[California Trip] Day 4: LA Fashion District, Hollywood, and Venice Beach

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Day 4, we woke up from our hotel semi-early (probably like 9 am? I can't remember really), and headed to downtown Los Angeles for some shopping! This one of the things I was most anticipating the whole trip, because I have been dying to go the the LA fashion district for the looooongest time. I was so excited!

It is crazy cool there. Everything is dirt cheap, like wholesale prices, and they also sell lots of great fabric for cheap as well. I want to go back and buy more fabric, because I didn't buy too much during this trip. We all bought a few things and found an accessories store where everything was only $0.50, so we stocked up on souvenirs to take home to our families there.

Next, it was off to Hollywood. We had fun looking at the stars on the sidewalk (which, I think that Carrie Underwood needs a star there, don't you agree??? How do we make this happen?!), seeing the Hollywood sign from afar, and seeing all the crazy people on the streets. Hollywood is a fun place to be, but there isn't much to actually do there, so we didn't stick around for too long.

Venice Beach was next and last on our list, and let me tell you that it was so cool. It was super cultural and I felt like I had walked into a movie because it was filled with tons of different, crazy, and cool people. We just walked the boardwalk for a little while and then to end our trip we sat out on the beach together one last time before going home.

Other fun facts about the trip:

-We successfully read and finished the first Harry Potter book throughout the whole vacation

-You may notice that on the previous days, the other three girls all happened to match...and then there was me. I assure you, this was not on purpose, but a really funny coincidence. For instance, when we went to Knott's Berry Farm, they all happened to be wearing neon. I remember that because it was a lot easier to spot them on the roller coasters haha.

-This trip to California was actually supposed to be a trip to NYC, but since we were flying on standby, it was risky and turned out that we probably wouldn't have been able to get home had we gone to NY. So we spontaneously decided to go to California just a few days before it was scheduled to happen. While I was sad we didn't get to go to New York, just as we all were, I think our California trip was perfect. We all bonded so much and it was also cheaper on our wallets.

-Many sessions of truth or truth were played in Katie's car as we drove and drove

-While we did of course have some tension and slight disagreements, the whole trip was practically drama free, which is how we have always been as friends. And let me tell you, it's very nice.

All in all, one of the best vacations I have been on thus far in my life :)

Friendship bracelets from the Santa Monica pier :)

For the video version of the trip, go to 13:06 for LA, 14:27 for Hollywood, and 16:16 for Venice Beach (the Venice Beach part is definitely the most fun to watch, if you have to pick one).

[California Trip] Day 3: Knott's Berry Farm and the Santa Monica Pier

Yes, it is almost 6 months later, but I am still blogging about it, because I already blogged about day 1 and day 2, and it would feel wrong not to write about the rest of the trip, because it was such a good one.

Day 3, we woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed considering we had slept on the ground with no tent or sleeping pads to help us out. We showered at the camp showers and head to Knott's Berry Farm! None of us had ever been and decided it might be a fun (and cheaper) change from Disneyland (although Disneyland will always be my favorite). We rode lots of roller coasters, though I'm not a big fan of the huge coasters, so the other three went on them while I opted to watch stuff and take videos of them while they went on, which was totally okay with me. Roller coasters really scare me sometimes.

After Knott's, we headed to the Santa Monica pier. It was super picturesque and I think all of us agreed that it was our favorite night. We all bought bracelets from a street vendor and then just sat on the pier together as best friends. We watched the waves on the beach and listening to the gorgeous music as a man played and sang, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on his guitar. I didn't get many pictures because both my camera and phone were dying, but I'll never forget it.

Now, these girls aren't my roommates anymore because life happened and some graduated and moved to the east coast and got real jobs, and I'll always hold that night and the peace it brought us close to my heart. It bonded us in a way, I think.

If you want to see the video version of day 3, it starts at 9:00 for Knott's and at 11:13 for the pier (you should watch the pier part, to get a feel of the night).