For this week’s edition of Thinking Out Loud, a little California recap. Aaaaaaand go…
1. Let’s kick things off with a look at the lovely hotel we stayed in…
It was in a really charming area of town…
😆 Actually, those are the sets for Psycho and War of the Worlds in Universal Studios, which we visited on our last full day in LA. There’s a tour you can take that’ll take you through the backlots where you can see things like Whoville (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives), Jaws, and King Kong 3D. It’s pretty neat to see what goes on behind-the-scenes of movies and TV shows.
2. But it’s even neater to see these guys…
MINIONS!!! Not gonna lie — they were my main motivation for going to Universal. We were going to skip US since we were a little tired after Disneyland and California Adventures, but then I found out that Despicable Me was being featured and that pretty much decided it. It was fun to go on the Transformers ride, Jurassic Park, and watch the Waterworld show…
… but minions are where it’s at. My only complaint is that most of the Despicable Me merchandise was disappointing, so I only managed to come home with a deck of playing cards. Oh poop.
3. Rewinding a little to our first few days in Cali, which were spent in Disneyland and California Adventures. I won’t go into too much detail since a lot of it was the same as when we visited in 2012, but I will say that, as nice as Disneyland is during the day, I think I prefer it at night…
4. … and I think that Tinkerbell might [potentially] have a death wish…
See that tiny spec on the right? That’s her (an actual person) flying around among the fireworks. Crazy adrenaline junkie…
5. I’ll also tell you that I recommend picking up a Fastpass if you plan on hitting up Radiator Springs Racers (which you definitely should). Despite the fact that January is Disney’s “slow” month, the lineups for all the good rides were insane, with some taking up to 1.5 hours. Fastpasses cut down the wait time considerably.
6. Speaking of good rides, be sure to check out Toy Story Midway Mania in California Adventures…
[source]
It’s a 3D shooting game, and probably one of my favourites in the whole park. Also, does anyone find it ironic that I got a beaver for my reward? Talk about being reminded of my Canadian-ness wherever I go…
Oh, and see that accuracy? Never ever give me a real gun…
7. And for those of you who asked, I gave Mickey a kiss for you…
8. Also… please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks it would be awesome to be a Disney princess…
I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to work in Disneyland… Everyone always looks so happy, and I spoke to one lady who said that she’s worked there for over 40 years and wouldn’t change it for the world.
9. I will never complain about the traffic in Edmonton again, because LA is insane. We were craving a little peace and quiet after a few days , so we packed up and relocated to Long Beach…
10. And because no recap post is complete without a hotel room selfie…
Hi! And bye! 😀
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Oh man minionssss, they are so cool 😀 Disney princess, and everyone who works in Disney is so happy everytime! Is unbelievable, is like when you go to a cruice everyone who works there is always in a good mood!!!! I always wonder how they do it!!
I am so jealous of your trip to Disney 🙂 I haven’t been since I was 18 (about seven years ago) and I have been dying to go back. I have been trying to convince my husband that he’d enjoy the park but he wants to spend money on other vacations before spending money on a Disney vacation 🙁 I’m still going to try and convince him otherwise but he has told me that I can run in the Princess Run or Terror of Tower 10 miler. Now I just need to find someone to run with me!!
Cute photos! Looked like you had a blast! I would LOVE to be a Disney princess too… I think I’d choose to be Belle or maybe Sleeping Beauty. 😉
The universal sets would be sooo cool to go too!!! And holy moley, 1.5 hour wait??? That’s crazy!! Those pictures of long beach are just gorgeous!! I can’t wait til I move there.
All Disney parks are better at night 🙂 You are absolutely correct about that! I’ve always had a secret desire to be a Disney princess at one of them, but I also wonder if having to do that every day would take away my love for them? Perhaps not, but I think (for me) getting to see them once every few years makes it much more enjoyable. Your time in the US looks amazing hun. I’m glad that you guys had such a good time….that beaver thing made me laugh. Just a reminder that we can never fully escape our roots (which happens to be one of my favorite Canadian brands) 😉
This makes me want to go to Disney. I can truly see why it’s called “The Happiest Place on Earth.” I’ve only ever been to Disneyworld, but I went to LA a few years ago and got to see the WB studios, which I imagine is similar to Universal. I took a tour of the Gilmore Girls and Friends sets which was awesome. It looks like you had a ton of fun!
