Tuesday, October 18, 2011

How to spend 38 hours in L.A. + sleep included! Clinton Foundation concert- LA trip October 2011.



Finally got to visit HOLLYWOOD! Source of movie magic, celeb gossips, celeb DUI arrests and drug overdose, red carpet events, lux shopping, trashy parties, famous landmarks and more!

Why 38 hours? We arrived at 1 a.m. on Saturday morning and flew out at 3 pm on Sunday. A quick but fulfilling trip! I want to thank Laurie for inviting me to the Clinton Foundation concert with her and also thank her for her patience and willingness to follow my itinerary! "What time do we pee and poo?". When I got anxious or became stressed out about time, her motto of the weekend reminded to be cool: "Don't worry. We'll figure it out" . With those words, we barely faced any traffic, parking was a breeze and I got to see everything on my to-do list and more! * high five

Here are some highlights of my trip

We arrived on a delayed flight in L.A. on Saturday so, we got our rental car and went straight to our hotel to get some sleep. My idea to "party it up" at Marmont went down the drain when our flight was super delayed in JFK.

Our first stop in the morning was Mulholland Drive. It is a place to get a good view of the famous Hollywood sign and also a view of downtown LA (I Googled "Best view to see the Hollywood sign" and Mulholland Drive was on the top 3 suggestions!). There were also alot of tour buses there so it's not a secret spot for sure.

Driving along Mulholland Drive was mucho fun. Mulholland Drive is named after L.A. pioneer civil engineer William Mulholland. Laurie decided to switch to driver mode since I was too distracted looking for the sign and looking at mansions left and right while driving. Safety first!

Me pointing at the Hollywood sign. This was on the top of my to-do list. It was mostly for Totoro though.




While on Mulholland Drive, we spotted the Hollywood Bowl from the top. Our concert venue that night. *high five*
"It is the largest natural amphitheater in the United States, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000"



Next stop was Mann's Chinese theater, Kodak theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame !

Chinese Theater where we learned who Sid Grauman was. "Who's Sid and why is everyone thanking him?!"




Hollywood sign. Apparently, you didn't have to drive miles and miles to get a good view of the sign. This was seen from Kodak theater and also a good view from Hollywood Bowl itself.


Before hitting our next stop, we stopped by a sorry looking Farmer's market where I sampled a candy apple and Laurie got some fresh crunchy grapes.

Next stop, le Chateau Marmont. It would be my only "celebrity" thing to-do. I was disappointed that we couldn't get a drink by the pool-side but it was refreshing to sit on the terrace sippin' on Mojito. Drinks and food weren't excessively expensive.

"The Chateau Marmont is a hotel at 8221 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. Built in 1927, and modeled loosely after the Château d'Amboise, in France's Loire Valley. It has served as the backdrop for a number of events in the lives of well-known rock stars and actors."



Sippin' on mojito at the Chateau with Totoro


My only celebrity sighting in Hollywood. Ms. Patricia Clarkson. Other celeb sightings were at the Hollywood Bowl...Ellen!!


Next stop, some Los Angeles art sale event spanning three blocks and Rodeo Drive.



Rodeo Drive window shopping!




Shooting locations for some of my fave movies while I was hitting puberty. Pretty Woman and Clueless!
Beverly Hills Wilshire hotel where Richard Gere stayed with his hoooker.



Rodeo Drive's Tiffany's where Cher had an epiphany about falling for her step brother Josh!



We stopped by Koreatown and ate at a homey mom and pop-like resto 'Seong Buk Dong' for some galbi jim and spicy octopus before hitting the concert.


Finally, what we came for, making our day complete! Clinton Foundation's "A Decade of Difference" concert featuring an all-star line up with celeb guests presenters. You can watch the full concert on Yahoo (http://news.yahoo.com/decade-difference-concert/).
The whole concert was amazing. Guest appearance like Ellen made me so giddy. Seeing Usher, Lady Gaga and U2 live. So awesomeness? C'mon!
Bill Clinton is definitely a charismatic and great man loved by millions. I learned a lot about his foundation that night and will begin supporting him from now on!



TO THE BEACH!

On our last day, we made it a Pacific Coast day. We stayed in Marina Del Rey in Santa Monica but saved the beach day before our flight back home. Therefore, we didn't have time to dip our toes in the sand or water.

Brunch at the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica by the pier. We tried their signature dish, the French Toast Souffle.




Venice Beach!
We thought we were heading to Muscle beach but I didn't see any gyms or body builders...maybe they are off on Sundays or we didn't walk far enough.


Lifeguard tower reminiscent of Baywatch.




I love palm trees


Even though we were tight on time and full from lunch, Laurie led me to an 'In and Out Burger' near LAX to complete my Cali experience. Double Double please. I didn't know about a secret menu! Maybe I would have liked "Animal Style" burger. Actually, Mic did mention the names of burgers and fries he orders but I didn't know he was referring to a SECRET MENU! Oh well, next time!



All quotes stolen from Wiki.

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