The Grand Tour...Day 8 We arrive in LA!

charly77 · 13 Mar 17, 11:16 PM

We had a good lay in today, it was obviously needed!

We had breakfast at the hotel which was awful, so artificial, the worst one of our whole holiday. We checked out quickly then headed to Solvang, a little Danish city in Santa Barbara County.

It was beautiful here, really wished we had more time to explore as I feel we missed out here.

We bought some pastries from Mortensens Bakery and had a lovely conversation about soccer with the guy who worked there. It’s funny how Americans think if you’re English you must support Chelsea or Manchester United…anyhow we support neither so all was good. We chatted about rugby too as DS plays union and league, I do find Americans so accommodating and love chatting to them.

Today was a good day, the sun was shining and it was warm, the first time all holiday so far. We thought we would take advantage and head to the beach…Santa Monica, here we come!

Parking was easy peasy, and free! Result. As we were peckish and thirsty we grabbed a burger from MacDonald’s (I know, ultimate sin) before hitting the beach. It was quite busy walking towards the beach but in a vibrant way and it gave us all a spring in our step!

We wandered along the beach, it was so hot, not that I’m moaning of course. We people watched for a bit and wandered under the Boardwalk where we found a place to rest and eat our sweaty pastries!

There were very good and everyone was impressed.

When we got too hot we headed back to the car as we had an appointment booked at Warner Bros Studio! So excited! ;-)

WoW! What an amazing tour, so pleased we booked it. Our tour guide was fab and listened to what everyone in our group wanted out of it.
DD is a massive Pretty Little Liars and Friends fan and she got to see everything she hoped to see.

We got to stand in Ellen’s studio, no photos allowed though unfortunately.

We also saw some of the set and artefacts from The Walking Dead and Dexter which pleased DH immensely.

Suicide Squad was massive over here as it had just been released so there were lots of costumes to view.

There was something for everyone, it was really well done and money well spent as we all got something out of it. And to top it off we all got to sit on the Friends sofa and have photos taken!

From here we headed to Westfield to grab dinner but also look for a new ring for me. We ate at Panda Express, so good, a big hit with everyone! I looked for a ring but nothing took my fancy or was completely out of my price range, typically!

We went to our hotel and checked in easily, had a quick swim before heading to bed. Recharging our batteries ready for Universal tomorrow…

Steps today; 7246

Floors climbed; 28

*Tip of the day… Make a music playlist for the long car journeys, makes it so much fun!*

Melbatb · 14 Mar 17, 05:39 AM

Another fabulous day! You packed a lot in!

Disney Wishing · 14 Mar 17, 06:10 PM

Wow you got a lot done in a day!

abiknox · 15 Mar 17, 05:44 PM

Another incredible day, you are doing things so similar to us, we even grabbed a McDonalds in SM and ate it on the beach

WB tour is fabulous isn't it? I would like to see the Suicide Squad outfits, I thought it was a great film.

**tocpe321** · 18 Mar 17, 12:25 AM

Another great day. Beach looks really nice.

Jake71 · 22 Mar 17, 10:20 AM

A brilliant day. I love the sound of the Warner Brothers Studio tour and it is definitely on our to do list for September.

**WileyCoyote** · 14 Apr 17, 01:01 PM

What a great day - so much variety

k4ti3-x · 17 Apr 17, 04:20 PM

Another brilliant day. The Warner Bro's tour was amazing eh? I was also a huge PLL fan so glad to see the square our closed set was for the Mentalist which we didn't watch but Ellen would have been fab to see!

hross42877 · 22 Apr 17, 02:15 PM

Another fab day!

13 Mar 17, 11:16 PM	#1
	13 Mar 17, 11:16 PM charly77 Very Serious Dibber
charly77 Very Serious Dibber Join Date: Feb 08	The Grand Tour...Day 8 We arrive in LA! We had a good lay in today, it was obviously needed! We had breakfast at the hotel which was awful, so artificial, the worst one of our whole holiday. We checked out quickly then headed to Solvang, a little Danish city in Santa Barbara County. It was beautiful here, really wished we had more time to explore as I feel we missed out here. We bought some pastries from Mortensens Bakery and had a lovely conversation about soccer with the guy who worked there. It’s funny how Americans think if you’re English you must support Chelsea or Manchester United…anyhow we support neither so all was good. We chatted about rugby too as DS plays union and league, I do find Americans so accommodating and love chatting to them. Today was a good day, the sun was shining and it was warm, the first time all holiday so far. We thought we would take advantage and head to the beach…Santa Monica, here we come! Parking was easy peasy, and free! Result. As we were peckish and thirsty we grabbed a burger from MacDonald’s (I know, ultimate sin) before hitting the beach. It was quite busy walking towards the beach but in a vibrant way and it gave us all a spring in our step! We wandered along the beach, it was so hot, not that I’m moaning of course. We people watched for a bit and wandered under the Boardwalk where we found a place to rest and eat our sweaty pastries! There were very good and everyone was impressed. When we got too hot we headed back to the car as we had an appointment booked at Warner Bros Studio! So excited! ;-) WoW! What an amazing tour, so pleased we booked it. Our tour guide was fab and listened to what everyone in our group wanted out of it. DD is a massive Pretty Little Liars and Friends fan and she got to see everything she hoped to see. We got to stand in Ellen’s studio, no photos allowed though unfortunately. We also saw some of the set and artefacts from The Walking Dead and Dexter which pleased DH immensely. Suicide Squad was massive over here as it had just been released so there were lots of costumes to view. There was something for everyone, it was really well done and money well spent as we all got something out of it. And to top it off we all got to sit on the Friends sofa and have photos taken! From here we headed to Westfield to grab dinner but also look for a new ring for me. We ate at Panda Express, so good, a big hit with everyone! I looked for a ring but nothing took my fancy or was completely out of my price range, typically! We went to our hotel and checked in easily, had a quick swim before heading to bed. Recharging our batteries ready for Universal tomorrow… Steps today; 7246 Floors climbed; 28 *Tip of the day… Make a music playlist for the long car journeys, makes it so much fun!* __________________ Whistle-stop Tour Of Copenhagen Feb 2017 The Grand Tour (West to East trip) 2016 The 'Bombshell' Trip to NYC @ Christmas 2014 Trip report, Our first time to WDW Sept/Oct '08; Edited at 11:18 PM.

18 Mar 17, 12:25 AM	#5
	18 Mar 17, 12:25 AM tocpe321 VIP Dibber ✓Premium Member
tocpe321 VIP Dibber Join Date: Apr 12	Another great day. Beach looks really nice. __________________ tocpe

22 Apr 17, 02:15 PM	#9
	22 Apr 17, 02:15 PM hross42877 Imagineer
hross42877 Imagineer Join Date: Jul 09	Another fab day! __________________ Holiday Inn I-Drive (Honeymoon!) Oct2003 /Quality Inn Plaza Feb 2005 Sheraton Studio City International Drive Oct 2010/2012/2013 Animal Kingdom Kidani Village Oct 2014/2016/2018/2023 Atlantis Palm Dubai? 2024