Calabasas, Marilyn Monroe's Grave, Malibu & More! Los Angeles: August 2017

-


This post is a continuation of my recent trip to Los Angeles. To read about my experience at The Grammy Museum, click here and to read about seeing The Hollywood Sign for the first time, click here. Enjoy!

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Simi Valley, CA


To start off our second day in California, we drove about an hour away from Los Angeles to Simi Valley to go to The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The view from the property of the museum was so breathtaking and unlike anything I have ever seen before. I really wasn't expecting much from going there, since I don't know much about Ronald Reagan, but the view alone is worth going!



The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the largest of the 13 dedicated presidential libraries in the U.S. and is full of memorabilia from his life. It also included items from Nancy Reagan's life, as well.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
In one of the exhibits, there was a guest book of a White House gala in 1985 with Princess Diana's signature in it. The image above is of Diana dancing with John Travolta at that party.




One of the last rooms of the museum has the Air Force One, a 90,000 square foot aircraft that was used from 1973-2001 for 7 presidents. The set up of this room was beautiful with the giant window overlooking the valley. You can also go inside the airplane, which was such an awesome thing to be able to do. It was left almost completely untouched from when they stopped using it in 2001 and you could walk through it as if you were actually boarding it. 


Outside is where both Ronald and Nancy Reagan are buried. Ronald Reagan died in 2004 and Nancy Reagan died in 2016.

Calabasas


I have been wanting to go to Calabasas for years, and it was one of the top places on my list of what I wanted to see during the trip! 




For lunch we ate at Health Nut, which is best known for being the place that the Kardashians eat at nearly every day. It is a very small hole-in-the-wall place and does not really look like anything special from the outside. I ordered the Tuna Avocado salad, a vegetable soup and a mango green tea, the most popular drink they sell. It was all very good and everything was very fresh, but it was very overpriced for what it was, although that is expected considering where we were. I had a really good time being there and I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of the Kardashians!

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery


After leaving Calabasas, we put the address into the GPS for the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. It didn't take long to actually get there, but it was difficult to find where it even was. It is absolutely nothing like The Hollywood Forever Cemetery that we went to the day before, which was a very elaborate landscape. Westwood was just a small piece of land amidst the huge buildings of the city.

 Since the property is so small, there is no map that you can purchase at a gift shop like there is at Hollywood Forever. It is very easy to find a map online of where the different celebrities are buried. 



It was incredible to be in one place that memorializes so many people that have made such an impact on Hollywood. It was definitely a very emotional and memorable experience walking around the cemetery. 

Marilyn Monroe's Memorial


 The most moving experience of the day was seeing Marilyn Monroe's memorial. It is incredible how her legacy continues to live on 55 years after her death and so touching to see the hundreds of roses surrounding her grave. 

 I actually didn't know this when we were there, but she passed away on August 5, 1962 and we were there on August 7, just 2 days after the anniversary. That probably explains the reason there was so many flowers there for her, but I'm sure people are always leaving gifts for her year-round.

 Since we have been there in August, Hugh Hefner is also now buried directly to the left of Marilyn since his death in September. It once belonged to her husband Joe DiMaggio, but after their divorce he put the property up for sale. Joe DiMaggio had roses delivered to her grave everyday until his death when Hugh Hefner took over and continued the tradition. She and Hugh Hefner never actually met, he just bought her nude photos from the photographer and put it on the first cover of Playboy without her even knowing. In my opinion, it isn't fair to her that she has to be buried next to someone who almost ruined her career so early on, but I can see how in theory someone would think it is a nice gesture, but it really isn't.    

 I can't believe I can now say that I was standing in front of Marilyn Monroe's grave. It was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. 

 There was absolutely no one else there for the majority of the time that we were there, making the experience even better. It is such a hidden Hollywood gem that I would recommend to anyone in Los Angeles to check out for a few hours. 

Pacific Coast Highway


After we left, we decided to drive down Pacific Coast Highway, which spans from Santa Monica to Malibu. We were there at sunset, the absolute perfect time. The view of the sunset over the ocean was so incredible, pictures just can't do it justice. 

Malibu


For dinner we at Coral Beach Catina, where I had some of the best Mexican food I ever had and one of the best meals we had during the trip. 

