LA temple grounds
Temple with Christmas lights
Beautiful...
A little piece of heaven on earth.
Santa Monica pier....
Emilee was excited because she said this was where Miley Cyrus filmed part of her Hannah Montana movie.
The famous Rodeo Dr.
Huge shopping mall on Hollywood Blvd....and huge is an understatement.
More shopping...
Hollywood sign
More shopping... I wasn't kidding!
I love him...:)
Chinese theater
Universal Studios
Tired and wet at the end of the day. After water rides and shows, I looked like a drowned rat!
Waterworld, the kids loved this show.
One of the most popular people in our home...
Best friends
Jurassic Park
Jake at Jurassic
A really great thrill ride!!
First day
Cute Fred...
If you look closely you'll see Gracie hiding...
Jake LOVED this place!
Curious George Jungle play yard....
On the back lot...
Before the Shrek 4d show...
Where they filmed Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds
More wreckage...they used an actual 747 and dismantled and destroyed it on site.
They were celebrating Grinchmas while we were there for the "wholidays"
Dancing and singing
Desperate Housewives
Flood waters
Fast and furious ...dancing cars. Pretty cool special effects.
Need I say more?
Tom Selleck...quite the "hottie" in his day
The set of one of my favorite shows....Ghost Whisperer. (I know, never thought I'd like a show like this, but I'm addicted.)
Grandview Town Square
Outside Delon's favorite restaurant....The Saddle Ranch!
Once there, we checked into the Sheraton Universal Hotel...it was pretty amazing. Conveniently across the street from the park. (No driving and parking) They also just renovated the entire place, very "Old-Hollywood" glamour.
The next morning began our two-day visit to the park. The weather was perfect and the crowds were small. I had assumed there would be a lot of people because of the holidays, but everyone showed up the day we left. They were all there for the Rose Bowl, something Delon would have probably preferred to go to.
We became regulars at the Park's restaurant, "Saddle Ranch". Delon loved the food and the free meals for the kids even more! We all got tired of eating there but didn't protest because we didn't want to hear Delon's "but it's free" speech again. Granted, it did save us a lot of money....
The tours were my favorite part. I really enjoyed seeing where some of my favorite movies and TV shows were filmed. The kids of course loved the rides. Jurassic Park, The Mummy and The Simpsons made the top of our list. I know Delon really enjoyed the trip, but possibly enjoyed the drive even more.
Even after the fighting and the whining, we all really had a good time with each other and it was a good experience for the kids to see a lot of these things. We visited Hollywood Blvd., Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica Pier, the LA Temple (beautiful), and the beach. Unfortunately we didn't reach the coast until it was evening....I could barely see the ocean. :( But at least I was able to hear and smell it all...I really miss it!
The family really enjoyed the time together, the warmer weather, the change of scenery and a Christmas that we will remember for a long time.
