Welcome to L.A.!

Karri's lifelong home and Scott's adopted home of 7 years!

We love it here and we hope you will to.

January is an excellent time to come to L.A. You can expect great weather. Temperatures in January are quite mild compared to the rest of the country with daytime temperture in the upper 60's and lower 70's and nights - almost never dropping below 40. That said Karri is always cold and Scott will own up to spending more time in a jacket then he once thought he would. While January is a wetter month (but not the wettest) in LA, it is hardly rain central and with this past winter being the wettest in a hundred years it should be all rained out come January 2006 (fingers crossed).

As I'm sure you all realize, L.A. is the second largest city (population wise) in the country so there is a whole heck of a lot to do here. From the arts & theater to the beaches and theme parks - there is something for everyone!

We won't try to deny that L.A. is a big place and the traffic is real, so having a car will make it a lot easier to cruise around for the weekend.

 

For Everyone Escaping the Cold...

Many of Los Angeles' beach cities can be reached within a half hour drive from Burbank.

If you don't mind a suggestion...we highly recommend a little tradition of ours. Head out early, swing by Mani's Bakery for a delicioius and healthy breakfast to go, head over to the Santa Monica Pier, pick out a comfy bench and watch the birds dive into the water after their breakfast while you eat yours! Once down in Santa Monica you can enjoy the beach, the historic amusement park on the pier (home of the arcade that has seen many a Scott and Karri air hockey match) or take a short walk to the 3rd Street Promenade for shopping and people watching.

If you are looking for cute surf side towns and wide open beaches, you may want to try Manhattan & Huntington Beaches. Or if you are more in the mood for arts, crafts and a ton of people watching, head on over to famous Venice Beach.

For a little more adventure on the coast Marina Del Ray, Long Beach (also home to the Historic Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific as well as a cute downtown), Newport Beach, and others have boats for rent. In fact if you make it to Newport you can check out the Lido Sailing Club where Arnie used to keep his boat.

 

For the Arts Crowd...

L.A. is filled with cultural options from many museums to theater and music. Check out any of the following for more information about what is going on...

L.A. County Museum of Art (L.A.C.M.A.)... L.A.'s biggest art museum spanning a few blocks of Mid-Wilshire (and a campus of buildings) covering art from Classical to Asian to modern.

Museum of Contemporary Art (M.O.C.A.) - L.A.'s home for modern art. Located Downtown.

The Hollywood Bowl... Unfortunately, this summer home of the L.A. Phil won't have any performances in January, but it is open for tours year round. If you are interested in the Karri & Scott connection - both love the Bowl discovered shortly after they got together that they had been to many of the same events without having ever run into each other (including the memorable appearance by Scooby-Doo at the Sing-a-long Sound of Music).

The Walt Disney Concert Hall... Winter home to the L.A. Phil, this funky Frank Geary designed building is a work of art in itself and is located Downtown. Aside from performances by the L.A. Phil all types of artists play here (in fact we just saw Alanis Morrisette here) and tours are offered daily.

The Pantages Theater... located in Hollywood, within walking distance of a Metro station and Scott's office is L.A.'s home to touring theater and also many concerts.

Natural History Museum of L.A. County... For folks looking for something a little more educational.

The La Brea Tar Pits.... You've seen them in many movies and now you can see them in person! You might also learn a little something.

The Museum of Tolerance... A wonderful museum but make sure you prepare yourself for an afternoon of intense emotion.

Griffith Park... A little bit of nature in the heart of L.A. Also home to the L.A. Zoo and the Griffith Park Observatory (which unfortunately is still under renovation, but famous none-the-less). The park also has other attractions like the transportation museum for the kids and horse back riding.

Watts Towers... A historic work of art in the heart of Watts that is a symbol of many things L.A.

 

For Those Looking for Fame and Fortune...

Obviously L.A. is known for the entertainment industry (current industry of choice for the happy couple who each had sworn they would never end up with another industry person - funny huh).

Hollywood itself is in the midst of a revitalization. The heart of Hollywood has been cleaned up to the point it looks more like Time Square then the opening scene of Pretty Woman.

At the heart of this movement is Hollywood & Highland. A mall, parking spot, and metro stop - it houses a bunch of shops and eateries. The Walk of Fame runs right infront and it has grown around and incorporated the famous Grauman's (now Mann's) Chinese Theater which has the famous hand and foot prints of the stars to take pictures with. It is also the new home of the Oscars (the Kodak Theater).

While you are in the area feel free to walk on the cheesy/touristy side and visit The Hollywood Wax Museum, The Max Factor Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not and all the fun souvenir stores.

If the thought of seeing an actual movie lot interests you, you've come to the right place. We'll cover Universal Studios with the theme parks, but there are other options out there. Check out the Warner Bros. V.I.P. Studio Tour and then get in touch with us to see how we can abuse Karri's employee discount to get you in "cheap."

 

Thrills, Chills, and Fun...

As you might have heard there are numerous theme and amusement parks around the L.A. Area.

Starting closest to our Burbank base of operations is Universal Studios Hollywood. Home to rides and the famous Backlot Studio Tour, as well as such classic eateries as "Snack to the Future" and "Franks n'Steins." While there you can also enjoy the Universal Citywalk, a walking mall with movie theaters, restaurants and shops.

A little ways north in Valencia (about 20 minutes up the 5 freeway from Burbank) is Six Flags Magic Mountain. Known for it's many crazy rollercoasters, you might be compelled to run across the parking lot to the Chariot's of Fire theme playing in your head as you realize you are at Wally World! ("Sorry folks, park's closed. Moose out front should have told you.)

Down in The O.C. you'll find the self explanatory Happiest Place on Earth (aka Disneyland and the newer California Adventure). Disneyland is celebrating its 50th Anniversary so its a great time to visit and you'll even be able to catch the newly re-opened Space Mountain.

Just before you hit Anaheim and Disneyland you can stop off at Knott's Berry Farm. Home to coasters and amazing boysenberry pie.

If you are up for more of a drive, San Diego is home to Sea World, the world famous San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park, Legoland and more.

 

Beyond that keep checking back in for updates. You can discover a tour of Karri & Scott's L.A. And for sports fans - L.A. is home to every sport but the NFL so we'll post Kings, Ducks, Lakers, Clippers, as well as USC and UCLA schedules to see who might be in town. There might even be a few more tricks up our sleeves.

Can't wait to see everyone here on our home turf!