Los Angeles, CA

I thought I start off with a funny picture. My cousins took me to IKEA since there wasn't one open yet in Oregon and this was what happened...


Universal Studios

Newport Beach (Me and my Aunt and Uncles)


The Grove at Farmer's Market
The Grove is a retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, California, built by the real estate firm Caruso Affiliated on parts of the historic Farmers Market. The complex fills space previously occupied by an orchard and nursery (the last remains of a dairy farm owned by A.F. Gilmore in the latter part of the 19th century). The Grove opened in 2002 and, by all press accounts, has been a busy and popular destination since that date.


The 575,000-square-foot outdoor marketplace is located in Los Angeles' Fairfax District. Caruso Affiliated claims to have modeled its architectural designs on indigenous Los Angeles buildings, influenced by classic historic districts with shopping alleys, broad plazas, and intimate courtyards. However, the design is a series of Art Deco-style false fronts with boxy interiors similar to other contemporary stores.

The Grove features a large center park with water features by WET Design. Its music-fountain show is reminiscent of the Bellagio spectacle in Las Vegas, but on a much smaller scale.


Grauman's Chinese Theatre is an iconic movie theatre located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922. Built over 18 months beginning in January 1926 by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman, the theatre opened May 18, 1927 with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings.


The exterior of the movie theatre is meant to resemble a giant, red Chinese pagoda. The architecture features a huge Chinese dragon across the front, two stone lion-dogs guarding the main entrance, and the silhouettes of tiny dragons up and down the sides of the copper roof.

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California is one of the world's most famous movie theatres. Opened in 1922, it was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere.
The exterior of the theatre is in the Egyptian Revival style, interior walls contain Egyptian-style paintings and hieroglyphics. The four massive columns that mark the theatre's main entrance are 4 1/2 feet wide and rise 20 feet.