Back to my Happy Place! FINAL UPDATE 6/28 - Pg. 20 Posts #291 & #292

[Spartangirl]

Hoping I made it in time to wish you safe travels and have a wonderful time in our beautiful state of California!

Thank you so much! I can't wait to enjoy your beautiful state!

It was rainy last week, but the weathermen are forecasting nothing but gorgeous weather for the next couple of weeks, so enjoy!

I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT!!!

Can't wait to see all the pictures!

I can't wait to share them!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

Happy Sunday, DIStown!

I'm up early (for CA time) because my internal clock hasn't adjusted yet! Chris and I made it to Hollywood safely yesterday afternoon and we've been having an amazing time so far! Hollywood is definitely a unique place and we love finding all of the "Disney touches."

We spoke to an Oscar production worker yesterday and he informed us that last night they were going to be shutting Hollywood Blvd. down to prep for the Oscars. Let the madness begin!

Today is going to be a busy day, but we are so looking forward to it! We will be exploring Universal VIP style! Can't wait to see what the day brings!

Oh, and the picture taking has definitely begun! I can't wait to share everything with all of you!

"See ya real soon!"

 

[Aburns8]

Glad that you made it there! I hope that you have a blast!

 

[redsox721]

Have fun and be safe. Happy birthday a day early.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Happy Birthday! I can't think of a better way to spend it than to be on vacation! Have a great time today -- hope you had fun at Universal yesterday!

 

[Spartangirl]

Glad that you made it there! I hope that you have a blast!

Thank you! It has been incredible so far!!!

Have fun and be safe. Happy birthday a day early.

Thanks so much! I appreciate the wishes!

Happy Birthday! I can't think of a better way to spend it than to be on vacation! Have a great time today -- hope you had fun at Universal yesterday!

Thank you!!! Universal was INCREDIBLE yesterday...I am not regretting paying the extra for the VIP tour at all! This trip has been amazing so far and we haven't even got to Disney yet!

 

[Tracy161]

I hope you two are having a blast!!! Cannot wait to see pictures and to hear all about it!!!!!!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Happy Sunday, DIStown!

I'm up early (for CA time) because my internal clock hasn't adjusted yet! Chris and I made it to Hollywood safely yesterday afternoon and we've been having an amazing time so far! Hollywood is definitely a unique place and we love finding all of the "Disney touches."

We spoke to an Oscar production worker yesterday and he informed us that last night they were going to be shutting Hollywood Blvd. down to prep for the Oscars. Let the madness begin!

Today is going to be a busy day, but we are so looking forward to it! We will be exploring Universal VIP style! Can't wait to see what the day brings!

Oh, and the picture taking has definitely begun! I can't wait to share everything with all of you!

"See ya real soon!"

Happy to hear that you two made it there safely! I can't wait to hear/see all about it!

 

[Spartangirl]

I hope you two are having a blast!!! Cannot wait to see pictures and to hear all about it!!!!!!!

This trip was an absolute blast and I can't wait to share all the fun details!

Happy to hear that you two made it there safely! I can't wait to hear/see all about it!

Thanks so much!!! I really can't wait to share!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

Just finished our last night at Disneyland! Heading home tomorrow and I'm so sad about it! This trip was AMAZING!!! More than I ever expected it to be!!! The only thing I'm looking forward to doing when I get home is sharing it with all of you so that I can relive my experiences!!! WHAT A TRIP!!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I'm glad you had such a great time out here in the West! I am looking forward to hearing all about it!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Yeay for having a wonderful trip!!! Excited to have you share it with us!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

I'm glad you had such a great time out here in the West! I am looking forward to hearing all about it!

Thanks so much! We truly were in the "middle" of all the Oscar excitement and I can't wait to share all of the fun things we did!

OOOOooooooooo....I see you're headed to Hawaii! Enjoy, Tammie! It's one of my favorite places to visit! So beautiful!!!

Yeay for having a wonderful trip!!! Excited to have you share it with us!!!

Thanks, Jackie! I really can't wait to share it...we did and saw so many exciting things! I think the trip got better by the day!

 

[bjmzl]

Hey, Heather! I'm so glad you checked too!

I'm happy you're here!


You're welcome! I'm so glad you're going on another "vacation" with me, Cheryl!


YAY!!! I'm happy you're joining me for another TR!!!


Nice!!! I'm jealous...I bet it was fabulous!


Thanks for the tip! It is definitely on our to-do list! I've heard amazing things about it and can't wait to experience it for the first time!


You're welcome! So glad to have you here, Nicole! I'm so excited to be going there too!!!


I bet that was AMAZING!!! Speaking of our dear Spartans...during the Outback Bowl we were in Punta Cana and we pried ourselves away from the beach to watch the 2nd half of the game! I'm so glad we did! You can tell that Chris was just a bit excited in this picture!

