Day 10 in LA - Larry Crowne Premiere

We teamed up with my cousin again today and headed for Grauman's Chinese Theater to check out the premiere of Larry Crowne, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. My first red carpet premiere! ...even if I am standing on the sidelines.

The red carpet and lights were set up in front of the theater...

...And the fans -- that's us -- set up across the street.

About 2 hours later...Here comes Tom Hanks, making an entrance:

 Tom Hanks and George Takei:

Wilmer Valderrama, passing by for some autographs and pictures for the fans:

Julia Roberts was another one of the few celebrities who made it across the street for autographs, but unfortunately, she was swarmed the entire time. There's nothing like a chaotic horde of people shouting "Julia, Julia!" and "You have better fans over here, Julia" -- if only that would've gotten her to come down the line another 10 feet. Still, I managed to capture her, barely, in this shot. And look, she's waving.

We also SPOTTED: Maria Canals-Barerra, Jenna Elfman, Selita Ebanks, Taraji Henson, Ian Gomez, and others. Although, we mostly saw the backs of their heads. We also saw a lot of cars. A lot of cars. And giant buses. Congratulations Starline Tours and Metro buses: for being booed with surprising volume and a surprising number of times.

Day 9 in LA - BET Awards

We changed hotels -- we are now staying in the ever so lovely W Hollywood. Thank you, Comfort Inn, for your continental breakfasts. It was nice, but the W is amazing! White, silver, and glass all over -- the simple, modern, and glamorous decor had me feeling like a princess. Shortly after checking into the W, we found out we were heading to the BET Awards that evening with some family. Now, time to look like a princess! I didn't exactly pack for an award show, but luckily, I did bring along this cute little black BCBG number with some Gianni Binni peep toes.

 Here we -- my cousin, me, and my best friend -- are at the BET Awards. NOTE: If you ever go to an award show, make sure you go to the bathroom before. Otherwise you'll be sitting through 3 hours of showtime with several two-minute breaks, during which you can barely make it downstairs to the bathroom, let alone stand in the line and make it back to your seat again before the doors close on you.

 With Ron Artest:

 This was an awesome experience. It's so different to be on the other side of an award show. L.A. is certainly making some memories! And as much as I love those heels...my feet are in some serious pain. Time to invest in some more shoe cushions.

Day 8 in LA - Universal Studios & Madame Tussauds

Universal Studios Hollywood!!! Smaller than the one in Orlando, Florida, but still not bad. After a metro and shuttle ride, we made it in the park shortly after it opened!

Then we headed straight for The Revenge of the Mummy ride with no line waiting!

Still early, still no line. So we went on The Mummy again...

 I didn't exactly want to go on the Jurrasic Park River Adventure ride and get wet, but my friend convinced me. Still, no lines and we got straight on. We made sure to sit in the exact middle to avoid getting wet as much as possible. Yes, we became those girls...screaming as the plastic dinosaurs spit streams of water at us and the waterfalls fell all around us. I'm sorry, but it was still the beginning of the day and I didn't feel like ruining my hair already...as lame as that sounds. I looked pretty pathetic shielding my hair and lifting myself slightly off my seat as we made the 85ft near-vertical plunge into the water below. But hey, it worked. We took this picture right after the drop, and the hair is still looking good!

Next: The Studio Tour. Here, we had to wait in line...and a fight almost broke out between two foreign families. Seriously guys, no cutting in line...you only would've saved like five seconds anyways. Gotta say though: Universal Studios' working backlot is definitely the best attraction at the park. And I was very impressed with the King Kong 360 3D--the dinosaurs were literally attacking from all sides!

Browsing around the gift shops...

 We also visited Terminator 2: 3D, The Special Effects Stage, and The NBC Universal Experience before heading out for the day.

 Afterwards, we made our way over to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. If you've never heard of Madame Tussauds, it's an interactive (you can literally pose with the figures) wax museum with locations all around the world and basically features waxworks of historical figures, film and entertainment stars, sports stars, etc. Trust me, it's an incredible experience, and each location features different works, so you get some awesome variety! I've visited the museum in Las Vegas (where you can pose like you're marrying George Clooney) and this was my first time at the one in Hollywood. Madame Tussauds never ceases to amaze me with their incredible work. But make sure you never come alone -- Gotta have someone to take your picture as you pose with the figures!

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt:

Director Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho

 William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek

 Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Glee

Director Martin Scorsese. This is a candid...I just wanted to take a peek at the script he was holding.

Lance Armstrong. Seeing as I still don't know how to ride a bike...I'm glad this one is stationary.

Iron Man, duh. With a little help from Photoshop...

Day 6 in LA - The Grove & Farmers Market

This is a great marketplace, for tourists and locals alike. And with its large variety of shops and dining, it's got a little something for everyone!

You never know what you might find in L.A....even a dog sporting some orange sunglasses.

Day 4 in LA - Hollywood Blvd

We took a walk down Hollywood Blvd along the Walk of Fame and stopped at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater. 

Prints from:

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg -- The Harry Potter Trio

 Embracing my inner nerd with Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan salute hand print

View of the Hollywood sign from the Kodak Theatre

Lastly, we grabbed some dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. The Caesar salad and Ravioli was quite good.

Day 2 in LA - Shopping!

First thing on the agenda: shopping. So we hit up Robertson Blvd and Rodeo Drive -- the hot shop spots in LA. Unfortunately, these high-end stores come with some seriously high-end prices, and we left empty-handed. 

We did leave with some pretty pictures of the surroundings, though!

Later in the day, we met up with my family and had dinner at Umami Burger, where I was told has the best burgers in LA. I haven't tried every burger in LA, but this has got to be close to the best! For about $10 you can pick up one of these tasty burgers at this great little hidden treasure of a restaurant. There may even be some celebrity sightings. 

We SPOTTED: Melissa George (Alias, The Amityville Horror) and her cute little dog!

Day 1 in LA!!!!

Me and my best friend are enjoying the amazing city of Los Angeles, California, for the next couple of weeks. After a cancelled flight and a lot of craziness this morning, we finally got another flight out this afternoon and arrived at LAX airport several hours later than expected. Despite our enthusiasm for making it to the west coast, we immediately crashed when we made it to our hotel.

Our trip is June 18th through July 5th...I can't wait for all the exciting adventures!