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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Ah gosh! That looks like so much fun! My mom and I just decided to go to Disney World over spring break, so your pictures made me even more excited!
You’re totally not the only one who wants to be a Disney princess. I think that’s been a dream of mine since I first saw Beauty & the Beast. 🙂
Glad you had a good trip!
The Toy Story ride is the best. I went to the one in Orlando and at first when we were walking inside I doubted the ride, but it was one of our favorites! So much fun! Have you been to Disney World? If so, do you like Disneyland or Disney World better? Happy Thursday!
Ashley, Married to the Game
Can’t believe you were in my neck of the woods not too long ago! I live in Irvine 🙂
Anyways, do you have family over here? Did you try Panera or Yogurtland while you were down? 😛
No family, just the one I bring from up here 😉
Such a fun trip! Fast pass is definitely the way to go! I have a friend, well, more of an acquaintance, from college that spent one summer as cinderella in Disney World in Orlando, Fla. SO cool!
Cinderella’s castle is so much bigger in Disney World and Tink does the same thing! She’s a crazy lady and my heart always stops, but it is really great! So glad you had a blast!!
Beautiful pictures!! OMG, love the minion pic!! I would have gone just for the minions too!! 🙂
Whaaaaaaat? 😉
SO jealous I have yet to make it to Disneyland. Ive been to Universal a few times because I live practically down the street (my gym is on the road that leads into the park) but I need to get down to anaheim!
i’d love to go visit Disney as well, its so happy and the place to be. glad you had a great time <3
Lucky you even got a FASTPASS for Radiator Springs! When I went after it first opened the fastpasses were gone within like 10 mins of the park opening and the line was 3+ hours, so I never got to go on 🙁
Is it awful that I’m NOT a Disney (or vacation in general) person? Grandma gave Disneyland tickets for the family (we still had to pay for the rest of the trip) Fall of 2012 and it was SO stressful for me. I have anxiety in the car, in crowds, I hate waiting in lines. I’m just a homebody who likes her routine. Not the happiest place on earth, it was the beginning of a depressions for me and I packed on 20 pounds in just a couple of months. If it comes up again, I think I’ll just let Daddy and the boys go and I’ll stay home alone. I’d probably enjoy it more vicariously than if I were there.
I am sooo jealous you got to meet the minions!!
The last time I went to Disney was for my half marathon last summer, and the Radiator Springs ride was SO new..there was NO way we were getting on it..I was so sad. Just looks like I have to plan another trip soon! AND HELL YES I WOULD LOVE TO BE a Disney princess..Belle to be exact! HA!
I’m afraid we’re going to have to duke it out for Belle — she’s always been my favourite 😛
Ahh! This made me miss LA sooo much!!! I just moved from LA to Seattle. I’m a huge sucker for Disneyland and beaches, so this post made me super nostalgic….
Yum! What a great winter recipe. Broccoli stems are my favorite part, so I always eat them before I can cook with them, but this recipe may be worth the wait!
Your voice really comes through in your posts! I’d love to see you join Fit Tip Tuesday this week!! Your nutrition and health opinion would be greatly appreciated! 😉
http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/2014/01/12/new-link-up-details-rules-what-to-do/
xoxo
I’ve never been to Disneyland. How’s that for random? 😀 I’d love to go though…I’m hoping to go and do the Goofy Challenge one day. Your trip looked like a blast!
I always thought about how great it would be to be a Disney Princess (Jasmine or Pocahontas for me 🙂 I always wanted to work at Hershey Park, too, considering it’s one of the “Happiest Places on Earth”… Plus, I imagine you get a lot of free chocolate which -lets be real- is pretty awesome. 😀
Love the picture of you and Mickey. Good thing Minnie wasn’t around 😉
Looks like an awesome visit!!!
The beach part would probably be my favorite but meeting some Minions would be pretty close!
I always wanted to be a Disney Princess growing up haha. I think its so cool that you got to visit the show sets!! I love Bates Motel…this gives me hope that there will be another season! I hadnt heard.
Tink is my favorite, I’m really sad/sorry they didn’t have better Despicable Me merch–that’s despicable (was that predictable?), but the pictures of the beach look AMAZING, especially because when I woke up this morning, it was -9F outside but the weather channel said it felt like -21F…so looking at warm weather pictures are helping me thaw out a bit 😉 Also, if you ever come to Colorado, let me know and I’ll take you on a foodie tour. I live in Boulder (home to Justin’s and Celestial Seasonings and it used to be the home of Larabars…)…oh and we’ll go to the original Chipotle!
You make it VERY tempting! I’ve driven through Colorado a handful of times, and I could seriously see myself moving there. I’ll definitely let you know if I ever find myself in those parts again!
I probably didn’t sell it well though talking about that whole below-zero thing…though you’re Canadian, so I figure you’ve handled worse! 😉
Glad you had a great time in California! L.A. traffic is so bad. I live less than an hour away and can hardly get myself there more than once a month. Long Beach is lovely and a lot nicer than where I live, which is all suburbs.
So the picture of you & Mickey is frame worthy – for sure!
