Thanksgiving 2014 - Part 1: Hollywood, California

For Thanksgiving this year we decided that we would do something different and head West. Not only would we be celebrating Thanksgiving with my family in Tucson, we would be making some awesome stops along the way.  Here was our plan:

Part 1: Fly from Dallas to LA for a few days. Visiting with friends, and seeing the sites

Part 2: Drive from LA to the Hoover Dam.  Stay in Vegas for a night

Part 3: Drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Stay in Grand Canyon Village

Part 4: Drive from Grand Canyon to Scottsdale, AZ. Visit with friends

Part 5: Drive from Scottsdale to Tucson, AZ. Thanksgiving with my family

Part 6: Fly from Tucson back to Dallas 

From Dallas to LA, we landed mid-afternoon, and the weather was so nice Husband decided to get us a convertible for the drive.  LA was sunny and 75 degrees. 

Unfortunately the convertible only lasted one day since it wasn't in the greatest of shape.  We ended up trading it back in  the next morning for a more comfortable road trip car, Toyota Camry, the better way to go. This turned out to be for the best, since the weather around the Grand Canyon's south rim turned very cold.

We arrived at our AirBnb in North Hollywood, and were so excited to find that it was a real treasure. By and far the best experience we'd ever had as of yet with using them. (More detail to come later in a separate blog...yes, it was that good) 

In the meantime, here are some pics. Isn't this place ADORABLE?!

Since we had the afternoon free, we called our friend Trey and asked him if touring any of the area studios would be something fun to do.  His response of course was "Well, that's not really what the locals do."  Um, sorry dude...we ain't local, and we were totally down to be in tourist mode. We were only a few minutes from the Hollywood stretch, and decided to head up West Riverside Drive to the infamous Warner Brothers Studio. 

Sooooo many movies. Sooooo many studio warehouses. We got to go on the set of the Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars, and the numerous movie sets where Casablanca, Captain Blood, Indiana Jones, and so many more were filmed. 

They have an excellent Batman exhibit and museum along the tour as well. 

Fake buildings and streets.  Some of the houses in the "neighborhoods" they have built, often house their corporate offices.

One of the final stops along the tour was to the Friends set. It was decorated for the final Christmas episode. LOVED IT! One of the craziest things that was revealed about Television and movie magic was the angle of the sets. It looks nothing like what we see on TV, everything is very small, narrow and at an angle. Fascinating. 

Sitting at Central Perk! You'll notice that as I mentioned earlier, everything is on an angle. In this shot of us there is just a wall behind us, but when you watch Friends, the door to the coffee shop is always directly behind the couch. So weird!

After spending the afternoon at Warner Brothers we drove out to Hermosa Beach to see our friends Eimi and Drew.  Their family's house sits right on the water, but since it was dark, we couldn't see much.  We had a wonderful dinner and great visit with them!

 

The next morning we met up with our dear friend Trey Tucker who is in Hollywood making it big time on the big screen.  Be on the lookout, he is an amazing friend with awesome talent, and a big heart. We shopped, wandered around the Santa Monica Pier, saw the official end of Route 66, and took in the amazing weather. 

Later than evening we made our way over to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Mann Chinese Theater (now known as TCL Chinese Theater), went to Rodeo Drive, saw the Beverly Hills Hotel, and slowly made our way back to our AirBnb for dinner and a mid-evening nap.  Yes, you heard me correctly...a mid-evening nap. 

We had plans to go to Jazz Night at the W Hotel, and it started at 10pm...on a Sunday night.  I'm just gunna be honest with y'all...I get in BED at 10pm on Sunday nights.  I needed to prepare to be out all night cause Lord help me my time clock was off! Haha. 

Jazz night of course was amazing!  It takes place at the W Hotel in Hollywood and is hosted by Nikki Leonti, who also happens to be recently married to our sweet friend Ryan Edgar. A word on Ryan...the boy can sang. I mean SANG.  Husband and I adore his talent so much so, that 4 years ago we asked him to sing me down the aisle at our wedding. Perfection.  

A word on Nikki....she can sing Ryan under the table! (Haha) And I've been a fan of hers for many, many years.  One of her first albums "Shelter Me," was one that as a young girl I would sing to in the mirror.  Her voice has continued to evolve through the years and she will literally floor you with her talent. 

Seriously, everyone who is young and hip in LA shows up. Funny thing is, everybody looks like they're somebody...but nobody knows who they are.  The music and entertainment is top notch and Nikki is backed by amazing background vocals and band.

The night ended in tears saying goodbye to our dear friends. Even with the distance, it is SO wonderful to see faces that you know, and friends living out their calling.  The next morning began Phase 2 of our trip.  We were looking forward to getting out to the desert and seeing the Hoover Dam and The Grand Canyon.  Stay tuned for my next blog post continuing on our adventure!