Dressin for a Vacay
“I’m goin back to Cali, Cali, Cali!” okay I suppose that by this intro you can guess why I have LLCoolJ’s iconic rap anthem playing in my head on repeat; because I’m jetting off to La La land for my vacation, yup this is “Dressin for a Vacay!”
Coming from the Mountains, as I do, one of my bucket list sights is the Pacific Ocean, having not set foot on an actual beach in years, California had an incredible draw for me. However, touching down at LAX, it wasn’t nature that had my eyes scanning the horizon, but my landmark quest was on the Famous Hollywood sign. I know I’m such a cliché tourist, but it was elating to see it perched atop the mountain setting sentinel over the city of angels, it was the first affirmative sign (literally) that I had in fact made it to tinsel town.
Next up was a stop to the Mann Chinese theatre on the famous Hollywood walk of fame. Which I must admit was quite a shock to me, and NOT in a good way. However, I persevered the sights, sounds, and smells to find some of my favorite celeb’s stars, like Angela Basset and Alex Trebek to name a few. The lights, camera, action moments were intensified on day two with a trip to Universal Studios. As most of you already know, I’m a huge film fan, so I was as giddy as a kid in a candy store to be on an actual working film lot, where some of my favorite TV shows and films were shot. I loved the studio tour; and stepping into a tropical forest infested with dinosaurs was amazing, but the all-time best ride for me was Transformers. This was such a surreal experience considering the nostalgia that I felt remembering growing up and playing autobots with my cousins, now I got to be a part of the movie (that old adage is true) the first movie is always the best. This ride was a treat for the senses, being set in a 4D reality, you feel as if you’re inside the action including being sprayed with water synchronized with the mayhem taking place all around you. It was epic!
The next day’s excursion finally found me beach side on the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean, where I was blown away by the sheer vastness of the endless sand, sky, and sea. This was the location of my very own Melville moment in an impromptu whale watching tour. Our captain informed us that we had happened upon a record number of five Minke whales. Being on a boat surrounded by whales, out in the open ocean was an experience that will stay with me for my entire lifetime.
Although I could go on and on with all the things that I saw and did, I cannot leave out my experiences with the food. From California staples like In and Out Burger, to funnel cakes and doughnuts the size of my head at Universal Studios all the food was amazing, especially my final and favorite meal—Sunday Brunch, at my new favorite eatery, Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. Roscoe’s is a California landmark which arguably originated the global food craze of chicken and waffles. Can I just state for the record that the mac and cheese was the best of my lifetime, hands down! Well that’s it for this trip, I’m heading back to the Rockies, Rockies, Rockies; I’d better leave the lyrics to the professionals like LLCoolJ and perhaps Snoop, because now I have some serious “California Love!”
For more images from Dior Dressin click here to view the Gallery
