City of Stars: Los Angeles

Visiting California wasn't in my plans for this year. It was my boyfriend's surprise Christmas gift to me. It has been eight years since I was last in the States. I was so excited to see all the new places that have popped up. I was hooked on the movie La La Land for quite some time. I made sure to go to all the landmarks I saw in the movie and of course, the highlight of my trip was to see the city of stars come to life at night. 

Streets of Beverly Hills

Day One: Melrose Avenue and Urth Cafe 

Our plane arrived early morning. I took a long nap and woke up after lunch. I was extremely jet lagged so it was just an easy day spent strolling around the streets of Melrose Avenue. They say that if you are lucky, you can catch celebrities shopping. The Kardashians, Justin Bieber, and a couple of others have been spotted. 

The first place we ate in was in Urth Cafe because it's his favorite. They have the best matcha coffee and avocado toast

I love Melrose Avenue because you can find so many cool spots to take photos 

Got a snack at the famous Mel's Diner

Day Two: LACMA and The Grove

A trip to Los Angeles will be not complete without stopping by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Every month, people travel from around the world to see their one-a-kind exhibits. Don't forget to take a photo by the famous Urban Light before leaving.

Urban Light

My first SPRINKLES cupcake

Look at the tones when the sun starts to set

Day Three: Valentine's Day in Universal Studios Hollywood

For my first Valentine's with Jacob, we spent it drinking butter beer at Hogwarts, going Back to the Future, and eating snacks at the Krusty Krab. We both love watching shows together and we loved Universal Studios even more.

Matching sneakers 

Bates Motel is one of the shows that Jacob and I binge-watched

Day Four: Warner Bros. Studio Tour & Griffith Observatory

For all you Friends fans, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is a must-see. You get to see the stage where they shot the sitcom that stole our hearts for 10 years and you even get to reenact one of the episodes on camera. You will also see the stages of other popular shows like Big Bag Theory, The Ellen Show, and Conan. Afterwards, head on to the Griffith Observatory before the sun sets to get the best view of the city. Seeing the city lights slowly turn on one at a time at night is breathtaking. 

The Batman props

You can see the Hollywood sign at the back

Having my own La La Land moment

Day Five: Venice Beach and Santa Monica Pier

Another perk of visiting Los Angeles is that it is near by the beach. Sadly, it was freezing cold when I went so I couldn't swim in the ocean but it was great just sitting on the sand.

Why am I eating ice cream in the cold?

In Santa Monica Pier, there's a small theme park where you can ride a roller coaster or play in the arcade

The weather was sunny with a cold breeze

My San Diego blog post is coming up next!