Paramount Studios VIP Tour

When visiting Hollywood, a movie studio tour is a must do.  Pretty much all of the major studios offer these.  While they do all have their merits, if you can only choose one, you probably should choose based on the shows/movies the studio makes.  In our case, Star Trek is one of our favorite franchises, so we decided to go with a Paramount Studio Tour.  

There are two choices for this: The regular 2 hour studio tour and the 4.5 hour VIP tour...we opted for the VIP tour.  Our tour guide was excellent.  He was very friendly and knowledgeable about Paramount's history and current productions.  He guided us around the studio in a golf cart style vehicle and got us into all the different areas of the studio including sets, the props area, the archives, and more.  In addition, an amazing high-end buffet lunch was served to us outdoors in a gorgeous courtyard.

While the VIP tour is much more expensive, you do get a lot more out of it and it is something we'd highly recommend.  

Universal Studios Front of the Line Pass

Universal Studios gives people a different option to Disneyland in the Los Angeles area.  The rides here are fun such as the Simpsons 4-D and Transformers 3-D rides.  There aren't as many rides as a place like Disneyland, but there are a good amount of shows and you can get to do/see everything in the park in a full day if you get the Front of the Line Pass.  This pass, which can be purchased in advance or at the gate (although there is a limited amount sold per day), is an excellent idea for people that don't want to spend their day waiting in line.  The pass does exactly what you think it would do...you get to cut the line for each ride once for the day it is purchased.  In addition, you get preferred seating at all of the shows.

Hollywood Museum

The Hollywood Museum, located right off of Hollywood Blvd., was built right in the historic Max Factor building.  There are all sorts of Hollywood memorabilia in here from various movies and TV shows.  While the organization of it is is kind of all over the place, it's definitely a fun visit to reminisce on some of your favorite Hollywood productions.

Grammy Museum

Right in the middle of Los Angeles's "L.A. Live" complex is the Grammy Museum.  This multi-floor facility gives visitors a walk through the history of the Grammy's by showing various memorabilia of winners, videos of performances and interesting tidbits about the show.  You can even see Grammy awards up close.  There is also currently a video tribute to Whitney Houston, who won 7 Grammy's and was nominated 26 times.  Most will probably spend an hour here, but you can spend a few hours if you really want to experience every thing.

Osteria Mozza

On an unassuming corner sits one of the most decadent restaurants I've eaten at in a while. Osteria Mozza, located at 6602 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles, was a wonderful splurge option for us on our trip. We ordered a number of items off the menu and split the dishes for a good taste of everything we ordered.

We ordered the burrata with bacon served with marinated escarole and caramelized shallots from the mozzarella bar (highly recommended by our waitress, both the burrata and ordering from the mozzarella bar). 

The restaurant makes all their own mozzarella, so definitely get a recommendation from this portion of the menu, it's worth it.

For dinner, we ordered the grilled beef tagliata and the Orecchiette, which is served with sausage and Swiss chard. Both were fantastic options.

Sprinkles Cupcakes - Beverly Hills

Although Sprinkles cupcakes has grown and now has multiple locations across the US, the original is located in Beverly Hills, CA. This was a must-do on our Hollywood to-do list, and we weren't disappointed! (We even did it twice!)

Also, situated between Sprinkles Cupcakes and Sprinkles Ice Cream is the one and only Sprinkles Cupcake ATM. The ATM is open 24 hours and stocked with cupcakes for that late night snack craving.  Be prepared though; both the shop and the ATM can draw big crowds and make for a decent wait to get your sweet tooth craving fulfilled.

Disney's Soda Fountain

The one and only, and located directly across from Grumman's Chinese Theatre, be sure to stop into Disney's Soda Shop for a quick, light lunch or a very, very delicious ice cream sundae.

We ordered the grilled cheese and the the french dip sandwiches for lunch, both which were delicious and the perfect light lunch for a warm Los Angeles afternoon. For dessert, we ordered the black and white sundae, which was perfect for two people to split.

For Disney pin collectors and traders, be sure to swing in for the Soda Shop exclusive pins.

FigOly

Directly across the street from LA Live, and located within the Luxe City Center Hotel, is FigOly, a very cool restaurant hidden from some of the more chain and overpriced restaurants located at street level.

For dinner, we asked to be seated by the large windows to watch the hubbub on the street. Definitely request one of these tables, best view in the restaurant.

We ordered the Tagliatelle, made with wild boar, lamb and a putanesca sauce and made with house made pasta, which was fantastic. We also ordered the margherita pizza, which was rich and delicious.

DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles - Commerce

While not in a "main" area of Los Angeles, this DoubleTree is still conveniently located within a 20-25 minute drive to most attractions of the city.  The hotel is within the parking lot of the Citadel Outlet Mall, which can be convenient for some.

The hotel itself is very clean and the staff was very friendly during our stay.  Our housekeeper was excellent and even left us notes and a few bottles of water (probably in thanks for us always leaving a tip for her).  When we had a maintenance issue, the hotel had someone up to fix it in less than 60 seconds.  I must give this staff impressive scores for their efforts.

The bed provided was quite comfortable, and of course the free unlimited DoubleTree cookies are always a plus.  The hotel also has free parking, which is a major plus and their rates are very reasonable.  If you're planning on driving to get to everywhere in Los Angeles anyway, this is a very affordable place to stay that is clean with a great staff and gets our highest recommendation.