Beaches, Stars and Dogs: Los Angeles for Families
Growing up in Arizona, I practically lived in California during the summers…they called us Zonies. But, I had never really scratched the surface, and lived like a Los Angeles-ite, until we filmed an episode of Travel With Kids recently. And, staying in a home, in a Redondo Beach neighborhood, really helped us feel the part…more on that later.
Nathan and Seamus filming Travel With Kids at Universal Studios Hollywood
We started our trip as any true-blooded American family would, at a theme park. Universal Studios Hollywood proved to be lots of fun for our boys, age 10 and 12. We did a Backlot Tour where we zipped from New York streets to London alleys in a matter of minutes and the kids oohed and ahhed at the live action special effects in King Kong, Fast & Furious, Jaws and more movies.
Nathan being “eaten” by Jaws at Universal Studios Hollywood
The kids wanted to hit the rides over and over, favorites included Jurassic Park, the Simpsons and the new Transformers: The Ride in 3-D and lines weren’t a problem with Universals “Front of the Line Pass.” The longest we waited – on a holiday weekend – was 15 minutes. The shows were entertaining and eye popping with special effects and stunts revealed. And, the kids got to meet some stars at Universal’s Animal Actors’ fun live animal stage show.
HomeExchange House
At the end of the busy day, we came back to our quaint Redondo Beach neighborhood where we had plenty of room to spread out and relax in a spacious two-bedroom home and eat dinner at home (cost saver for families for sure!). And how much did the lodging set us back? $0, zip, nada. You read right. Through HomeExchange.com we were able to arrange a swap, where we stayed in California at this HomeExchange member’s home, while they stayed in Arizona. 
As a first time HomeExchanger, I was a bit nervous, but talking to the home owners on the phone and emailing prior to the trip put me at ease. I felt like we were staying at a friend’s house by the time we arrived. Plus, we got to stay in a local neighborhood where we met other families and were invited over to a BBQ.
Nathan and Seamus holding Oscar at The Hollywood Museum
The next day, we took to the streets…Hollywood Blvd. that is. After breakfast at a local Farmer’s Market, we went to Hollywood where we gazed at stars…stars lining Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and the kids sized their hands to Hollywood’s elite in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. They got to see props and costumes from their favorite movies, including Harry Potter, Star Wars and more, at The Hollywood Museum. The curator even gave the boys the special privilege of holding an Oscar.
Nathan and Seamus at Pink’s Hotdogs Hollywood
Oh…time to eat again, this time at the legendary Pink’s Hot Dogs, who must have heard about the Oscar and rolled out the red carpet for us.
Nathan and Seamus on Pink’s Hotdogs Wall of Fame
Nathan and Seamus made their own special dogs and took a picture with owner Gloria Pink after she hung their pictures on the Wall of Fame! Pink’s is a Hollywood institution since 1939 and is worth the wait.
The next day was beach day. We rode skate boards and bikes through the beach towns like true Californians and then went to Fiesta Hermosa – a beach festival in Hermosa Beach. The boys had fun playing around the lifeguard towers, watching beach volleyball, and splashing in the waves. Boogie boards and surfing are also a good way to pass those California beach days. At the end of the day, we hung out with some of our new friends from the neighborhood, thanks to our home exchange, while the kids joined in with a pack of local kids running around on the beach.
Nathan and Seamus interviewing Butch Hartman, creator of Fairly Odd Parents, at Nickelodeon Animation Studios
On our final day in Los Angeles, we went from star level to space! At the California Science Center, we gawked at the Space Shuttle Endeavor, now parked in LA, which soared above us in an amazing display of space exploration. Nathan and Seamus also really enjoyed the aquarium there and all the hands-on science exhibits. After that, we headed to Nickelodeon Animation Studios, where the boys got a behind-the-scenes tour of the studios and got to meet the creators of Legend of Korra, Sanjay and Craig and Fairly Odd Parents. They had lots of fun learning how background scenes are painted for the cartoons, how everything is animated through technology and trying their hand at voice over work! Watch out Sanjay and Craig…you have some competition in the form of Nathan and Seamus!
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