I have actually researched everything on how to be a Disney Princess… too bad the cut off age is 30… if only I thought of it 20 years ago 🙂
MINIONS!!! Uns, uns, uns! (I hope you know what I am talking about haha). Please tell me you went on Indiana Jones and watched fantasmic?! Oh, and got a whiff of life sized churros too. Those are the best. Did you go to downtown Disney and look in those shops for minion swag? I always found those shops had better selections vs. inside the park (yet they were overpriced…maybe that’s the trick!)
Fast Pass makes like so much better for that hour of life. It’s moments like these I wish I had the power of Oprah and could should down the park and ride ALL THE THINGS!
Definitely hit up Indiana Jones, but I don’t think Fantasmic was on the days we were there 🙁 And no minions in Disney! Only in Universal, and I went into EVERY store hoping for some luck. Nothing.
The best part about this entire thing was the minions- they would make me ecstatic… even more so if I saw them just walking down the street 🙂 Glad you had a great time!
Sounds like a great time. I’m with you on the LA traffic… but it is SO worth it. I loved it there! Let’s pack up and move… you with me?? Except that whole cost of living thing out there….
Your trip looks fantabulous! I especially love the photos of Long Beach. Looks like pure bliss!
MINIOOOOOONSSSSS. I completely forgot Universal would have minions now that Despicable Me is so big–another reason to go to Orlando for me! (As if I needed one; an extension of Harry Potter world was more than enough.) Also, sometimes that Tinkerbell in the sky is a guy–jus’ sayin. 😉
😆 Are you serious? Oh man… funniest thing I’ve heard today…
I’ve been to Disney World more times than I count, but I’ve never been to Disneyland and your posts are making me realize that needs to change ASAP. Same with Universal – the one in California looks like it’s 100% worth the trip. Loving all these recaps of your vaca!
Your hair looks incredible in that last picture! Wowza ;)!
This post is making my Disneyland senses tingle. I’m craving a trip there realll badly. A couple years ago, Jake and I did a Disneyland trip post-labor day (beginning of September) and it was dead! Radiator Springs was still crazy packed, but other than that one ride, we never waited for more than 10 minutes. Awesome.
Ok I may have discovered my new ambition in life – work as a Disney princess! Which was pretty similar to my ambition 20 odd years ago… As long as I’m not firework-dodging Tink I think it would be a pretty good life!
ZOMG, the woman dressed up as Snow White in one of your pictures is seriously the same exact woman who was there when I went as a 7-year old! lol. I have a picture with her that I remember distinctly because she reminded me of one of my elementary school teachers…. so funny.
You know, I actually got a little jealous when I saw the picture of the Bates Motel, thinking you actually DID stay in a seedy place like that 😉 For some reason, staying in a creepy motel is on my bucket list! I’m a horror movie junkie 😀
P.S. I LOVE your messy bun! My hair is a little longer than yours but messy buns just look…. too messy when I try ’em out. lol
The humidity in Cali was insane and my hair definitely wasn’t a fan. That picture was taken pretty early in the day, but things looked a lot different by the end of it 😆
I think I could be a Disney Princess, Screw my MA, I wanna be Belle 😉
And I was beginning to wonder if you saw Minions 😉 Too bad about the merchandise though!
Oh, and Tinkerbell’s job…I can’t decide if that’s insane, or just really, really awesome.
Now I just want to go somewhere sunny….
It’s amazing how long that fireworks show has been going! And yes, traffic here does suck! 🙁
Radiator Springs Racers was SUCH A BLAST!!! We went in July and just the line for the FASTPASS was over 2 hours. The ride itself hovered between 1-3 hours the whole day. We ended up going right around firework time in California Adventure… the wait was only an hour 😉 I am so jealous of your trip!
That’s how the lineups were when we visited in 2012, so we cheated and went in the singles line. We didn’t get to ride together, but the wait time was only about 20 minutes.
Looks like you had a great time! I haven’t been to Disney since I was a wee little lass, but I can imagine it would be so much more fun now that I’m older! I mean…I still watch Disney movies on a regular basis. Now, if only I can convince my boyfriend to take me there…
It would be so fun to see the behind the scenes stuff from movies and tv shows – I used to love Desperate Housewives haha
And those sunset pictures are gorgeous! I’m glad you had such a great trip!
It looks like such a fun trip! I love that you stayed at the Bates Motel and you have Mickey a kiss! Aaaaand, you’re definitely not the only one who fantasized (or may still fantasize) about being a Disney princess! 😉
I totally called you on the hotel! Usually I’m the most gullible person alive, so that was a serious accomplishment for me, hah. 😉
I actually adore Mickey – he’s my favourite movie character EVER and always has been. That picture is too cute! <3
Man I miss it there!! Haven’t been since 2001…senior class trip. Just sad. I’m 3 weeks away from { hopefully} having this baby girl of ours…unless she plays mean and wants to be a week or two late….Once she’s 4, we are going back! Kids shouldn’t be an excuse to visit the happiest place on earth, but according to my hubby, it does. 🙂
I love your Minnie t-shirt!
3 weeks? So close! And kids are the perfect excuse to visit Disney! Especially as soon as they hit the age where they can remember the visit 😀