VISIT L.A. and VISIT US!

Being so far from most of our friends and family, I've taken it upon myself to highlight a few reasons you should visit us, and visit LA!

These are in no particular order:

 HIKING!!!

The Hollywood sign from Runyon Canyon - the canyon we hike most often

The Hollywood sign from the  Bronson Canyon Hike

(There's a horseback tour along this trail, I'm hoping to do that as soon as the arm is 100%.)

Awww, Drake enjoying Runyon Canyon

HOLLYWOOD

*Disclaimer/spoiler alert*

If you've never been to Hollywood, and plan to do so in the near future, I wouldn't recommend staying long. Hollywood is the definition of tourist trap. However, you have to go, even if for a little bit... Just to say you've been there :)

Pretty self explanatory - Home of the Oscars

Grauman's Chinese Theatre

The infamous Walk of Fame

LONG BEACH

Queen Mary

This boat is particularly cool on July 4th. Admission on the boat is FREE, and spectators hang out on the boat until sunset, and then have an on-the-water view of fireworks.

The fireworks.

PASADENA

No caption needed.

The Rose Bowl is a short drive from LA.

UCLA v. Oregon State

DISNEY CONCERT HALL

For Christmas, Scott surprised me to a concert at the concert hall. The place is amazing, and the concert will become a yearly tradition for us.

(photo courtesy of wikipedia.org)

SANTA MONICA

Perhaps a bit touristy, but the pier is iconic, and fun to visit.

On the pier is a small amusement park. The rides are kid-friendly, but the ferris wheel is a must (don't ask Scott his opinion on the ferris wheel :)!

On the ferris wheel. Scott's enjoying this, obviously.

The 3rd Street Promenade is GREAT for shopping.

BEVERLY HILLS/BEL AIR

The oh-so-famous signs entering Beverly Hills

Amidst all the concrete LA has to offer, there's Beverly Hills. People living here actually have yards and green space!

Bel Air - some AMAZING homes in this area! Still haven't seen the Fresh Prince...

Pretty much my FAVORITE store in Beverly Hills (maybe because it's the only one I can actually afford to enter?!)!! The cupcakes here are THE BEST in the city. The line to get in can be 45+ minutes, but it's worth the wait!

(photo courtesy of washingtoncitypaper.com)

LA BREA TAR PITS

Just steps from our front door... There are several tar pits that are being excavated, or have been excavated. Finds include fossils/remains of Colombian Mammoths, Mastodons, American Lions and Saber tooth Tigers.

A big pit of tar.

PINK'S

Soooooo good! 

Yep, it's a hot dog stand. But, the most amazing hot dog stand! They have every possible hot dog combo. Here's the  BEST part - they have TURKEY DOGS!!! The line can get pretty long, but it's worth every bite! A must-do while in LA.

THE PCH (aka Pacific Coast Highway, aka Highway 1)

The PCH takes you along the coast and has some spectacular view along the way.

THE BEACHES and SUNSETS

Venice Beach

We've seen some pretty spectacular sunsets.

Manhattan Beach

Our favorite beach!

ANAHEIM

A quick train ride will take you to Anaheim.

The train literally drops you off in the parking lot of the A's Stadium!

It's no Kauffman, but it's pretty cool :)

THE STAPLE CENTER/L.A. LIVE

Our first NHL game - Go Kings!

The Staples Center is also home to the Laker and Clippers. Tickets to those are a bit more expensive, but we're hoping to see those teams, too.

There's still so much Scott and I have on our to-do list... But, this is a good start!

See anything that looks like fun? You should be answering "yes!" We have an extra bedroom that's always open - we love having friends and family visit!! Once your flight is booked let us know, we can't wait to see you! And, we can't wait to explore more of LA with you!