Odessa Zahn

Any birthday or anniversary we go to Houston’s. My favorite dish is the Prime Rib with the Spinach & Artichoke Dip appetizer. The portions are huge and the customer service is top notch. Everyone is friendly and they use the ‘buddy system’ which means you aren’t stuck waiting for your server to get a refill or to ask for something. I recently tried their burger and can honestly say it’s one of the best ones I’ve had.

If you’re planning on going I suggest getting their early. The place fills up fast. The noise level is a tad high but tolerable. I’ve been in a few of them and have yet to be disappointed. Always clean and new looking. This is definitely a place to go and enjoy yourself!

I love Santa Monica. A great beach, wonderful beach style community and fantastic eateries and shops. I think anyone coming to spend time in Los Angeles should save a few days to enjoy the atmosphere that Santa Monica offers.

The Nuart Theater is a great little place to catch movies that aren’t the latest blockbusters. A theater that shows independent films, foreign language cinemas, documentaries, animation festivals and restored classics, it’s been a favorite for me. They also show the ever popular Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’ve never gone there for that but the lines are around the corner every Saturday night.

El Capitan is more than just a movie theatre. It’s an experience. The theatre is decorated to match the current movie showing right down to a pre-movie live stage show and a top notch organist who plays different movie tunes to get you into the mood. Many of the movies props and clothing are also put on display both in the corridor and in a special room below. It’s worth the extra money to sit in the VIP seats, which are usually sold out pretty quick.

I think everyone should experience El Capitan at least once.

We found this place by accident after our first choice (Hamburger Hamlet) ended up being closed. The atmosphere is perfect for the Hollywood crowd. When you enter it doesn’t look like much of an eatery. There’s a bar in front of you and a few booths to the right. We sat down and were given the menu, which consisted of different types of burgers and hot dogs. You can either order a combo or build your own. The food was delicious! The buns are light and tasty, the beef is top notch and the onion rings are plentiful (enough for two easily). They are also very lightly breaded.

The waiters are laid back and very friendly. The music is alternative/indie (they played the entirety of the Pearl Jame Vitalogy album while we were there). The restaurant is connected to the Roosevelt Hotel, which only adds to it’s charm. This is definitely a place I’d like to go again.

I just got back from Universal Studios and had a blast. They are constantly changing and upgrading the tours so it’s always something new. I took my boyfriend, who has never been to Universal Studios, and my friend. We arrived at opening time (9am) on a Saturday and there were hardly any lines. We headed straight for the guided tour (a MUST SEE) and walked right on. The rest of the day we spent going through the different attractions and enjoying the day.

If you are into movies you will appreciate this more. It is geared towards showing people what happens behind the scenes and giving them an enjoyable time.

Attire: Prepared to get wet. Most places have at least a mist. By the second ride my makeup was off and my hair was wet. Keep this in mind when carrying bags, cameras, etc… Comfortable shoes are a must. It’s a very large place.

I enjoyed every attraction I went to, so I’ll give a break down of my opinion of each (I did not go on all of them so this is an incomplete list of what is available):

The guided Tour: Go there first to beat the lines. It’s a great ride where you get to see set designs, surprises and thrills. My favorite part on this ride was King Kong as far as scream value. My friends’ left ear can attest to this.

Jurassic Park ride: Be prepared to get soaked. SOAKED. I swear you would have thought someone stood over me with a bucket of water by the time I got off. It’s perfect for the hot summer days.

Backdraft: Perfect for after Jurassic Park ride to dry off. A pyrotechnic show with some surprises. I never saw the movie but it was still highly enjoyable.

Special Effects stages: We had a blast in here. Sit down and watch how the magic happens. Everything from Blue Screen to CGI is covered, as well as sound effect. The tour guides were hilarious and we had a lively group.

House of Horrors: Oh G-d! I screamed my way through this place. It was definitely one of my favorite parts. I walked in expecting some sort of museum about horror films and ended up walking through a VERY dark haunted house tour. I have a scream factor of ten so I spent half the tour scaring those around me.

