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July 19, 2010
Right now, I am sitting in starbucks with a gorgeous view of the ocean and some palms trees. I have laundry going, and am just sort of chilling. All this traveling makes one want to chill the f@#$ out! Unfortunately, for my mom, her vacation has just started and she is not nearly as wary as I am. My mom is off visiting Malibu today, I am chilling. My intentions were to go to Laguna beach, Newport beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Hermosa beach….well those were intentions. Instead, after this blog post, I will be back to Venice beach taking a nap and waiting for my laundry to be finished.

I do have big plans for later today though. Today is the LA premiere of the movie Salt with Angelina Jolie. I am going to check out that chaos. I know I will probably not even get within a mile of her, but just to see a red carpet event would be worth it. It is at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. and they usually have it roped off for spectators and sometimes they even have bleachers or so I have read. I will be going early, and hoping just to get some shots and a feel for a red carpet event. What if I saw Brangelina??!!! OMG!! No expectations, no expectations. I’ll definitely update you!

Yesterday, my mom and I did the whole Hollywood touristy bit. We were going to take a hop on, hop off bus, but for $55 a person, I figured we could take that money, use it for something else, and I could give us the tour. I am very comfortable driving just about anywhere now. Chloe is amazing, even weighed down with all my gear! I actually decided, that when I get home, I will be emailing this link to Volkswagen and telling them how grateful I am for their 2006 2.5L Jetta, which I named Chloe.

So Dana and Mom do Hollywood. First stop, the Hollywood sign. I drove up around the Hollywood Resevoir. If you take Ledgewood Drive all the way to the end, you can get a fabulous view. On the descent back, you can take Canyon Lake Rd. which would leads to a pull off where you can also view the signs and a view of LA. Pretty cool, and probably way better than any tour bus view.
Next up, a drive on Mulholland Drive. The houses were amazing, the views even better. I saw Runyon Canyon, that is where all the stars hike with their pets, hello Audrina and LC.

Following Mulholland Drive, we went to the Hollywood Walk of fame and the Chinese Theater (where we will be going today to see Brad and Angie). In front of the theater are concrete blocks poured where stars sign their names. Judy Garlands was my favorite. Supposedly she was wearing the ruby slippers when she stepped on the wet concrete. This place was crazy with tourists, I was annoyed since I don’t like people, so we began our walk back. The stars of the Hollywood walk of fame were on the sidewalk. The highlights I saw, were Michael Jackson, which I moonwalked over, (those are my moonwalking legs in the picture) and Britney. I am not sure why I love Britney, I just do! We also walked by Big Birds and Kermit the Frogs.

After Hollywood Blvd, we decided to head up to Rodeo. It was definitely all I expected. The shops were GORGEOUS, the cars were GORGEOUS, the people were GORGEOUS. The highlight, Victoria Beckham in Bijan. The whole store was closed off, with the shades drawn. There was a crowd of people around the store talking about Victoria Beckham. How they knew she was in there, I have no idea, but that’s how I learned. I was able to get a peak in, the store was covered in fresh flowers, and gorgeous décor and you could only enter the store upon appointment only. Maybe that is how people knew she was in there. The highlights, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vitton, Jimmy Choo, Valentino, Michael Kors, and the list goes on and on!

After Rodeo, we took a drive down into Beverly Hills. The houses were amazing, I gave Dylan, Brandon, Brenda, Kelly, Donna, and David a little wave. I wondered where the Peach Pit was. It was truly a gorgeous neighborhood.

Following our drive through Beverly Hills, we went to a dinner at a recommended spot in Santa Monica. I would further recommend this spot to anyone traveling in the area. The place is called the Father’s Office on Montana Avenue between 10th and 11th. They have the absolute best burgers, with a lot of microbrews on tap. They place is cozy, and even for a Sunday was crowded with locals. With our burgers we had sweet potato fries. Nothing about this place was disappointing.

After dinner we walked down to the Santa Monica beach. This is the biggest beach I have ever seen in
my whole life. Upon entering, the amount of sand between you in the water was incredible. I didn’t even realize beaches like that existed until yesterday.

The walk to and from the beach was definitely good, though I was still in a food coma. It was time to call it a day and head to bed.

Only 1 hour until I get ready for the premiere! My plans for the rest of tonight include eating at Roscoes Chicken and Waffles, and walking down to Pinkberry at Marina Del Ray.

Tomorrow it is off to Vegas for my first time ever! Until then…..

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Photos

Tom Hanks
4 years after the release of Forrest Gump

Kodak Theater
Hello Oscars