I wanted to be a Disney princess for the longest time. They have super strict height requirements for each one, though, and I think I only qualified to be Snow White. This is making me really want May to get here so I can be at Disney World!
I can’t wait to hear what you think about Disney World! I’ve never been so I’m curious to see what the differences are…
I want to play that 3D game! I LOVE these things, specially car race games.
That pic of you with Mickey is adorable. You give a cute couple!
And now I’m even more excited for my vacation in Spain when looking at your beach pics!
I’ve been to Disneyworld but never Disneyland! It looks like you had such a wonderful time – beautiful pictures! I’ve never seen Despicable Me but I hear so much about minions and such. Have a great day girly!
This vacation looks AWESOME!! So jealous of the nice weather haha And the beach.. oh the beach. I can’t wait to get back there this summer! I have heard that fast passes are needed for some of those rides because they get to be extremely long wait times!
I loveeeeee the minions!
Disney.
Warmth.
Beach.
Not-having-to-wear-hat-and-gloves-everywhere-you-go.
Yes please.
Your hair looks fab in your hotel room selfie. Can I have that palm tree photo?
You ended up going to Whole Foods, right? Are you going to do a WF recap? Lol. You should.
😆 Can you believe the only thing I broke back from WF was nut butter? And not even my favourite Justin’s maple?! I know, I know — I’m a disappointment. But in my defence, I seriously wanted everything, so in the end I got overwhelmed and decided to get nothing. Makes perfect sense.
It looks like you had a great time! You look so cute and happy:-)
I have never been to Disneyland, but I am going to take the kids in a couple of years. I want them both to be old enough to remember how much money I spent on them. haha. JK.
disney is way prettier at night 🙂
i’ve only been to the disney/universal studios in orlando, fl but i imagine it’s quite similar!
i’ve TOTALLY thought about quitting school and working at disney as a princess (probably ever since high school? LOL)
hey, i haven’t seen a mulan yet! (me asian :D)
Oh my goodness what a magical experience! Gosh, I love Disney. Your love for minions really makes me want to see Despicable Me now! (I know, I know…I’m so behind.)
I love that you got a beaver as your Toy Story shooting game prize! It’s like Canada is still watching you. Just kidding, that’s creepy.
And isn’t it every girl’s dream to be a Disney princess?! Maybe not..but if I were one of them, I would want be Belle or Mulan. Yes, because Mulan is Asian, but also because she kicks butt. 😉
I just linked up for my first TOL post today! Woot!
Oh my goodness, I think Disneyworld is so beautiful at night! And if you get the chance definitely go during the holidays. It is so magical! Ok, Disney is always magical, but add Christmas lights and yowza!!
One of my best girlfriends dated a guy that interned/worked there. He said that the audition process is crazy for characters, and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. But I’m with you, I would LOVE to work at the most magical place on earth! How could you not be happy going to work everyday at Disney?!
Have a great day!
Glad to have you this week, Krista 😀 And I would LOVE to go during Christmas time! We were there when the Halloween decorations were up, which was pretty neat, but I can only imagine how much nicer Christmas would be.
Looks like you had an incredible time! So very jealous!!! Love the picture of you kissing mickey! Disney world is amazing, the traffic in So Cal is not! I lived there for 8 months, and as beautiful as it was, the traffic was insane! My running became pretty difficult while I was there (not to mention I gained 15 lbs eating all the good food there hahaha), and it took a nosedive…..so I am glad I moved away….for now….would love to go back! So jealous you got to go!
I love CA 🙂 I got excited when I saw pics of palm trees. We did a northern CA trip and hope to do a southern one in a few years. Have you ever been to Disney WORLD? I have been to neither- just curious which you like best, since you are a Disney lover!
Sadly I’ve never been to Disney World 🙁 It’s a little far away so I never end up making it out there. One day, though! I really want to see what the difference is.
well now i’m going to have nightmares. Bates hotel gives me creeps. I know, i am a wuss.
