Globetrotter’s Guide: LA, Laughs, & Legends

Welcome Back, Globetrotters!

Cue the confetti and fasten your seatbelts; it’s time for one last spin around the City of Angels!

Ready for the last wild ride down the 405?

Let’s get this travel party started!

Dana Point: Sun & Fun

Dana Point was my coastal HQ for this wild return.

The moment my homegirl Laura, my ‘Have Passport, Will Travel’ ride-or-die, cruised up with Siri set to adventure mode, I knew it was about to be a legendary week.

We scoped out Capistrano Beach and Dana Point Harbor.

Not an exceptionally busy harbor, but the parking garage gave patrons four hours of free parking.

In L.A., that’s a bonus.

We strolled the pier, window-shopping and wondering why so many tourists were paying for dolphin and whale-watching tours when there was ne’er a dolphin or whale in sight.

Lunchtime soon rolled around, and we settled on the Wind & Sea Restaurant. Their menu had actual variety; not just cocktails and pub grub.

I ordered the crab cakes and fish and chips. The meal wasn’t spectacular, but it was edible and filling. Customer service was phenomenal, and the harbor views made for a pleasant dining experience.

Lost in Mission: San Juan Capistrano

Next up: a pitstop at Mission San Juan Capistrano, a spot so iconic it’s practically the OG passport stamp of California.

This legendary mission is the seventh of 21 strung like pearls up the coast and is famously known as the Birthplace of Orange County.

Founded way back in 1776 — yep, the same year the U.S. declared independence — this place is dripping with history, culture, and Instagram-worthy arches.

Plus, it’s home to the legendary swallows that return every spring for their own epic migration. If you’re a fan of old adobe walls, lush gardens, and stories that span centuries, this is the travel jackpot!

After soaking up centuries of history at the mission, we wandered into historic downtown San Juan Capistrano, a total hidden gem for adventurers and culture chasers.

Travel Tip: stroll Los Rios Street, the oldest residential street in California, lined with charming adobe homes, quirky boutiques, and cozy cafés that practically beg you to linger.

The whole area is bursting with local art, antique shops, and enough Insta-worthy corners to fill your camera roll.

If you’re feeling peckish, grab a horchata latte.

Downtown San Juan Capistrano is the kind of spot where history, food, and fun all meet up for a proper travel squad reunion.

CityWalk: A Decade Later & Still Poppin’

Next stop: Universal CityWalk Hollywood.

It had been over TEN YEARS since my last visit, and I was shocked by how bustling and energetic the area has become.

Security was airport-style: bag checks, metal detectors, the works.

This threw Laura for a loop since she’d been here just four months ago and didn’t remember anything nearly that intense.

Of course, the first thing I noticed after security was the massive King Kong sculpture looming overhead, looking ready to snatch a selfie with anyone brave enough to stand beneath it.

We zigzagged through CityWalk like kids in a candy store, popping into every quirky shop we could find.

At Cartooniversal, I snagged a pint-sized Bob the Minion, because I just can’t resist that little yellow rascal?

Afterwards, I just had to channeled my inner celebrity and strike a pose on the red carpet.

Then we stopped in IT’SUGAR, a candy store offering a diverse selection of confections and treats, including some very imaginative creations and novelty items.

How imaginative, you asked?

Well, they had a large display for a liquid sour candy marketed as “Urine.”

No, really.

A liquid concoction marketed as Urine. It was even in a container you normally get at a doctor’s office.

Even more surprising — the customer service rep told us this was the third time she’d restocked the candy … that day!

I’ve seen some truly weird things during my adventures.

Heck, I thought watching naked bike riders gallivanting around London whilst I enjoyed my afternoon tea would be the weirdest thing I ever saw.

But urine as a treat?

No.

Just No.

No to Infinity and Beyond.

The Toothsome Choco-Lot: Sugar Rush Guaranteed!

When I stepped inside the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at Universal Studios Hollywood CityWalk, I thought I’d wandered into a steampunk daydream fueled entirely by cocoa.

This whimsical palace of sweets brings its own razzle-dazzle, complete with towering smokestacks, brass gears, and enough dessert displays to make your dentist clutch their pearls.

A bit of backstory for my fellow sugar historians: Toothsome first landed in Hollywood in 2022, instantly becoming the go-to spot for chocoholics, foodies, and anyone with a working sweet tooth and a love for Instagrammable interiors.

The moment you walk in, you’re greeted by staff dressed like they just stepped out of a Victorian fantasy novel — top hats, goggles, and all.

On my visit, the crowd was delightfully thin, mainly because the normal crowds were outside watching a World Cup 2026 match on the giant screen.

I started with the chocolate bread, served with salted caramel butter.

It was a warm, pillowy delight that’s less “bread” and more “chocolate croissant on a sugar bender.”

I followed that with the Tour de France burger (hold the cheese), a juicy, decadent half-pound patty with with butter lettuce, tomato, avocado, and onions on a toasted brioche.

It was topped with a perfectly cooked sunny-side-up egg.

The burger was so massive, I had to deconstruct it just to enjoy it.

