My Whirlwind Weekend Getaway to Los Angeles and Universal Studios Hollywood 

I was 35,000 feet above the Earth and furiously typing on my laptop. “Was this an irresponsible decision?” I asked myself. The weight of the weekend ahead clouded my brain, this trip literally hadn’t existed a few weeks before. “Focus,” I reminded myself as I pushed my attention back toward my laptop to keep studying for my upcoming exams.

I was on my way from Orlando to California for a 48-hour visit. Just a casual weekend getaway to Los Angeles and Universal Studios Hollywood…from the complete opposite side of the country. The trip’s crazy enough as is, but what was even crazier is that I was still a college senior in central Florida — and we were on the edge of finals week. Hence my attempt to study on the plane. My friends Courtney, Rebecca and I had thrown this trip together just days earlier, totally on a whim. And I couldn’t have been more excited.

I closed my laptop and diverted my attention out the window right as we entered the endless sea of lights that compose Los Angeles. Here we are: three friends, with two days in LA. We’d compiled an (admittedly ambitious) list of the quintessential things we had to do during our whirlwind weekend in Los Angeles.

1. Tour a film studio
2. Eat authentic LA food
3. Get a breathtaking view of the city
4. See someone from the big screen IRL 
5. See the Pacific Ocean
6. Watch the sunset 

We were only in California for two days. Would it even be possible to cram this much into one jam-packed weekend getaway to LA? We were about to find out.  

Tour a Film Studio

First stop of the weekend in LA: Universal Studios Hollywood! The theme park sits right up against a working film studio, making it the obvious choice for the first item on our list. The iconic studio has produced some of our favorite films, and we were ecstatic with the opportunity to experience the World-Famous Studio Tour. I especially loved seeing the devastated 747 from “War of the Worlds” and the set of Jupiter’s Claim from Jordan Peele’s “Nope.” The western theme park set played home to the extraterrestrial terrors from the film — it was surreal to see it in person.

We were thrilled to check off one of the items on our list, and Universal Studios Hollywood delighted us with way more movie magic to experience. And it was even better that we could pack it all into one unforgettable day in Los Angeles.

Perhaps the highlight of the whole trip was SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. I never realized how much of a connection I had to the Super Mario games until I stepped through the green pipe. Immediately, I was back on my childhood couch, playing “New Super Mario Bros. 2” on the Nintendo 3DS with my sister. I was on the bus at 7 a.m. on the way to school, smiling and playing Mario Party with my best friends. I was in my freshman dorm, racing my roommates in Mario Kart.

I spent my time on Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge gawking at the attraction while still attempting to stay focused on beating my friends. After boarding our ride vehicle, we were whisked into the world of Mario Kart as we hurled shells at our opponents and drifted around corners. The technology was astounding! Just like every time on our middle school bus, my friend Rebecca beat me, but I had the best time regardless.

Check out the Discover Universal guide to SUPER NINTENDO WORLD here.

Another highlight was Jurassic World – The Ride. This ride did such an excellent job building tension into the storyline of the experience. There was one point in the ride when I was genuinely terrified: Our raft crested the lift hill and slid into the T.rex enclosure in complete darkness as the power failed. No other theme park attraction has ever been able to actually scare me! 

Eat Authentic LA Food

What’s a trip to a new city without a taste of the local fare? I really liked how Universal Studios Hollywood included some Californian classics around the park. It was cool to see Mel’s Diner, a 1950s-inspired retro eatery inspired by the movie “American Graffiti.” Pink’s Hot Dogs, another classic LA spot, has an outpost in Universal CityWalk Hollywood, too.

Naturally, we also had to stop at a few other Southern California icons during our weekend getaway. Another food highlight were the taco trucks you can find all over Los Angeles. They were incredible — completely worth the cross-country flight.

Get a Breathtaking View of the City 

It turned out we could check this item off the to-do list at Universal Studios Hollywood, too! Until I visited, I had no idea how beautiful the theme park is. It seemed that there was a jaw-dropping vantage point everywhere we looked — especially in-between the Upper and Lower Lots. The two portions of the park are connected by a series of escalators that boast some of the best views in Los Angeles. The sweeping view of the San Fernando Valley was an unexpected highlight.

While Universal gave us an awesome view of the San Fernando Valley, we wanted to check out the other side of the hills, too. We found ourselves at a rooftop bar in West Hollywood which sat on the crest of a hill, providing gorgeous views of the entire South Bay. We could see the city’s skylines and even the Palos Verdes cliffs on the horizon. My grandma lives over there so my friends and I all took turns waving to her. 

Another great way to see the city views is through hiking. Never did I ever think a city as big as Los Angeles was synonymous with hiking, but considering the city is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, it makes complete sense as to why there’s so many trails. We visited Runyon Canyon, and the view was stunning! We could even see the Hollywood sign.

Catch Someone From the Big Screen IRL 

Yet another to-do that we achieved at Universal. Who knew King Kong and Jaws hang around the backlot?! And at the theme park, we got to spend some time with Shrek, King Julien from “Madagascar,” Optimus Prime from “Transformers,” and so many other iconic Universal characters. We took in a whole lot of famous faces during just one quick weekend in Los Angeles.

See the Pacific Ocean

My first peek at the Pacific Ocean this trip was (in a way) at the WaterWorld show at Universal Studios Hollywood — albeit a Pacific Ocean much further into the future. The devastated world lacking dry land made me thankful the present has a coast! And we got to enjoy that coastline on our second night, when we stayed in Santa Monica. Our hotel was right across the street from the Pacific Ocean. We woke up early to soak in the salty air with a walk down to the beach. On the way back to our hotel, we walked along the cliffs, listening to the crashing waves below. Regardless of how many times I see it, the ocean will never cease to steal my wonderment.  

Check out the Discover Universal guide to the Waterworld show here.

Watch the Sunset

Turns out, Universal Studios Hollywood is a great place to catch the sunset, too! As it looks to the north, the mountains on the other side of the valley were washed with orange from the setting sun. You can even catch the beautiful sunset at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  After sunset, we practiced our spells throughout Hogsmeade and got to soak in the Christmas lights, as we were there during the Holiday season. There was even a show at Hogwarts castle! We saw the The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle (we were there over the holiday festivities), an incredible spectacle you can only catch once the sun sets.

On our second (and final, if you can believe it) night in LA, we ventured into Griffith Park to watch the sky engulf into a masterpiece of color. The massive park, which is just a short drive from Universal Studios Hollywood, was something I was really looking forward to seeing. With generationally-spanning appearances in some of the most iconic films, the views from Griffith Park are synonymous to LA. It was a crisp afternoon as we saw the lights of the city illuminate. The view left nothing to be desired as we stared out over Hollywood, Downtown, Los Feliz and all the way out to the Pacific. 

My takeaway? Even if you only have a weekend in Los Angeles, Universal Studios Hollywood is an absolute must-do. At this working film studio and theme park, you can get a real, authentic taste of LA, from the breathtaking views to the Hollywood history to the classic Angeleno cuisine. It’s the whole LA experience, packed into one unforgettable day. Thanks to Universal, I like to think my friends and I covered the LA essentials.

Was it irresponsible of me to take a two-night, cross-country trip to LA during finals week? Probably. But it was totally worth it!

What are you most looking forward to on your next trip to Los Angeles? Let us know in the comments below.