I really do love Los Angeles. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it, I think it might be my favorite city in America after my beloved St. Louis. There’s just so much to see and do and yes, the traffic is whack at all hours of the day, but it is what it is, you get used to it. The city offers so much and is so vibrant, not to mention that first class weather, I just love it! So back in June when Kamber invited us to come out and see Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and Pitbull with her and Charles on the first of December, it was an immediate no-brainer that we’d be joining!
And join them we did on a tour-de-force around the city taking in all the sights, sounds, and (unfortunately) smells we could in our brief time there, so come along as a I showcase the best of our weekend in Los Angeles…
Our first stop was the Grammy Museum, which I did once before several years ago and loved, so the opportunity to return was quite welcomed. Plus, the majority of their exhibits are traveling, so little of what I saw I had seen before. It was basically an entirely fresh experience and I loved every single second of it!
“Hip-Hop in America” encompassed the entire fourth floor and featured all kinds of iconic memorabilia from various Hip-Hop artists. This is definitely not my genre and last time I was there they had some sort of Country Music exhibit in its place, so while an upgrade from that, I’m looking forward to the day I go and there’s a Pop Music exhibit!
Gimme all the photo opportunities please!
Sometimes you just have to create your own. Obviously Melissa wasn’t going to pass up a photo with one of her heroes: Mariah Carey!
The Real Slim Shady did stand up in these! I do love me some Eminem on occasion.
We some badass motherfuckers.
Love me some Coca-Cola! This advertisement was just so beautiful to me.
The third floor was all about global icon, Shakira! Showcasing this Latin Queen couldn’t have been more appropriate for us on this weekend since we were in town to see three Latin Kings!
Two of the most important people in the world to me were born on December 2 (one of which will be kind of featured here in a bit) and knowing now that the single most iconic music video of all time debuted on that day, December 2 is basically a personal holiday for me.
Would’ve been cuter at night, but this was the best we could do. We stopped in the Macy’s downtown LA to get Kamber a sweater for a future holiday party. While she found something she loved, I didn’t love how modern it looked in there! I wanted it to have more of a historical aesthetic because the building was so old.
I was most excited to see Enrique Iglesias (pictured above) as he has the most hits I love, but I have to say, Pitbull was probably the best performer of the night for me. Pitbull talked a lot, which I love, and his energy was off-the-charts!
A shot from Pitbull’s set.
Los Angeles is whack for allowing a hundred or so hot dog vendors to cram into the plaza outside the Crypto.com Arena. You have twenty thousand people trying to exit and then there’s all these crazy people selling you questionable meats and who even knows what else. The smell was just so abrasive. It felt unhinged and insane to me. Despite it all, this picture is adorable and somehow manages to not have a single hot dog seller in it, miraculous.
Ever since Kamber and I went and shared a piece of cheesecake back in college and I got a speeding ticket on the way home thereby making it our most expensive dessert ever, we’ve made The Cheesecake Factory a staple of our friendship and we go to one anytime we’re all together.
A good friend of mine, Darlene, recommended this book to me saying it would probably resonate with me given all that 2023 has brought me and WHOA! Two thirds in and she couldn’t have been more correct! I read this on our flight and cried about six times! Thank you, Darlene! This book has been a blessing! I will for sure be reviewing it in greater detail once I’ve finished and processed it all!
Following our little shopping stint and Cheesecake Factory lunch at The Grove, we went and did the Paramount Pictures studio tour and loved it! I didn’t realize Paramount was the oldest of the major studios in Hollywood or that the name “Paramount” came from a nearby apartment complex. It was truly awesome seeing where and how they made so many of the movies, shows, and music videos we love. This was an outstanding experience that I would easily give a 10/10 too! Highly Recommend doing if ever in LA!
The white shirt and hands belong to our tour guide, Aaron, he was absolutely outstanding. His favorite movie of all-time was “The Prince of Egypt,” which was a real curveball, but definitely a classic. I mean, the movie is wonderful, but that Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston duet that hails from it, “When You Believe!?!” Simply the best.
“Top Gun: Maverick” is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. I love it more with each viewing and love it even more than the original, which I super love. It’s just the best, so we got to see plenty of memorabilia and filming locations for it.
They actually fill this parking lot with water and shoot a multitude of oceanic and other water needed scenes out here. It’s wild the way in which they do some of this stuff! Absolutely incredible. I love Hollywood and movies!
One of four benches used in the filming of “Forrest Gump.” I love this movie so much. Definitely a tear-jerking classic.
Following our nearly three hours at Paramount Pictures, we went to this traveling “Titanic” exhibition that was in town. We’re all HUGE fans of the movie, “Titanic,” so it was like fate that this so happened to be in LA when we were. The experience was totally fine. I didn’t love it, nor hate it, but definitely thought it was a bit on the pricier side of things, $42.50 a person for something we spent maybe 70 minutes in, but totally fine, it’s just a one time thing. We did have a good time though, but as you’ll see in this next photo, some of us were getting tired and hungry by this point…
Third class accomodations
Fine dining ware
The Heart of the Ocean is so important to Melissa and I as a replica of it is what I used to propose to Melissa! Also, thank goodness old Rose dropped it into the ocean, so the astronaut could go down and get it for Britney Spears!
First class hallway
“I just wish I could get up there and shoot someone!” – Nancy, channeling her inner Caledon Hockley. (Whose surname happens to be the name of our new cat.)
“I’ll never let go, Nancy. I’ll never let go.”
We just so happened to be on Hollywood Boulevard on December 2, which as you know, is Britney Spears birthday. There was no way we weren’t walking the mile to go see her star. There’s no one we love more, so despite everything, we made our pilgrimage to see our beloved Brit’s star.
We ate dinner at this swanky rooftop restaurant called Lemon Grove that is owned and operated by a Food Network Chef Melissa and Nancy love. I failed to take any pictures of the food – mostly because I was so incredibly hungry – but we did capture one of dessert. The views were top notch from up there though! It was a lovely experience and our server was outstanding!
There you have it, our whirlwind weekend in La La Land! As you may have guessed, we had NO trouble reaching our step goals as we walked over nine miles each day – much to Melissa’s dismay! Literally anytime Kamber and I are together you can guarantee we’ll be walking as much as possible! There is no distance we can’t cover on foot! Gotta get our steps and in a city as walking friendly as Los Angeles that was more possible than ever! So, thank you Kamber and Charles and the city of Los Angeles for a wonderful weekend, it really was simply the best!
As always, THANK YOU so much for viewing! I appreciate you greatly! Please feel free to leave a comment below as you know I love reading and responding to them! I’m truly hoping to post once more before the year’s end, BUT working in retail this is an especially busy time for me, so we shall see! Nonetheless, I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to returning to a more traditional posting routine come 2024! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Working hard everyday towards achieving my goal of becoming an international best-selling author. Wrote the book, just need the agent and publisher. Received the ultimate endorsement when Britney Spears wrote me saying she'd be one of the first in line to buy my book! #FreeBritney
I literally love your travel blogs and ones where you talk about past adventures! I can’t wait to be a travel buddy with you one day!!!
Thank you, thank you! Adventures Galore in 2024! Let’s make it happen!
Looks like another good trip with lots and lots and lots of walking! Lol! You guys always have fun packed trips!
We definitely do! It was a wonderful weekend!