A Day At Warner Brothers and a Stop at the Rose Bowl

I’m happy to report that Thursday went a lot better for me. I managed to keep all manner of food in my stomach and that was a huge improvement over the day before.

Thursday morning we got up around 7:00 and meandered about trying not to be in too big of a hurry about things. We made reservations for the Warner Brothers Studio tour at 11:45, ate some breakfast and headed out. We left the hotel around 10:00 and went to Pasadena and got a glimpse of the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately you couldn’t go past the gates, which has been the case since September 11. We did walk around and take a few photos. The weather was exceptionally nice and overcast and there was a breeze and chill in the air so it was rather nice walking outside.

After looking around at the Rose Bowl, we went over to Burbank to take the Warner Brothers Studio tour. It was a very enjoyable experience. Everyone that we encountered was very nice. We saw a lot of the back lots that are used for scenes in various movies and television shows. We also were able to walk on the set of The Mentalist and The Big Bang Theory since both of these shows have wrapped for the season.

We also got to tour a Warner Brothers museum which had a lot of great costumes inside. The entire second floor was devoted to only Harry Potter memorabilia and it was fantastic. Unfortunately you couldn’t take photos inside. They also had the sorting hat and a guy who worked there put it on your head and the hat told you what house you would go to. I went to Slytherin and y’all, I’ve never been so disappointed. However, after listening for a while, the hat was on repeat and repeated the same sequence of sorting so there’s that consolation at least.

We were also able to look at and take pictures of a lot of cars that were used in films. The car from Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood was there as well as the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo, the General Lee, the Weasley’s flying car from the Harry Potter movie and also three Batmobiles and the Two Bat Tumblers and the Motorcyle from Dark Knight Rises. All the cars (with exception of the Weasley’s flying car) are drivable and the Tumblers go around 230 miles per hour!

We were also able to visit Central Perk from Friends – you remember the coffee shop downstairs on the show. They still have it set up for people to visit. Did you know that each of the principal cast members still receives $24 million annually from the show being in syndication and Warner Brothers makes $1 billion a year! That is crazy! The tour guide told us even someone that had three lines on the show makes about $6,000 a year. Wish I had about three lines on one of those episodes!

The tour was really great and lasted about two and a half hours. We both really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it if you are going to Los Angeles for a visit.

After the tour, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Café on the Warner Brothers property. The food was quite good and reasonably priced and was much easier than driving around trying to find somewhere to eat.

Once we were finished eating, we drove from the tour parking over to the parking for The Ellen Show and then checked in for the show. We had guaranteed tickets so we knew we would be getting in which was very exciting. We checked in and had to wait for about an hour or so before we were escorted across the street and into the studio. The Ellen Show was an absolute blast. No, she did not give either of us a car like we were hoping but there was a fantastic surprise for one guest and the end of the show brought tears to all eyes. I’m not sure if they will cut it out or not because of time constraints. I’ve set my DVR to record the episode which will be on this coming Monday, May 20; maybe we will see ourselves in the audience at the very least. The guest was Ed Helms from The Hangover III and The Office. It was truly a lot of fun and a very enjoyable experience.

When The Ellen Show was over, we headed back to the hotel but first made a stop for a two-liter caffeine free Diet Coke and some snacks. Neither of us was very hungry and so we just got a few munchies in case we needed something before the night was out.

On Friday we are going to take a whale watching tour and then head north the Livermore which is where the Tour of California will start from on Saturday. We will be volunteering at the end of the stage on Mt. Diablo and I’m hoping it will be a fun experience.

Until next time, so long from LA!