Back to the Future ride: Fun but a tad long in the beginning. The signs give warnings about claustrophobic people but I didn’t think it was bad. It’s a simulator that takes you on a trip through time, flying around.

Terminator 2 – 3D: There was an obnoxious guy on the mic outside which was funny for about 2.3 seconds… but thankfully he was not part of the ride. Long intro, so be prepared to stand. I was almost ready to leave when we finally went into the seating section. If you like 3D movies and special effects together you will enjoy this one. The funniest part was the ‘commercial’ showing how Shaq’s free throw improved with Cyberdyne technology.

Revenge of the Mummy ride: A roller coaster with fun special effects. I thought the warning signs were a tad over done. They made it sound like a terrifying ride that only the healthy should ride (back/neck problems, seizures, heart trouble, motion sickness, recent surgery, prosthetic limbs, etc…) It was a little too short but still worthy of checking out. I wouldn’t bother standing in a long line for it though.

We ate lunch at Doc Brown’s Chicken, which had decent prices and really good chicken. There are tons of places to eat or grab drinks.

Overall: City Walk is an interesting place to go in itself. You can hang out, eat and go to the movies. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to enjoy a fun day who enjoys the magic of movies and fun rides. The park is kept clean and the staff are very friendly. You can always find someone to help you with directions and the rides are enjoyable for all age groups. I’m not sure why some did not like the place, but we had a blast.

We arrived at Solvang a little after 12 noon and started to wander around the streets. Half a dozen tour buses pulled up and small groups of Japanese tourists piled out, snapping pictures at all the buildings and chatting politely to each other. The first impression of this little town is ‘hokey’. Then ‘touristy’. After peeking through a few shops filled with the best junk that money could buy I was about to call it a day, but knew my boyfriend (Jake) wanted to see more. As we walked around to more of the shops I wondered what it would be like to live in a place like this. It was the ultimate tourist-driven town. Every shop was filled with glass baubles and little Danish themed nicknacks. Then we arrived at the food section. Yummy deserts that we didn’t get and overly priced meals that we also didn’t want. Finally Jake found a decent priced cafe called Mandarin Touch and we started to enjoy the atmosphere. I even got to see the Clydesdale horses I remembered from so long ago.

The town is worth a visit just to see. You need to come with an open mind and just enjoy it for what it is: A touristy spot with nice people to guide you along the way. Everything is kept clean and freshly painted. The public toilets are everywhere and kept clean and stocked. The town maybe a tourist trap, but it’s a well done tourist trap. I’m glad we went.

We arrived at the beach around four and parked next to Skater’s Point, a fun spot to watch people of all ages on skate boards and roller blades. The dips and curves that made me cringe were being treated as ramps by kids that came up to my hip. We oohed and ahhhed all the tricks they did and groaned when a few ate concrete in front of us. A couple of guys sat at the side with Skating Monitor on their shirts and listened to their MP3 players. Every once in a while one would call a kid over and hand them a helmet. They were always polite and the kids seemed to have a good repore with them. We ventured on, taking pictures of all the beautiful sites and walked along the beach. I asked a few people if they were locals and what restaurants were good. Everyone seemed to be tourists or new in town. We ended up eating at a restaurant back on Stearns Wharf. After choking on the menu ($34 for some sort of lobster dish) that Harbor Restaurant offered we ambled up stairs to the bar/cheaper restaurant called Longboard’s Beach Bar and Grill on the upper level. There we had a delicious casual meal (the chicken strips are to die for) and drank while watching the boats and birds glide across the ocean.

The beach atmosphere is laid back and everyone seems in a great mood. While we didn’t venture into any of the shops (because of the time) there was enough to do to make this a worth while trip for anyone who wants to enjoy one of the better spots in California.

The Autry National Center is a great place to visit a piece of the old west. The museum is filled with artwork, artifacts and movie memorabilia that is both entertaining and informative. The exhibitions are wonderful and the price is minimal ($9 for adults, $5 for students and $3 for children under 12yrs). The ANC is an important part of American history and I would suggest it to anyone looking to have an enjoyable afternoon and interested in the Old West and how it helped to mold our society today.