Day 25 (August 20) was primarily about getting to Los Angeles, which saw us on the PCH and have a reunification with US101.
As we got closer to the LA area, a few things stood out. First, the homes started to change. For example, Malibu made it plenty clear that income demographics were changing.
Second, the beaches started to get nicer and the topography began to change.
Last of all, the number of lanes and the amount of traffic started to grow.
While we haven’t encountered anything like the 401 in Toronto yet, our travels have so far skipped the the core of LA as our first stop was the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank.
Touring the backlot we got to see the jungle/forest set where such things as True Blood and Jurassic Park did some shooting.
From there, we saw the generic American town sets, where many homes have completed interiors, multiple entry points on each of their sides, and no fixtures so that they can be customized to time period and income levels. Right now, these buildings house offices and the cars belong to the staff working inside.
Bigger buildings on the site also serve as shoot locations. For example, this larger building serves as hospitals, airports, and other public buildings.
One set that was particularly interesting was the this one, which appears in modern shows like Young Sheldon as well as in vintage titles like The Dukes of Hazard.
Here are some other sets for France and Chicago. All of these sets can be modified to fit whatever needs the film crew might have, but they must restore the location to its original state after they’re done, including repainting.
From there, we hit an indoor display that showed off costumes from a number of recent movies.
See where the sword was stashed? 
Probably not the vantage point from which you woudl want to meet Aragog 
Our next stop was the prop house where set designers essentially go shopping, selecting the stuff they need/want for their sets. Everything is rented to them and has an associated cost. A few items stood out, one from Dexter and the others from the Matrix.
A chair from Dexter 
Complete with fake donuts
Prop items that are deemed to have significant historical value are retired from service and stored in the studio archives.
Our next stop was the Bat Cave. These are for you, Daron Danger.
That wrapped up the guided tour and we were left to explore the memorabilia section on our own. Central Perks from Friends was there, as was the set of the Big Bang Theory, a show much closer to our hearts.
Amazing story boards 
Ack! Ack! Ack! 
From the Exorcist, 1973 
Everything is awesome! 
The Kragle! 
Griffindor!? More Hufflepuff if you ask me. 
Would you believe, Slytherin?
From there we headed to Hollywood to meet-up with our AirBNB host. So far the place has not turned out to be as nice as other spots, or as nice as we had hoped, but we’re making it work. The persistent smell of weed is annoying, but we are right off Hollywood Blvd.
Thanks for continuing to pay attention to our adventures.