We came through from Anaheim to Venice Beach on Saturday and spent the day relaxing at the beach and checking out all the craziness along the Venice boardwalk. They had Mardi Gras parades and all sorts, plus great foodstalls.

The next day we set off to explore LA a bit, heading to see the sites along Hollywood boulevard first. Here we saw the stars walk of fame as well as some famous movie theatres, however the area of town is surprisingly pretty seedy in contrast to what we see on TV. Next we headed to Beverley Hills to see all the gaudy mansions and fancy shops. The epitome of fake! We found an excellent Mexican restaurant in Santa Monica for lunch and spent the afternoon checking out the beach and pier there.

Today we headed to Universal Studios for a full on day. We started with the studio tour, seeing a lot of the sets used for movies and TVs as well as Peter Jackson's King Kong experience, which was amazing. We then went on the rides and to shows having a great time. Really enjoyed the Jurassic Park Ride and the Simpsons as well as the Water World Show. Managed to get soaked on the Jurassic Park ride!