Tour de Los Angeles (This is a Long One...)

WOW! What a week. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had some family visiting from Finland and I was one heck of a tour guide. In fact, I was so good, that I wore myself out!! Haha. I slept really well last night, but it may take me a few days to get over how exhausted I am from all of the activities of the last few days.

On Tuesday, the Finns' flight was supposed to come in at 12:40pm. I knew we didn't need to be there exactly on time because they'd have to get their bags and go through customs and all that. So after going to the wrong terminal and circling around LAX a couple times, we finally showed up around 2pm. But with their flight being delayed, we were still early. It was exciting to see them coming down the walkway so I'm glad we didn't miss it! Once we left the airport, we got them checked into the hotel, let them unwind a little bit and took them to Bob's Big Boy for dinner. By the time they went to bed, they had been awake for about 28 hours!! They were anxious to get some sleep.

The Finns at Bob's

Wednesday was reserved for Disneyland and CA Adventure. After a light breakfast and a little traffic, we arrived about 11am and immediately hit the rides. They had been to Disneyland before, but not CA Adventure. And not with ME! So this time I took them to as many of the necessary thrills as we could fit in. It was pretty crowded and most of the rides took about 45-60 minutes, but mixed with some fast passes and some patience, we did pretty well. We made a point to see the new fireworks show and do some shopping at the end of the night as well.

At Disneyland

Thursday was probably the most successful day of all. The Finns were starting to get used to the time difference and feeling a little more like themselves. Plus we saw a lot of great things in the area. We started out at the Griffith Park Observatory. I wasn't sure how well this would go over because of the fact that the whole place is about stars and space. I mean, its not the most exciting thing in the world. But they all loved it. The building and the way they have it set up is really nice and I think it was their favorite thing to see during the trip. You can get a view of the city, the Hollywood sign, and learn about the planets all in one stop.

View from the Observatory

After the observatory, we headed down the hill into Hollywood. We walked around Hollywood & Highland for a bit and saw the Walk of Stars and the Mann's Chinese Theater. We couldn't completely see the area because the Bruno premiere had the street closed down. But it was kind of cool that they got to see the red carpet. Now they know how and where movie premieres take place. It was also right around that time that we found out Michael Jackson had passed away. Of course, with him being an international star, they all knew who he was and we found it pretty sad. We also thought how crazy it was that we were practically standing on his star when they broke the news. The rest of the weekend was filled with Michael Jackson songs and videos on TV. I know I had fun reminiscing about his good days as the King of Pop.

The MJ I loved...

For lunch, I took them to my favorite BossaNova and that was a big hit too. The food is just so darn good. We filled our tummies and then drove down to the beach. The original plan was to roast marshmallows and cook hot dogs over a fire at Huntington, but as the day wore on we realized we probably wouldn't have time for all that and they wanted to see the ocean before sunset. So we went straight to Santa Monica Pier. It was so windy and cold, but they put their feet in the water anyway so they could say they had touched the Pacific Ocean. We walked down to the end of the pier and watched some of the crazies, then headed back. We stopped by Hubby's work on the way out, so they could see what a Supervising Editor does. Then for dinner we ate those hot dogs and s'mores that had been neglected at the beach.

Loving the ocean

Friday was another full day that had mostly been reserved for shopping. But I wanted to take them to Olvera Street and taste some authentic Mexican food before they left California. We took the subway there and walked around for a little while. I made them taste taquitos and stuffed churros and both of those were a hit. We walked from Olvera St. to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Such a cool building and by walking, it allowed them to see a small chunk of downtown L.A. The shopping extravaganzaa was to take place at the Camarillo outlets. I had a few other shopping areas in mind, but as usual we were running short on time. So we drove straight to the outlets, but unforunately hit a lot of traffic. At this point, I was so tired it was hard to stay awake in the car - and I was driving!! But we made it in one piece and the shopping began. We only had a few hours but I think everyone found some things that they liked. (Me included.) We went to BJ's for dinner - more delicious food - and they absolutely loved the dessert. You can never go wrong with a pizooke!

Disney Concert Hall

Now by this time, you can imagine we were all pretty tired from the sightseeing and running around. But I really wanted them to have a good experience in California and see as much as they could. And I think the Tour de LA was a success. I also figured they'd have plenty of time to rest and relax while they were in Utah (zzzz). But one thing we hadn't done was just chillax and enjoy the California sunshine. So Saturday and Sunday was reserved for Palm Springs. Hubby and I were probably more excited for the weekend getaway than the Finns were! We drove there on Saturday and stopped at the Aerial Tram on the way to our hotel. I figured they shouldn't go all the way there and not experience that. We only stayed up at the top of the mountain for about 45 minutes and then anxiously checked in, ate a quick bite and just sat by the pool. It was way too hot for my liking - around 110 degrees - so I stayed close the water until the sun started going down. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and all thought we would sleep so well that night. The resort we stayed at was BEAUTIFUL. The rooms were modern and the beds seemed comfy. Unfortunately, the air conditioning was a little wacky. My mom was sleeping on the sofabed and froze her buns off the entire night because the A/C was blowing right on her. Meanwhile, those of us in the bedrooms couldn't stop sweating!! We took turns all night going into the hallway and turning the air up so it would be cooler. It was a restless, uncomfortable night for everyone. Not a great way to end the trip, but like I said - they'll have plenty of time to rest and relax in Utah.

Mom, Cousin Antti & his fiancee Miia, Aunt Leena, Uncle Ossi, Hubs & Me

We parted ways on Sunday and I was truly sad to see them go. It was so much fun getting to know them a little better. And I was so impressed with their English. Not as much of a language barrier as I thought there would be. Luckily, there are some exciting plans in the works and Hubs and I should be able to go to Finland next summer!! I can't wait.