And then there was ONE!
This was a private tour of the Hollywood Sign with a hike through the "Hollywood Hills" and mountains of Southern California. The tour took us 2.5 miles round trip on a hike the very bottom of the Hollywood Sign view breathtaking views of the Southern California mountains and even better views of Los Angeles. Our tour guide helped us locate all kinds of things in Los Angeles and gave excellent tips for the remainder of our trip. The pictures we were able to take were iconic and we loved every minute of this tour! TIP- We reserved this tour through our Go City Pass reservation and it was nothing short of incredible.
Our first view of the Hollywood sign from the trailhead!
And a view of downtown Los Angeles from the top of the hike!
A view of Universal Studios area.
I really enjoyed this view.
Just a few short feet away.
I love this one!
This one was only slightly better!
Thank you CHRIS for taking me to Los Angeles!
This is a PICTURE PERFECT shot!
Love you Chris Davis!
After our tour concluded we went straight to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to get a glance at our favorite "stars" and enjoy this tourist attraction. We were able to walk about 5-6 blocks finding all kinds of famous people and their stars. We did some shopping and grabbed a pretzel before making our way back to our Air BNB just 2 miles away to load up the SUV and head south to Anaheim.
We parked at the Hollywood and Vine parking garage and LOVED this entrance to the shopping area!
My Top Gun loving boy found Tom Cruises star!
Of course... I am the original Top Gun loving one!
And I found my FAVORITE- Courtney Cox!
I AM Monica... More and more everyday!
And Natalie searched HIGH AND LOW to find Adam Sandler!
And nearby was Jennifer Anniston!
When in Rome- Or Southern California... This is a MUST!
I swear it just taste better when in California!
These silly kids were having SO MUCH FUN!
Once in Anaheim we made our way to the Embassy Suites Anaheim Orange for our "Stadium View" room. WOW... This was one of the most amazing hotel rooms I have ever been able to stay in. We were on Floor 9 (of 10) and had a "Stadium View" of Angels Stadium of Anaheim from our room. The balcony offered view like no other with the stadium AND snowcapped mountains in view. The view was so perfect, we almost didn't want to leave. TIP- This room was $325/ night which was STEEP but we saved so much with the Air BNB, we decided to splurge and I would say it was WELL WORTH it. It allowed us to not have to drive to the stadium and pay the $45 for parking either which is a savings as well.
This was an un-zoomed in view of Angels Stadium from our balcony!
PRICELESS!
Another view of the stadium!
We unpacked while the kids watched a movie and then we took a very brief nap while the kids played on their devices. Then we got ready and walked to the Golden Road Brewery across from the Stadium. TIP- I found this on the "Ballpark Chasers" Facebook group. This is a FB page geared towards people like me who are trying to "chase" all 30 MLB baseball stadiums. This brewery was PACKED at 3:15PM since it was the Angels Home Opener. We had to walk around for nearly 20 minutes to find a seat but we got a table and started the party a little early since we did not have to drive back to our hotel. The food at the Golden Road Brewery was very good but the on tap beers were INCREDIBLE. I had another Joey moment, "I would walk back to California for one of those".
This place had over 50 local made and specialty beer flavors on tap!
Cheers to Stadium #29!
After all these years... I am finally here!
It felt so good and I loved EVERY MINUTE!
Stadium #29!
And I love that I got to do all of this with my kiddos!
This is Stadium #21 for them!
Best feeling EVER!
These fountains are a CLASSIC picture at Angels Stadium of Anaheim!
Once the game began, we made our way to our "nose bleed seats" in far right field. The Opening Day ceremonies were really neat as the Angels honored several past players and other important people. Once the game began, the crowd got wild and we witnessed many fights in the Center Field area.
These pictures were taken by a group member in the Ballpark Chasers FB page with his drone! It is so cool to think we were THERE!
Once the bottom of the 1st inning concluded, we decided to go and find Cathy's Cookies to stand in the long line for the FAMOUS COOKIES (another find from the Ballpark Chasers page). I am so glad we went in the 1st inning when there was barely a line. We got the 3 dozen WARM and gooey cookies for $29 and at first it felt wrong to pay that much but once we tasted these little gems and enjoyed the ambiance of the game and chocolate chip cookies from our seats, it was all worth it! In 29 stadiums, I have never experienced such a unique food offering! TIP- Get in line early as we learned they sold out by mid-5th inning!
There are two locations in Angels Stadium.
One on the main concourse and one in the upper deck!
This was ooey-gooey perfection! Even at $29... it was WORTH IT!
The game itself was boring and completely one-sided as Boston Red Sox led 5-1 since the bottom of the 1st inning. Then in the 6th inning we witnessed a GRAND SLAM by the Angels and an addition 2 home runs to have the Angels lead the game at the 7th inning stretch. We went down to get our souvenirs after the 7th Inning Stretch but we didn't find any foam fingers for Natalie which is a bummer as that is what she collects at each stadium (eBay to the rescue).
I am so grateful to be able to spend these trips with the people I love the most!
Stadium #29- CHECK!
We left the stadium at the bottom of the 8th inning as the Angels were losing. We wanted to get back to our hotel room in case the Angels had "Friday Fireworks" and we could watch from our Balcony. Since they lost, there was no such thing!
The famous MICKEY MOUSE- It all started in Anaheim!
Fellow chasers know what I mean!
As we were walking back to the hotel, we saw this sign!
I LOVE the message!
We stopped at the Bar in the Hotel Lobby and enjoyed watching highlights of the game before going back upstairs to find the kids "hungry". As much as I really didn't want to... We Door-Dashed Del Taco around 11PM. You Only Live Once and especially on vacation! We finally got to bed around midnight!
$27 well spent... It was actually fairly decent at 11:30PM!
UP Next- Day 5 and our travel back to "God's Country".
Stay Tuned!
