In honor of Throwback Thursday, I am posting my last spring break trip during my senior year in high school, and it was one of the best places I have ever traveled to! I just absolutely love California, and everything about it. The atmosphere, touring, food, everything. This was my second trip to California, but it felt like my first time. Los Angeles is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever seen, all I want now is to go back!

I remember at the beginning of my senior year all I could think about was going to LA for spring break, it was like chasing after a dream. The anticipation was great, everyday I would just visualize what each day was going to be like, the tours, the shopping, everything. And when I finally got there, it was everything I expected, absolutely fantastic!

When we first arrived, we immediately went to an In-N-Out Burger right around the Santa Monica area. I think it's a sin to live in the West Coast and not have In-N-Out, just like living in Akron/Cleveland and never having Swenson's.

It was super delicious, like cheeseburger heaven! Although Swenson's will still always be my favorite ...

One of my favorite parts about this trip was exploring Hollywood, I've also been curious of what entertainment industry looks like in person. So we took a really popular bus tour of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills to look at celebrity houses such as Katy Perry, Ben Stiller, Jack Nicholson, Will Ferrell, Ellen Degeneres, and so much more!

The Jimmy Kimmel Live studio across from Dolby Theater. — The *Jimmy Kimmel Live* studio across from Dolby Theater.

My absolute favorite tour; however, was definitely Warner Bros. It had all of the sets/collections from famous movies and TV shows such as Friends, Harry Potter, Big Bang Theory, Batman, The Ellen Degeneres Show, etc. We saw three celebs, both Kaley Cuoco and Mayim Bialik from Big Bang and Allison Janney from The West Wing and Mom. I almost freaked out seeing two stars from one of my favorite sitcoms, but I managed to keep my cool.

Our tour guide let us go into museums where they showed off costumes from iconic movies like Batman and my absolute favorite, Harry Potter. It was just so cool to see everything used in those movies in reality!

Costumes worn by Daniel Radcliffe (left), Emma Watson (center), and Rupert Grint (right) from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. — Costumes worn by Daniel Radcliffe (left), Emma Watson (center), and Rupert Grint (right) from *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.*

A "petrified" Hermione wax figure and spider figure from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. — A "petrified" Hermione wax figure and spider figure from *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.*

Acceptance Hogwarts letters from the first Harry Potter movie. — Acceptance Hogwarts letters from the first *Harry Potter* movie.

The best part of the studio lot had to be sitting on the one and only couch from my absolute favorite TV show Friends! After more than five years of watching the show, I finally got to feel like I was actually in the presence of Central Perk! As I sat down on the soft couch, one of the first things I said was, "I'm sitting on the same couch where Jennifer Aniston's butt sat once!"

Central Perk from the Friends set. — Central Perk from the *Friends* set.

After the tour, we stopped by The Grove for lunch and Farmer's Market shopping. It's a really popular place for celebs to be seen hanging out when not working, but unfortunately everyone there was pretty normal like us.

The following day we decided to drive down to Anaheim and visit the happiest place on earth, Disneyland!

It was perfect because this year they were getting ready for the park's 60th anniversary, so they decorated the castle with sparkly diamonds. It looked so beautiful, just like a fairy tale come true!

I'm such a Disney fanatic, anything that's related to Disney makes my heart glow with happiness. I just loved walking around Main Street USA and checking out all the fun stores. There's also lots of fun rides like Space Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.

The food was delicious, no doubt. My parents and I had some chili hot dogs from Casey's Corner as well as some ice cream afterwards.

Everything takes better when it's shaped like Mickey Mouse.

We also managed to snap some pics with some favorite characters like Mickey Mouse (also known as "The Boss"), Minnie Mouse, and Ariel.

To end the day, we stayed till midnight to watch the fireworks over the castle and Fantasmic! at Rivers of America. It was such a magical day, perfectly satisfying for a Disney lover!

Our fourth day in California was a well-needed relaxation day. It was time to take a break from exploring and head out to Laguna Beach. There we tanned, ate some French fries, walked on the rocks of the ocean, and dipped our toes in the extremely cold Pacific Ocean!

Unfortunately, we had only one more day to spend in beautiful and sunny California before going back home to cold, crappy Ohio. So my parents and I decided to walk around Hollywood, eat In-N-Out Burger for lunch, and hung out in Malibu for the evening.

Judy Garland's star on the Walk of Fame.

The Dolby Theater, where the Academy Awards are held.

To this day, Los Angeles has been one of my favorite places to ever have visited! I can't wait to go back there again someday, hopefully for study abroad! :)

Los Angeles, California