Winding our way down the PCH along the coast of California was, in reality, a last minute plan. Lorenzo and I had decided on the train when a status update from Spencer went astray into my newsfeed and a new idea was born.
Most of the planning was my job, minus the awesome B&B’s that we stayed at along the way (thanks Spencer!), and Lorenzo more-or-less simply didn’t give a shit what we did. He wanted to see San Diego and say that he’d been to yet another U.S. State.
When we arrived in L.A., he suddenly changed his mind. An Italian friend of his is currently living in the city and working on films, and he recommended that we do a Universal Studios Tour. I hadn’t even considered it; apparently there is only room for so much in my head and when in that close of a vicinity to Ryan Reynolds, most else gets pushed out.
I divulged this idea to Jade and Bobby and they suggested that we check out Warner Brothers instead. They had done both Universal and WB, and found Warner Brothers to be more interesting and exciting. We booked the tour for our last day in L.A. and set off to explore the city.
When the day finally rolled around, the upcoming tour was a nice distraction from the reminder that I was not only about to leave my family again for an extended period, but that I was about to endure a fifteen hour flight with a nervous traveller who happens to have a bad case of motion sickness.
Bring on Warner Brothers!
I was sure that How I Met Your Mother was filmed on the WB lot, but after going through the entire tour without a mention, I’ll venture out and say that I was mistaken. Anyway, dreams of running into Barney and Ted were floating through Lorenzo and my head as we buckled up into our multi-seated golf cart. Strangely, our tourmates were all family members from a small town in Eastern Washington. Ironic.
Most of the tour was spent talking about shows that we didn’t know much about; Mike and Molly, Heart of Dixie and Pretty Little Liars but there was some fun mentions in there. We drove by the pond from which George Clooney saved a drowning boy in an episode of ER nearly fifty years ago! Oh wait, I guess he’s not that old, is he? Our driver told us not to be fooled by shivering actors, as the pond can be heated to 80+ degrees Fahrenheit! We learned about special effects that are far beyond the mental capacity of a regular audience member; things like the leaf wagon (possibly not it’s official name) which is used to hide other sets from peaking into filming. That same patch of woods which held the pond was used to film the drama-filled T-Rex chase scene in Jurassic Park when the original filming plans were foiled by bad weather in Hawaii.
The best part of the whole tour, besides craning our neck at every single person who walked by in hopes of rubbing noses with Ted, was when the guide led us onto a real live set. It was a non-working set, but still intact with the original props and made to scale.
That’s right dear readers, Lorenzo and I cuddled up inside the Central Perk. I sat right where Rachel and Chandler must have sat at one point in their ten years in New York City.
Overall, the WB Tour was really well put together. Our guide was engaging and funny and she was packed with all kinds of information. Clearly, someone not only interested, but excited about being a part of the Studio.
Jade has taken the tour several times and seen plenty of actors along the way so there is a good chance that if you go, you just might have a chance to be the paparazzi!
And yes, I took photos with everything Ryan Reynolds may have touched.
The WB Studio Tour costs $49 per person when you sign up to be a VIP of the WB Studios. All you have to do is accept their newsletters and you’re in! Several tours run everyday, just check out their booking website for details.