 Thank you so much for checking out my blog and I hope you come back soon to read about my experience at Venice Beach and Beverly Hills! 
-Melissa

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

ARIANA GRANDE GOD IS A WOMAN FRAGRANCE REVIEW

-
Image
When all is said and done, you'll believe God is a Woman!  I absolutely love all of the  fragrances   Ariana Grande  has released over the years, so when I found out that she was coming out with another I was so excited! Her song " God is a Woman " is also so iconic and one of my all-time favorites, so that made me look forward to it even more. I have been using it consistently for several months so I will able to give the most in-depth review I possibly can of this product. In the United States , God is a Woman  is sold exclusively at Ulta in three sizes; 1 oz for $45, 1.7 oz for $55, and 3.4 oz for $65. A travel size bottle is also available for $24. This pricing is consistent throughout the rest of Ariana's fragrances, so if you were looking to purchase another scent this is the range to expect. It is also available internationally at select retailers. God is a Woman  is cruelty free, 100% vegan and made with clean ingredients that are 91% naturally der...
Read more

SAFIYA NYGAARD x COLOURPOP COLLECTION REVIEW 🦇♥

-
Image
For my first post of  the new year, I wanted to share my thoughts on one of my favorite makeup releases, the Safiya Nygaard x Colourpop collection ! Safiya is one of my favorite YouTubers and Colourpop is my favorite makeup brand, so this is a really exciting collaboration!  Safiya consistently makes a variety of really high quality and interesting videos that mainly focus on beauty and fashion. I admire how much time and research she puts into what she does, all of the work that is put into these videos really shows in the finished product. If you haven't watched her channel before, I really can't recommend it enough!  In August 2017, she started a series called " bad makeup science ", which is the basis of this new Colourpop lipstick collection. There are 6 lipstick shades that correlate with a shade she created in one of her videos. You can check out the playlist of videos that inspired her collection here . I recently re-watched the whole series again...
Read more

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (isolated vocals) by Billie Eilish // 2024 Record Store Day Exclusive Vinyl

-
Image
Happy Record Store Day! One of my most anticipated releases for the Black Friday drop this year was a special version of Billie Eilish 's incredible album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT , which features only her isolated vocals. You can only slightly hear parts of the instrumentals in the background because she recorded the songs without headphones, but this variant of the album puts a major emphasis on only her gorgeous vocals. It's a really cool concept, it almost sounds like you're in the studio with her hearing it recorded live.  There is so much depth to her vocal comps with all of the hidden vocals and ad libs that are hidden underneath the production. There are so many small details that otherwise get buried in each song that now get the chance to fully shine. Billie and Finneas ' creative process is so fascinating, and this record give a glimpse into the way all of these songs came together. An album like HIT ME HARD AND SOFT  is meticulously produced and every layer is s...
Read more

My Thoughts on the Gigi Hadid x Maybelline Collection

-
Image
credit :  twitter.com/gigihadid Gigi Hadid has been the face of Maybelline for about 2 years and has been apart of several campaigns for the brand. I was really excited when I initially heard that Gigi and Maybelline collaborated on a full collection. I assumed that I would be able to recreate Gigi's makeup looks for less, but that just isn't the case. Today, I'm going to be giving my opinions on this collection to help you further determine if you should spend your money on it. The biggest gripe I have with this collection is that it is far too overpriced for Maybelline products. I have been noticing that some drugstore brands have been increasing the price of their new products, but I don't understand why since many times the brands aren't doing anything different to justify the large increase in the price. Maybelline does make some of my favorite products, especially when it comes to concealer and mascara, but they have also made really poor quality ...
Read more

BILLIE EILISH HAPPIER THAN EVER // ALBUM REVIEW

-
Image
Billie Eilish's sophomore release is finally here and I'm happier than ever about it! In some ways, the album is quite a departure from her debut, but in the best way possible. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?  set the stage for what this decade in music is going to be because it was truly unlike any other modern release in recent memory, one whose success and impact will likely never be fully replicated again. She has never tried to be anyone other than herself, which makes her journey of monumental success at such a young age so much more inspiring.  With that being said, the idea of a follow-up release must have come with a lot of pressure to make something just as good, if not better, than the last one. Happier Than Ever is a chronicle of the events that followed her meteoric rise to fame since 2019, from her perspective. There has always been so much talk in the media about the way she dresses, her body, her relationships, whether or not she "deserves" a...
Read more