After a week of too much Yogurtland and In-N-Out (although, really...is there such a thing?) we were all jonesing for some physical activity. There is a 5 mile round-trip hike near the Hollywood Sign we've been wanting to try for a while, and some of the best weather of the semester thusfar was just the motivation we needed. After another stop at the Farmer's Market for some sustenance in the form of fruit, we headed out to Griffith Park, where our trail began.
We had some difficulty figuring out which path the internet was referring to as the one that would bring you supposedly within 20 feet of the sign. After a brief detour past the famous "Batcave" from the original Batman TV series, we realized we were heading in the wrong direction. Before we turned around, Liz Breen, ever the fearless explorer, attempted to convince us that the "path" seen below was meant to be traversed. Needless to say, it was not.
Along the way we had a pretty great celebrity sighting: Wanda Sykes, who apparently also enjoys a good hike on a Saturday morning. We powered through the mostly uphill 2.5 miles, motivated by the amazing view of the famous sign that was surely ahead. A perfectly timed break came when we spotted the "Giving Tree": a tree with a box of papers and pens for you to write your hopes and dreams on before tossing them into a hole in the tree. Following in the footsteps of many before us, we took this fun opportunity to express our desires to avoid Madonna's clutches and find her geocache. Oh, and of course we included the Bay State website. You know, just in case anyone ever reads it.
After every curve we were convinced the sign must be around the next bend. Finally, we reached what appeared to be the end of the trail. We were definitely not within 20 feet of the sign and are still unsure as to where that specific hiking path is, but we were perfectly satisfied. We ended up at a perfect photo-op spot, judging by the many other groups there for the same purpose.
Fueled by the woman having a half-hour photoshoot with the sign in her high heels, we made it our mission to take as many ridiculous photos as possible. Credit to Liz Alfonso for some of the photos in this post!
When we decided we'd had our fill, we began our descent. No longer motivated by the Sign, we decided on a new motivator: a trip to Yogurtland. We also encountered some real-life hipsters on our way back down, which Anthony and Liz eagerly documented.
We stopped for Subway and Yogurtland before it was time for Anthony and I to head to the Glee Paleyfest panel! It was the hottest ticket of this year's Paleyfest and we were lucky to have snagged tickets before they sold out. The entire cast, minus Lea Michele, was in attendance, as were executive producers/writers Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, and Dante DiLoreto. I was particularly excited over the presence of Lea's panel replacement, Broadway star and upcoming recurring guest star on Glee, Jonathan Groff.The crowd went wild when it was announced that we'd be treated to a screening of the director's cut of "Hell-O," the first episode of the back nine of season 1 (scheduled to air on Fox on April 13th). After the episode (which I loved), they brought out the panelists for a lively discussion of the process of making the show, what's to come in the second half of season one, and some fun behind-the-scenes stories. Such a great night!
While Liz Breen got some sleep in preparation for her 4am wake-up call and early flight, Anthony, Liz and I joined my friends Allie and Erin for another UCB comedy show, this time a Pop Culture Trivia extravaganza. It was a perfect way to wind down a great day, and I think we officially have a favorite LA comedy club.Our mission for Sunday had been set in motion earlier in the week when Liz texted me asking how I'd feel about going to Buffy's house. Obviously my answer was hell yes! Joined by fellow Buffy fanatic Michael Apgar, we set out to hit up as many of the filming locations from our favorite television series as time would allow. We'd gotten a small head start the night before when we stopped by Angel's mansion, which is actually the historical Ennis-Brown House in Griffith Park.
Sunday morning we took a mini-road trip to Torrance, CA. Our first stop was 1630 Revello Drive, Buffy's house, which is actually located at 1313 Cota Drive. The house is a private residence, but we could not pass up the chance to dart across the street for quick photos. Alas, we couldn't fulfill Anthony's dreams of sneaking around back and pretending we were training because we probably would have been arrested for trespassing.
Our next destination was only three blocks away: Sunnydale High School, known in real-life as Torrance High School. This was the one we were most excited for, since it is arguably the most recognizable location from the earlier years of the show and definitely the location where the most actual filming was done (although they filmed in Buffy's house in the beginning, they later built a replica on a sound stage and just used the actual house for exterior shots). This high school was also the home of the original Beverly Hills 90210 series.
Determined to find some of the major landmarks within the school grounds, we wandered around the mostly-deserted premises until we found an open gate. Deciding we could all pass as high school students if any questions were asked, we walked right in and hit pay dirt when we found the iconic staircase where so much drama went down on our beloved show.
Personally, Buffy is not only the show I grew up on, but the show that made me pursue a career in this industry. Getting to walk through those hallways and down that staircase was one of the coolest moments I've ever had as a fan, and I was in the company of others who appreciated it just as much. We kept commenting that the students who actually go to that school probably don't even appreciate it! Grr...
Before heading back to Park La Brea, we decided to swing past the Hyperion Hotel from Angel, which is actually an apartment complex right on Wilshire Boulevard.
We returned to my apartment and were soon joined by my parents, who had just arrived for a week of vacation! We all went to lunch at the Grove and explored the La Brea Tar Pits and Los Angeles County Museum of Art before getting one final dose of Yogurtland and dropping off Anthony and Liz at LAX...or so we thought. Turns out their flight was canceled due to inclement weather on the east coast, and after a few hours of checking every terminal for an outgoing flight, I ended up returning to LAX to pick them up again. When all was said and done they couldn't leave LA until Tuesday morning, a day and a half later than expected! But no one was complaining- we got more In-N-Out on the way home from the airport, and they got to enjoy another day of the most gorgeous weather we've had all semester. We were all sad to see them go, and I know we made them even more excited for their eventual semester "abroad" in LA!We're getting there! Stay tuned for Jenn and Lauren's NorCal adventures, St. Patrick's Day, my parents' visit, and some more beach action!
-Erin
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