One of my favorite things is when I have a conference to go to in a new city. It’s such a great little nudge to get out of my traveling comfort zone and explore someplace new. I was thrilled when I found out that this year’s BlogHer conference (you can read all about it here) was in Los Angeles, California and found plenty of fun things to do while I was there.
The FIDM Museum & Galleries
I’m a huge fan of the show Crazy Ex Girlfriend and I follow the show’s star/creator Rachel Bloom on Instagram. Well, a couple days before my trip she posted that some of the show’s costumes were on display at FIDM for their Art of Television Costume Design exhibit running 8/2 – 10/15 (you can see her post here). I checked the distance on google maps, and it was only a short 10 minute walk from my hotel… so it was obviously meant to be!
The exhibit is totally free to check out and was full of amazing costumes! Here are just a few of my favorites:
You can see two of the Crazy Ex Girlfriend costumes in action in this video (there are some naughty words, so don’t turn it up at work):
After touring the exhibit, I walked out the back of the museum/school and found this pretty little park to hang out in for a while.
The Warner Brother’s Tour
I’m a huge Gilmore Girls fan, so I knew that I wanted to make time to get over to the Warner Brothers lot for their studio tour. The tour costs $62 and lasts about 3 hours, two of which are guided and the third is self-guided. Here are some of the stops we made while riding around on the golf cart.
Luke’s Diner:
Ms Patty’s Dance Studio:
Sookie’s House:
The Friend’s Stage:
The famous Friend’s Couch with Liz Hill (this is her pen name) who writes at Wonder Woman I’m Not:
In addition to riding a golf cart though the outdoor sets, there were two inside backlot tours. DC Universe: The Exhibit and The Harry Potter Exhibit. Here I am with one of Aragog’s children:
And checking out Harley Quinn’s cell from Suicide Squad:
Of course, I had to buy a souvenir before we left and ended up with this Luke’s Diner t-shirt.
The Santa Monica Pier & Surrounding Areas
Before I left LA I still have a few things on my list… to see the ocean, do a little shopping and eat a Sprinkles cupcake. All doable stuff! I took an Uber out to the Santa Monica Pier (with the chattiest Uber driver ever…) and holy guacamole was it crowded!
I did a little bit of souvenir shopping and picked myself up this t-shirt while I was on the pier. The beach was pretty crowded too, but I made sure to stick my feet in the sand before I walked on to explore the area. Look at those gorgeous mountains in the distance though!
From the Pier, I pretty much just walked down Grand Street all the way to Venice, stopping in any interesting looking store I found along the way. My absolute favorite find was Accents Jewelry Design, a little shop that showcased local jewelry artists. I could have spent my entire mortgage payment in the store, but ended up just buying a pretty little druzy necklace that I can’t wait to wear.
After hours of exploring, I returned to my hotel…only to realize that I still needed to go and check out a Sprinkles bakery. I threw my shoes back on and walked to one that was about 15 minutes away, getting there about 20 minutes before they closed. Out of the flavors they had available, three looked really good – Cuban coffee, red velvet, and vanilla. So, I ordered all three in the name of science. Or taste testing. Or, my sweet tooth.
To be completely honest, I don’t really see what all the hoopla is about. The cupcakes were fine, but nothing mind blowing. I actually disliked the Cuban coffee cupcake so much that after one bite it was discarded. The red velvet and the vanilla were good, just not amazingly great. If I had to choose a winner, it would be the vanilla… but only if paired with a bitter coffee to balance out the extreme sweetness. Eh, at least I checked them off my list.
Cupcakes aside, I had a really wonderful time in Los Angeles and I’m so glad I had to opportunity to visit. I especially loved the Warner Brothers Tour and highly recommend it if you are in the area!
Very cool clothing exhibit. I would love to see something like that.
I want to visit LA so bad. There are a few key sights I want to see already including disneyland and of course a few museums but now I want to throw in the Santa Monica Pier. Thanks for the idea 🙂
How cool! I have still yet to try Sprinkles :[
xoxo, Jenny
So fun! I lived in LA for a couple years, and I loved going into Santa Monica. I never did the Warner Bros. tour, but was on the lot a few times. I wish I would have seen the Gilmore Girl’s spots…so cool!
Looks like you had a great trip out to L.A. I am so going to check out the FIDM museum. Thank for the info.
I’m not a big sweets person, but I really did like Sprinkles!! I had their salted caramel cupcake and it was so good! I should have paired it with coffee like you did to balance out the sweetness! That really is such a great idea!
I’m an LA native and I have never done the Warner Brothers tour, but it looks so fun! You packed a lot into a couple of days!
my goodness what an amazing looking trip! That costume exhibit was SO COOL and I would love to pop in to Stars Hollow for a day…
how many days left until GG is on netflix? lol
How fun! Going to LA is on my bucket list!
Gilmore Girls is my favorite show so I can’t believe I didn’t think to take the WB tour when I was in LA this spring!
That clothing exhibit looks too cool! Also I would love to go to the studio tours… The Friends set and the GG set is so fascinating!
Tori
Definitely adding this to my bucket list! How cool that you got to sit on Luke’s Diner steps! Love GG!! 🙂
So glad you made it out to Santa Monica Pier. I’ve never been there when it wasn’t a madhouse…and I wouldn’t have it any other way.