I go back and read our blog and say, “Oh yeah…We did do that!  That was fun.”  I love scrapbooking, but it was starting to get a little expensive so I hope to one day turn this blog into our little family book and have it printed out each year.  Anyway, on with day two of our trip….

I love doing tours of places and learning all the interesting facts that often go untold.  (My favorite tours to go on are ghost walks…I love freaking myself out!)  Doug on the other hand just humors me and tags along.  It surprised me when he was actually excited about the backlot tour that we did on day 1.  When we were in Vegas we took a tour to the Grand Canyon.  We were on the bus and Doug asked me to look around and tell him what I saw.  I looked around and told him I saw people.  He promptly said, “OLD PEOPLE!  Old people do tours…people our age stay at the casino!”  After I laughed out loud I told him that we do these tours now so we don’t have to do them later and we will be able to tell everyone about them when they want to do them.  With that being said…Grand Canyon a must see…LA not so much!

We spent Day 2 of our trip on a Rasta bus touring LA…

First stop…Malibu.  Not very impressive.  The houses are crammed together and right on the beach with very little room between the house and the water.  Not the beautiful beach houses that I was expecting to see.

The bus let us out at the pier…

Doug loves pointing out contradicting things…such as….

Views from the pier…

Next stop was the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills.  The 55-room mansion sits on 16 acres of land. At the time it was built, it cost over $3 million and was the most expensive home built in California up to that point.

The estate was a gift from oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny to his son, Edward "Ned" Doheny, Jr., and his family.

Following the purchase of the estate by the City of Beverly Hills  in 1965, the property became a city park in 1971 and was subsequently added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as Doheny Estate/Greystone.

The house and grounds are often used in filmmaking and television productions.  The house's descending staircase is one of the most famous sets in Hollywood.

Greystone is now a public park , and is also used as a location for special events.

The estate is popular as a filming location due to its beauty, manicured grounds and Beverly Hills location.

Shot on location(from Wikipedia)

• All of Me
• Amazing Race 17, The - (final pitstop / finish line in Season 17, episode 12: "Hi. I'm Sorry. I'm in a Race")
• Bare Essence (used as the Marshalls mansion)
• Batman & Robin
• Beautician and the Beast, The
• Big Lebowski, The
• Bodyguard, The
• Dark Shadows (1991 revival) (used as Collinwood the Collins family's mansion / estate)
• Dead Ringer
• Death Becomes Her
• Dirty Dozen, The
• Disorderly Orderly, The (Jerry Lewis)
• Dollhouse (Season 1 Episode 10 Haunted)
• Dynasty: The Reunion
• Entourage (Season 4 Episode 10 Snow Job)
• Eraserhead
• Falcon Crest (Season 9 Episode 6 God of the Grape)
• Flowers in the Attic (movie based on the novel / book)
• Forever Amber
• Ghostbusters II
• Gilmore Girls (used as Chilton Academy a prestigious preparatory school)
• Golden Child, The
• "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" (music video by Meatloaf)
• Indecent Proposal
• "It's Like That" (Mariah Carey music video)
• "I Want Love" (Elton John music video)
• Jumpin' Jack Flash (film)
• Knight Rider (Season 1 Episode 1 Knight of the Phoenix)
• Loved One, The
• MacGyver (Season 1 Episode 12 Deathlock)
• Mentalist, The (Season 1 Episode 21 Miss Red)
• Murder, She Wrote (Season 2 Episode 6 Reflections of the Mind & Season 3 Episode 4 One White Rose for Death)
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets (Benjamin Gates and Abigail Chase's mansion. Seen when Conner, Abigail's date, drives her up to the front door, filmed in the courtyard of the Mansion)
• Phantom of the Paradise
• The Prestige
• Puppet Masters, The
• Remington Steele (Season 3 Episode Blue Blooded Steele)
• Rock Star
• Rush Hour
• Social Network, The
• Spider-Man
• Spider-Man 2^[7]
• Spider-Man 3
• Stripes (Outside Courtyard)
• There Will Be Blood^[3]
• Vampire Diaries, The (promotional photoshoot)
• The Inheritance (1997)
• What Women Want (Lauren Holly’s wedding site)
• Winter Kills
• Witches of Eastwick, The
• X-Men

The gardens were amazing…

And the views were gorgeous!

After we left the mansion we drove to Rodeo Drive…

Not only is this the most expensive shopping district in the world, but it is also a great place to people watch and window shop!

This famous shopping district stretches over 3 blocks and is lined with boutiques, shops, restaurants and luxury hotels!

Once an exclusive shopping area, it now also serves as a tourist attraction!

Rodeo Drive Fun Fact: Did you know that a horse path ran through the center of this shopping area until the 1950's?  That's supposedly why it was called "Rodeo Drive"!

Doug found what he wanted to purchase…I had to remind him that his “manly car” (and a whole lot cheaper car) back home would be awfully jealous right now.  Maybe one day honey…but for the now the corvette will have to do!

The Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel is located on Wilshire Boulevard, at the south end of Rodeo Drive.  The movie Pretty Women was filmed here in the presidential suite! 

Stopped for a photo…

Next stop was the Griffith Observatory…

I will let you guess who had to get a picture of this…

The views were spectacular of the City down below…

While at the Observatory we spotted the famous HOLLYWOOD sign…

History of the sign can be found here. The sign was conceived as an outdoor ad campaign for a suburban housing development called "Hollywoodland."  Hollywood is actually named after Hollywood, FL! 

The sign has seen its ups and downs.  From people committing suicide by leaping from the letters to pranksters rearranging letters or setting them on fire.  The sign is now monitored 24/7 by security guards and cameras.

Next up on our tour…Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame!  We only walked a small section and I took pictures of some of the stars that I recognized. 

There are over 2400 stars on the Walk of Fame.

Some celebrities that are receiving stars in 2012 are Jennifer Aniston, Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel, and Scarlett Johansson.  After being selected for a star you have to come in person to a revealing ceremony and pay $30,000 for the thing!

Also on Hollywood Blvd are some iconic Theatres.  The Kodak Theatre where the Emmy’s are held…

The El Capitan where a ton of movie premiers take place…

The Chinese Theatre…

It has also been home to many premieres including Star Wars.

Among the theater's most distinctive features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day.

George Clooney…

Denzel Washington…

Arnold…(Doug loves that he wore cowboy boots)

Sinatra…

After the tour we were dropped off at the Santa Monica Pier…

It was very crowded with people paying an arm and leg to ride carnival rides.

Santa Monica Beach is where Baywatch was filmed because it is usually pretty empty.

Doug excited that the tour for the day is over. 

At this point he doesn’t know that celebrity stalking 1-0-1 is about to begin…he is unaware of the “Map to the Stars Home” booklet that I picked up at a souvenir shop!

He wishes that the end of the trail was the Santa Monica pier….Day 2 continued - celebrity stalking posted tomorrow!