I am reading your report in my MSU p.j. Go Green with another BBall title under our belt

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Thanks so much! We truly were in the "middle" of all the Oscar excitement and I can't wait to share all of the fun things we did!

OOOOooooooooo....I see you're headed to Hawaii! Enjoy, Tammie! It's one of my favorite places to visit! So beautiful!!!

Thank you Lynne! I am so excited! Jim is taking my suitcase with him this Tuesday, so I'm already packed!

 

[Tracy161]

So happy to hear that you two had such a great time!!! Really looking forward to hearing all about it!!!!!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

I am reading your report in my MSU p.j. Go Green with another BBall title under our belt

LOVE it!!! I know...I am so excited about that title!!! By the way, welcome to my report!!!

Thank you Lynne! I am so excited! Jim is taking my suitcase with him this Tuesday, so I'm already packed!

Woo-hoo! So excited for you!!!

So happy to hear that you two had such a great time!!! Really looking forward to hearing all about it!!!!!!!

Thanks, Tracy!!! I can't wait to share!!! We had such a fun time!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

L.A. Traffic, Melrose Place, and a birthday surprise!

After a much anticipated wait, the morning of the trip was finally here! We arrived at the airport by 7:00 a.m., made it through security by 7:20, and got our well needed coffee to start our day!

Soon it was time to board our flight and we were on our way. Luckily, we got a beautiful, clear day with sunny skies and we were able to enjoy the views from up above. I loved looking down at the snow capped mountains in Denver, Colorado.

I think I sometimes take for granted all the beauty that we have in our wonderful country. But on this day, I really tried to soak it all in.

Getting off the plane was a breeze and our luggage was practically waiting for us as we arrived at the carousel. Things were looking up so far! We called the number for our prepaid car service and the dispatcher told us where to wait. Within about 15 minutes our driver arrived, ready to take us to Hollywood. We were both in great spirits and I could feel my excitement growing as I soon caught my first glimpse of the "Hollywood" sign. In my head I thought, "We'll be getting to our destination soon." At about the same time, I looked up to see the brake lights in front of us. Oh how I had forgotten about L.A. traffic......ugh!

After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at our "home" for the next few days.....The Magic Castle Hotel!

I had decided on this hotel after researching for quite an extended period of time. The price is mid-range, the hotel is basic and extremely clean, and the customer service is supposed to be the best around. Plus it's the ONLY ticket to getting into the Magic Castle Club, unless you know a member. The hotel is also in a perfect location in Hollywood, near all of the attractions.

Boy was I happy about our choice! We arrived at the desk and our room just happened to be ready. The girl at the desk was "Disney polite and happy!" She proceeded to check us in and gave us each a sparkling lemonade. She then directed us to our room and we were on our way.

We entered the room to find a "birthday surprise" for me! I couldn't believe it! There were balloons, a personalized card that was signed by all of the employees, and a mini chocolate cake from a nearby bakery.

What a terrific way to begin our adventure!

We didn't spend much time in the room because we wanted to start exploring...and let's be honest...we didn't come to Hollywood to hang out in the hotel!

I snapped a couple of pictures of our courtyard area. It kind of reminded me of the original "Melrose Place."

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST... http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44170233&postcount=79

 

[Spartangirl]

CONTINUED...

First on the agenda was food! After a crazy, busy morning and afternoon, we were hungry! Before we left home, several people told us we needed to make a stop at In-N-Out Burger. Plus, our driver on the way to Hollywood made mention of it too. I didn't see what the big deal was since I'm not a fast food junkie, but I figured we would give it a try since we don't have any near us.

We walked in to absolute chaos!!! Oh my goodness! There were wall to wall people and we only decided to stick it out since we were on vacation and hungry. They were on order #7 when we walked in and the number we received was #51. In reality, we got our food in 10 minutes. We were thankful for that! Here's Chris enjoying his meal!

With our bellies full, it was time to see the sights. Initially, we decided to walk down Hollywood Boulevard to get our bearings. On our "walking tour," we saw Grauman's Chinese Theater.

We also saw the Kodak Theater. You can see some of the bleachers that were being set up for the Oscars.

We were excited that the Academy Awards would be taking place right here in just over a week!

Look, I got an Oscar!

Continuing on, we got our 1st glimpse of the Disney Soda Shop and El Capitan Theater.

Here's where we'll be seeing Jimmy Kimmel Live later in the week!

Chris and I were so excited to get our first "taste" of Hollywood and couldn't wait to see what was in store for us this trip!

UP NEXT: The Great Movie Ride and Walt's Star! http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44212579&postcount=90

 

[Aburns8]

So excited that you started your report! I need to try In and Out Burger the next time we are out that way. At least you can say you saw the Kodak Theater while it was still the Kodak Theater.