One Day in L.A!

It’s not easy to cover the Los Angeles/Hollywood/Burbank area in just one day! The first time we went to Burbank, we headed right down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and put ourselves right in the center of the action. That's really the best way to make sure you accomplish as much as possible in a small amount of time.

We started the day with a quick bite at a small and quiet Subway on the Walk of Fame so we would have more time to see everything we could. I know, not very original or exciting, but it's what was open that early!

The Walk of Fame itself is endlessly entertaining, and you could easily spend hours walking around and trying to find the names of your favorite celebrities. On top of that, they have the best shops if you’re looking for  some great souvenirs.  The street is great for sightseeing! You can find the studio where Jimmy Kimmel Live is filmed as well as the Chinese Theater and the Dolby Theater where the Oscars takes place! The Walk of Fame also is filled with salesmen selling tickets for bus tours of celebrities’ homes. My mom was desperate to go one of these tours, so we haggled the salesman down to $20 a ticket and boarded the bus. This tour is great for several reasons, and not one of them is because it shows you celebrity homes. There is no doubt in my mind that the tour guides just show you around to random houses and claim they belong to the Beckham family or Sofia Vergara.  However, for just $20 (and maybe even less if you're good at haggling) you can get a tour guide to show you all around the Beverly Hills/Los Angeles, including the Hollywood sign, the LA Skyline, and Rodeo Drive. The buses are often uncovered at the top, allowing for great pictures all over the city. However, some of these buses for certain companies can look a bit sketchy, so if you don't feel safe boarding, turn around! You can often get a refund from the person who sold you the ticket if you have your receipt and raise enough of a fuss in front of other potential customers. (Unfortunately, I speak from experience on this).

As for eating, we dined at the Hard Rock Café on the Walk of Fame during our second trip. It was pretty pricey, as you might expect, so we ended up splitting the nacho appetizer which was more than enough for the two of us. We also stopped at the Disney Ghirardelli shop, which has some amazing treats and Disney products available for purchase. For dinner that night, we headed to Little Toni’s in North Hollywood which serves delicious Italian food at reasonable prices, especially for Los Angeles.  After the convention on Saturday, we made a quick trip to In-and-Out Burger which is as delicious as it is filling. If you have In-and-Out Burgers where you’re from, this may not seem like a big deal to you, but we don't have them here in the south, so it's exciting for us! If you like cheese fries, be sure to order your food “animal style” to add an extra kick!  And if you're a southerner like me, eager to try more food that exists in California but not where you're from, do not try Del Taco. It's just...not good (plus they sell fries on the side of tacos which makes absolutely no sense). California is absolutely beautiful, and there's so much to see while you're there. If you prefer being right in the center of the action, definitely head down to the Walk of Fame for a one-of-a-kind experience! Do you all have any places that are an absolute must while in the Los Angeles area? Comment below!