😉
Welcome home and to the cold. eh…
this looks so awesome and just makes me even more jealous.
That sounds like a great time. I’m glad you really enjoyed it. The monsters are by far my favorites. How cute.
The fast pass is where it’s at! I remember when I went to Disney World my family and I got those and they definitely helped with the lines. I’m glad you were able to spend some time at the beach! Jealous, jealous, but happy for you of course 🙂
You look beauuuutiful in that picture, love! Sounds like a great trip. I love the pic of you kissing Mickey. Ok, basically I am obsessed with everything in this post. Part of me still wants to move to California and call it a day.
You actually got me with that hotel bit. I’m so gullible! Sad thing is….I KNOW what the Bates Hotel is. Ha!
Someone I went to school with used to intern at Disneyworld. He would be flown down from Connecticut to Florida almost every weekend to work. He loved it and I think he ended up going there to work after he graduated. What a rewarding job though…making children’s (and adult’s) dreams come true.
When you come to New York (notice that I say WHEN) I will take you around to experience the traffic here lol. Especially city traffic. It is every man for themselves I tell you…
What comes to my mind . . .
You are awesome.
You give me hope.
May you continue to shine and stay true to your precious heart.
Much love from your “old” friend xo
Thank you, sweet lady <3 I miss you and hope that you're doing well.
Long Beach or Disneyland – I can’t decide where I’d rather go so I’ll have to pick both. But then again they’re apparently so different I figure I’d follow your suit going to Disney first and then taking in the calmth of Long Beach.
Even though I’ve never been to Disneyland [boo?!] I think it’d be amazing to be one of the princesses, too. Only I wasn’t sure if it’d actually be as much as a dream job as one might think so thanks for adding the info about the lady you talked to. Now I really want to 🙂 . I’m curious: If you were to play one of the Disney princesses which one would you be?
Belle, Belle, BELLE! She’s always been my favourite <3
Oh my gosh what a weekend!! You are too adorable with your Mickey shirt kissing Mickey!!
And I’m with you…the minnions would be the highlight for me!
So many great pictures! Thank goodness you got to see the minions. I feel like it would have been a bust without that. And I’ve always thought it would be cool to be a princess! Getting to talk to kids when they’re in the most magical place on earth must be awesome. So glad you had a great trip!
For a second I thought yall actually got to stay in the Bates Motel! Oooh – would yall have if given the opportunity? There’s a hotel here in Atlanta with all sorts of spooky stories and my daughter keeps trying to get me to agree to spending a night there – I am working on improving my chickeny attitude….
Looks like your mom and you had a blast! A couple I worked with, retired early, quit their jobs here and went to work at DisneyWorld (in Florida) about 7 years ago – they love it! Yup – think working at Disney would be a pretty sweet gig! Seeing all those happy faces would be a treat!
Hope you have a wonderful day, beautiful lady!
Aaahhh I wanna be a Disney princess!! Gosh it must be brilliant! I think you’d make a good Belle 🙂
The scenery at Long Beach looks amazingly peaceful.
Oh and MINIONS <3!! You didn't bring one of them back with you :p ?
When I looked at those behind-the-scenes shots, I was like "whaaat, that doesn't look right!".. way to kill us girl 😉
Awwr gush! Belle is my favourite 😀 And the big minions were a little too big to stuff in my suitcase and the mini [plush] ones weren’t all that great looking 🙁 They need better people designing their merch!
Hahaha, I love the Bates Motel bit 😉
Those minions! Oh my! I wish I had a picture with them! When I went to Universal, I only got a picture with the Lorax (equally awesome,but still not miniontastic 😉 )
True story- One of my friends was a Disney princess in Disneyland Tokyo- well two actually! The girls they hired had to be able to pass as two different disney princesses so she was Belle and Jasmine haha!
You kiss mickey, I kissed Cinderella. Look at us spreading germs around Disney. Think LA is bad? Drive in Sydney.
Belle and Jasmine! Gah! My favourites. And I’d risk having to drive in Sydney if it meant I could visit! Still on my bucket list…