Instead of a traditional burger, the deconstruction resulted in me eating with a knife and fork as my burger became an egg with a side of beef, a small salad and a side of fries.

It was still scrumdiddlyumptious!

Sure, the prices are a bit Hollywood (your wallet may shed a single, chocolaty tear), but where else can you eat a burger beneath a giant chocolate machine while watching people devour large milkshakes topped with cupcakes?

Hole-y Decisions at CityWalk

Laura, ever the enabler of my sugar habit, insisted I check out Voodoo Doughnut and grab a selection.

I approached with wild ambition, visions of pink boxes and bacon-topped doughnuts dancing in my head.

But then I saw the actual size of those “selections.”

One look and I realized my pancreas was already writing its resignation letter.

I mean, these doughnuts are less “snack” and more “sugar daredevil stunt.”

Just contemplating ordering one doughnut had my tummy threatening to tear itself away and go find another host.

Sometimes, you have to know your limits, especially when your limit is half a bacon maple bar and your courage crumbles at the sight of a Voodoo Doll doughnut staring up at you with that mischievous jelly grin.

I mean, how do you eat something that comes with its own pretzel stake?

Sorry, Laura, but my body (and my dentist) thank me for living to snack another day.

Bear-thday Bash

What’s kind of adventure would this be without a little bear-iffic magic?

During the “Have Passport, Will Travel” club’s outing to the Irvine Spectrum Center, I noticed a Build-A-Bear store and made a beeline to it for an official pre-Bear-thday Bash.

Confession time: I’m a little obsessed with Build-A-Bear. Not in the fanatic, “must own every bear ever made” kind of way, but enough that I try to get a special bear every few years.

Growing up, Build-A-Bear was a luxury I could only dream about. It wasn’t a necessity or even a realistic Christmas wish.

Spending $50 on a teddy bear? That sounds crazy to most people.

Honestly, it still feels a bit ridiculous.

But maybe that’s why each bear means a little more when I finally get to bring one home.

Anyway, allow me to introduce my newest travel sidekick: Irvine the Bear.

As you can see, he is a huge L.A. Dodgers fan.

Naming him was almost too easy.

Siri (the trusty Apple assistant) kept mispronouncing the city’s name, UR·Vine, as UR-Vin, as in the name of a person.

Therefore, I had to name him Irvine. I call him Ur-Vin

Laura and the other club members (including Christine) affectionately pronounce his name as Ur-Vine.

The entire experience was grand, culminating in my crowning with an official Build-A-Bear regalia.

Okay, it is just a paper crown, but I still received the royal treatment.

Walking back to the car, we passed a charming British family. Their adorable daughter, who couldn’t have been more than three, spotted Irvine and shouted, “Build-A-Bear!” at the top of her lungs.

The mom flashed her a smile, then shot me that classic parent look that said, “Thanks a lot. Now I have to buy a bloody bear.”

Sorry, not sorry!

Sky High & Slightly Sighing: BA vs. AA Business Class

All too soon, it was time to wave goodbye to sunny L.A., and hop on my flight back to London.

This flight taught me that not all business class seats are created equal. Sometimes the only thing you’re upgrading is your disappointment.

Travel Tip: Before you splurge on a business class upgrade, especially if you’re paying cash instead of getting a loyalty freebie, do yourself a favor: research the actual plane assigned to your flight.

British Airways business class had the hype, but it didn’t quite measure up to American Airlines’.

Sure, the seat had legroom, ‘lay flat’ ability, and the fizz kept flowing.

Was it more comfortable than economy? Yes!

Was it worth the upgrade price? Heck no!

The upside of business class, though, is lounge access.

Thanks to my ticket, I got to waltz into the oneworld Alliance club lounges like a VIP with a passport full of stamps.

First, I checked out the temporary lounge near my departure gate. It was nice and relaxing, but did not give me the VIP feeling I needed before the 11-hour flight.

The snacks were okay, but unless you call a handful of pretzels a meal, don’t show up hungry.

Since I had to leave this lounge just to use the bathroom, I took that as a sign and hustled up to the larger lounge on Level 5.

This one was bigger, louder, and way more crowded, but the food was actually filling, and the bathrooms were cleaner than my expectations.

Bonus points for not having to play hide-and-seek with the restrooms.

This was also my first time back in the Tom Bradley International Terminal since the infamous “Horrors of Travel” in 2019.

Click the link to read all about that experience.

No gremlins this time, just lots of people and plenty of airport ambiance to soak in.

Oh, and for the aviation geeks: This was my first-ever ride on the Airbus A380-800.

It’s big. It’s bold. But is it, like, life-changing?

Not really.

The double-decker thing is cool, but at the end of the day, it’s just a very large tube with wings.

Sorry, plane spotters!

A Photo Finish Worth Framing

This Return to L.A. adventure was the kind you’d want to frame in a photo album, or maybe a comedy roast.

The infamous Urine candy episode? I’d love to delete those photos from my memory card, but my friends would demand photographic evidence so they could turn it into a group chat meme.

And that was just the tip of the story iceberg.

Between Cheesecake Factory feasts and Siri sending us through the sketchiest corners of Downtown L.A., the plot twists kept coming faster than a Hollywood car chase.