There’s so much to see in California that it can be overwhelming to plan a quick trip.
We decided the most important spots for us to visit were Universal Studios, Santa Monica Pier and Joshua Tree National Park.
Day 1: Arrived at LAX airport
Day 2: Universal Studios & Santa Monica Pier
Day 3: Joshua Tree & Pioneer Town
Day 4: Departed LAX airport
Day 1 – Thursday – Arrived at LAX airport
Flight from YYZ – LAX
I took a flight from YYZ (Toronto Pearson) to LAX (Los Angeles Airport). It was just over a 5hr 15 minutes flight. I had the pleasure to travel in the Air Canada Signature Class Cabin.
The Air Canada Signature Class Cabin is their “international business class”. The seats were fully reclinable and we were also offered some delicious dinner, desserts and snacks. The service from the crew was phenomenal. They were incredibly helpful and friendly.
One of my favourite features of the Signature Class Cabin is that they provided noise-cancelling headphones. As someone who didn’t own noise-cancelling headphones at that time, it was a game-changer while I was watching movies. Another feature I absolutely loved was the fully reclinable seats, they provided us with a comfortable duvet and pillow. It made falling asleep on the plane all the more comfortable.
Where We Stayed
The hotel was stayed at wasn’t the fanciest. It was just a classic hotel where we would sleep because we weren’t there that long. We stayed at the Travelodge Culver City
Day 2 – Friday – Universal Studios Hollywood & Santa Monica Pier
Universal Studios
We woke up early and picked up breakfast at Dunkin Donut before heading toward Universal Studios. We arrived around 10 am which was great because we got into the park pretty quick and didn’t have a hard time finding parking at all.
There are so many things to see at Universal Studios. The park is divided into 2 lots; lower and upper lot.
In the upper lot, you have attractions from movies like:
- Despicable me
- Kung-fu Panda
- Fast & Furious
- Harry Potter
- & more!
In the lower lot, you have attractions from movies such as:
- Jurassic World
- The Mummy movie
- & more!
While you’re there, don’t forget to check out the Universal Studio Tour! It is a 45-minute tour around the park and it has to be one of my favourites. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil but you do get to experience some interesting sound stages where movies are filmed.
Make sure to wear comfortable shoes because you’re definitely going to be doing a lot of walking
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Pier is a great place if you love being close to the beach and watching the sunset. There is such a lively atmosphere with the attraction park, the little shops and bars/restaurants.
There are a lot of great restaurants around the Santa Monica area. We were craving some lobster rolls so we decided to eat at the Blue Plate Oysterette. The restaurant was adorable and the food was delicious! Highly recommend you try it if you love seafood.
It gets a bit chilly at night so pack a light sweater.
Day 3 – Saturday – Joshua Tree National Park & Pioneer Town
Our Airbnb
We drove almost 3 hour from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park. We drove through the park, took some great photos and came back for a beautiful desert sunset.
Don’t forget to pack LOTS of water because it is very hot, bring proper hiking shoes and be very careful of wildlife.
You will not have any signal while you are in the park so stop by the visitor center to get a map.
Where we stay: While we were seating for a place to stay we did stumble across some pretty unique and interesting Airbnbs. Some of which were a trailer with a built in deck and more!
Here is where we stay: Click here
Overall this was a great short trip. Don’t forget to look up COVID-19 measures before you travel. We had to do a COVID test 75 hours prior to arriving in LAX and another COVID test 75 hours prior to entering Canada.
