Griffith Observatory & More! Los Angeles: August 2017


This post is a continuation of my recent trip to Los Angeles. To read about my experience at The Grammy Museum, click here, to read about seeing The Hollywood Sign for the first time & going to The Hollywood Forever Cemetery,
click here, to read about going to Calabasas, click here and to read abut Venice Beach & Beverly Hills, click here. Enjoy!

Griffith Observatory


To start off day 4 of the trip, we got up early to drive to Griffith Observatory. We have been seeing it from a distance on the highway all week, so I was very excited to get up close to it. Griffith Observatory is one of the top rated tourist attractions in Los Angeles, so make sure to expect a crowd. We got there around 10:30 to make sure we got a parking spot because every article I read said if you aren't planning on hiking, then get there early to get meter parking. 




We had about an hour left until the Observatory opened at noon, which was the perfect amount of time to take pictures and enjoy the beautiful scenery.


James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (Source: EverywhereOnce.com)
So many movies and TV shows were filmed here through the years, one of the most notable is the 1955 movie Rebel Without a Cause. There is a statue of James Dean to commemorate him and the impact the movie has had. I watched the movie for the first time a few weeks before we went and it was so cool seeing where most of the scenes from were filmed in person. It is a really good movie and I definitely recommend watching it if you haven't already!


Griffith Observatory is free admission for the grounds, building and telescopes, but you do need to pay to see any of the shows in the Planetarium. There were no shows we wanted to see that day, but if you are interested, be sure to get tickets right when it opens to ensure yourself a seat. 

One of my all-time favorite movies, La La Land was also heavily filmed at Griffith Observatory. One of my favorite scenes from the movie was filmed in the lobby (where the photos above were taken) and inside of the Planetarium. You can watch the full video here, it is so beautifully performed!

We at lunch at the café inside, but I wouldn't recommend doing that. It was one of the most expensive meals we ate the entire week, and it was only a few hot dogs, chips and a salad. It would be so much more cost effective to bring your own food and eat at one of the many picnic tables throughout the property. 




We took an elevator up to the roof, which has a breathtaking view of the Hollywood Sign and Los Angles skyline. There is also an area to use the telescopes, as well.

Spending a few hours at Griffith Observatory was one of the best things that we did the entire week. If you ever go to Los Angeles, this is a must see attraction!

"You Are the Star" Mural


I tried to find some more La La Land filming locations throughout the city and one of them that really caught my eye was the "You Are the Star" mural off of Hollywood Boulevard. It is only in the movie for a split second, but it is such a beautiful piece of art that I wrote down the address anyway. It is supposed to make you feel like the star (hence the name) on the stage and dozens of famous actors are seated watching you. We weren't even necessarily looking for it when we drove past, so I made my dad pull over and we ran across the busy street to take a few pictures of it. I'm really glad that we did that, because it turned out to be one of my favorite photos I've ever taken!

Mia (played by Emma Stone) walking past the "You Are the Star" Mural.
(Source: filmschoolrejects.com)
Tom Suriya painted the mural in 1983, which can be found at Wilcox Ave. & Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028.

Rainbow Bar & Grill


For dinner we at the Rainbow Bar & Grill, located on Sunset Boulevard. It originally opened in 1952 and soon became a regular rock star hangout for decades to come. The history of the Rainbow is too extensive to put in this post, but it is very interesting, so I recommend researching it to find out more! 

We were there around 4 p.m. and there was no one there, besides one other table. The staff was rude and the food took forever to come out, which ended up being average. If you are familiar with the history of the Rainbow and the novelty of it, then you would probably enjoy being there. However, if you are just looking for somewhere to eat, then I would say to pass on going to the Rainbow Bar & Grill. 

California Donuts 


California Donuts is a place I have been hearing about for years on social media, so I was very excited to get to finally go here and try them out! They are famous for their trendy donuts that are topped with cereal, candy and shaped like animals. All of the donuts they had were so cute, it was hard to narrow down which ones we should get! 


We decided to get a variety of donuts; 2 Care Bears, blueberry Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a panda, a unicorn, Girl Scout Cookie Samoa, twist, and Reeses. I personally loved the Care Bear and Unicorn donuts, because of how cute they were! But flavor-wise, I loved the blueberry Cinnamon Toast Crunch, it was like nothing I have ever tried before. I also got an iced vanilla coffee here, and it was by far the best I ever had! It doesn't even compare to places I normally go to like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. 

California Donuts has been open for 30 years and is family-owned and operated. Everyone that works there was so nice and I loved the atmosphere. You can tell how much work goes into making their products unique but also maintaining quality. Their donut styles change seasonally, so most of what we got there in August probably isn't still available. Follow them on social media to see what new creations they're always coming up with!



One of the best things about this place is that its open 24 hours. If you find yourself with nothing to do in Los Angeles at any hour of the day, you should definitely drive over to Korea Town and check out California Donuts! Next time I go to Los Angeles, I will be sure to come back here again!

Thank you so much for checking out my blog and I hope you come back soon for more! My next post is going to be all about spending my 18th birthday in Los Angeles and exploring Hollywood Boulevard! Leave your thoughts in the comments below and subscribe so you never miss a post! Happy Holidays!
-Melissa 



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