Top 10 of LA and on our way again!

July 18, 2007
Time: 4:38PST

Wow! LA sure has a ton of things to do and see. We’ve had a great time there and are now on our way to San Francisco. The kids were able to play one last time on the beach at our campsite this morning while Lee and I packed things up. I decided to let you know our activities the last few days by creating a top 10 list like David Letterman. We decided on each of them as a family, so we are all in agreement of the ranking. Here goes…

Top 10 List for the Carlson Crew in Los Angeles:

10. Not getting totally lost in LA – We love our Mary Magellan. She guides us wherever we need to go. Our GPS has certainly been worth it!

9. Having a campsite on the beach of the Pacific – Having full access to the beach allowed us some really cool opportunities that we wouldn’t have had. (I.e. the campfire and fun in the ocean at dusk)

8. Jurassic Park ride at Universal – We loved this. We got soaked, but thought it was the best ride of the park. All the rides and shows were great though.

7. Hollywood Tour/ Walk of Stars – We took a van tour of star’s homes and sites of Hollywood, West LA, and Beverly Hills. I can’t believe the price of homes in this area!

6. Sunset/ Campfire/ Roasting Strawberry Marshmallows on the Beach – I was in a grumpy mood and didn’t want to go to the beach in the evening. Sam wanted to go so bad that I finally gave in and grumbled the whole walk there. Most of the fire pits were taken, but we just happened to come upon one that had a piece of wood still burning in it and embers perfect for marshmallow roasting. A Godinscidence. We grabbed our supplies, lawn chairs, and a log we have and enjoyed a sunset on the beach by firelight. Needless to say, it eased my grumpies.

5. Mosaic Morning & Evening Services – Lee loved the evening service that he went to at a local nightclub in LA. He thought that the whole experience was a high point. As a family, we felt that the morning service that we went to at Beverly Hills High School was great.

4. Baby Blues BBQ – A few months ago, Lee and I were watching “Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives” on the Food Network and they highlighted a BBQ joint in LA. We looked up the location at the time and realized it wasn’t far from where we are staying. With the kids’ love of Food Network, we thought it would be cool to check it out. So Monday evening after we closed Universal Studios, we headed to Baby Blues BBQ. It was a total dive, but Awesome ribs!!! The best we have ever had. However, the price was more than we would normally do. It was just one of those treats that you do once.

3. Swimming the Pacific Ocean – As I said before, Sam loved the ocean and Ben was a close second. However, Lee and I voted this one as three also because of watching the sheer joy on our children’s’ faces while they played in the water. It was a great experience for us all.

2. Jeopardy taping – Tuesday we headed to Sony Television Studios and were able to be in the live audience for the first three shows of the 24th season of Jeopardy. We met Alex Trabek and saw how they tape the show. The three shows that we were in the audience for will air the week of Sept 10. This was fascinating to watch the behind the scenes stuff and interact with Alex Trabek and Johnny Gilbert (the announcer).

1. Universal Studios Hollywood – Lee surprised us after our Hollywood Tour by heading to Universal Studios Hollywood. He had made arrangements for us the night before while online and didn’t mention we were going until we got there. We went for two ½ days. We did stuff during the day and headed to the park in the afternoons. It is a great park and we really enjoyed it.

Top 5 things we won’t miss about LA:
1. Traffic
2. Traffic
3. Traffic
4. Traffic
5. Traffic

Until I see you in San Francisco,

Love,

Michele