When you were in Culver City, where did you go?

Ooh, good question! I look forward to reading the other responses.


Well, we did make a vacation out of my taping trip. It was January, so being from New York, we thought we deserved a little warmer weather. The taping was Friday, January 22nd, and we flew into LA on Wednesday the 20th. We rented a car, a neat yellow Mustang, and for our first night in LA, we went to the nearby Marina Del Rey and ate at Killer Shrimp.

The day before the taping, Thursday the 21st, we went to Downtown Disney and Disneyland, about a half-hour drive from the recommended Doubletree hotel. We had fun, and it was my first time visiting a Disney park in about 15 years, but it started getting crowded with a lot of teenagers and college folk as it got dark.

Friday had a bit of a dilemma, because a blizzard was about to hit New York and all the flights back were getting cancelled. We were supposed to fly home Saturday night into Sunday morning, but we decided to reschedule our flight to Friday night to beat the storm. We were planning to go to Universal Studios on Saturday the 23rd before we left, but we had to push those plans aside, or so it seemed. Unfortunately, our Friday night flight got cancelled as well, and the next available flight out wasn't until Monday afternoon, so it meant we had to spend more money on extra hotel nights and rental car days and we were running low on clean clothes, but on the plus side, it meant a couple more days to enjoy California.

On Friday night, after the taping, I treated my parents to dinner at a nice diner across the street from the hotel called Dinah's Family Restaurant. Highly recommended! We went back the next morning for breakfast. There is also a mall very close to the hotel. We tried to eat at one of the restaurants there, but being a Friday night, there was over an hour wait. We walked around the mall but didn't buy anything. Nothing too special.

On our now-free Saturday, we drove through most of Mulholland Drive, a winding scenic road leading into Hollywood, where several celebrities live, including Vanna! She lives in a gated community, so we couldn't get too close. From there, we drove through Beverly Hills and then walked along Hollywood Boulevard, including Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It was pretty seedy, though. Loud hip hop and rap music being blasted everywhere, tour brochures being shoved in your face every 10 feet, a lot of annoying stuff. We ate at Mel's Drive-In, which I really enjoyed, both the food and the atmosphere. I loved the jukeboxes they have at every table and the huge variety of classics they had for 25 cents a play. If you go there, get the homemade potato chips! After that, we went to Venice Beach and the boardwalk. Nothing too special and way too much traffic, but nice scenery!

On Sunday, our last full day, we went to Universal Studios and it was also fun. Definitely do the tram tour and the Waterworld show, and do the Transformers meet-and-greet if you can. People were lining up to take pictures with Megatron, who would roast everybody. It's hilarious! Look up "megatron universal studios" on YouTube.

We left for the airport on Monday, stopping for lunch at Victor Jr.'s, the place that serves the pizza during Wheel's lunch break. It's a very small place and they only have like two tables, but all their food is delicious!

Also got to give a shout-out to the Dollar Tree on Jefferson Boulevard 5 minutes from the hotel. We bought a ton of extra toiletries there (better than what they give you at the hotel) and we stopped there once more on the way to the airport for chips and candy for the plane ride home.

For me, my mom and I did a little bit of shopping a couple of days before my taping date. Then, on the day before my taping, we went to Koreatown to eat and she ended up buying me a couple of clothes there and that was the same night I met Tyler. After the games were taped, Mandi and I greeted each other for the very last time at the same hotel we stayed Friday morning after the taping date, we left California to head on back home to Denver.

I forgot to put the period after stayed. Oops! This is what happens when I'm tired and still a little sick.

^Thank you! I'm definitely interested in hearing about places outside of Culver City as well so that's helpful.

When I went for my taping, I arrived 2 days before the taping. Of course it was Election Day so before all of the chaos happened I met up with a few friends and just drove around the city. I needed a tie so we went to the Westfield mall. It was, in the words of Trump, YUGE! We went to a Target and got the tie. We then headed to In-N-Out Burger. Like the pig that I am, I ordered the Double Double and fries with a strawberry shake. The burger and shake were amazing. The fries were very disappointing. Then I just stayed in my room to get adjusted to the time zone change (Which did not happen.) and watched the Election coverage. (I was happy with the result)

The next day, my friends took me to Beverly Hills to do some more sightseeing. We saw the Sony lot, Fox Studios lot, even NFL Network. Our day in Beverly Hills continued at the Paley Center. At the time the main attraction was the 30th anniversary of Daytime CBS. So there were props and costumes from Young and the Restless, B&B, LMAD, and of course The Price is Right. At the entrance was the famous big wheel which me and my friends were able to spin. Lemme tell you, that wheel is HEAVY! I estimated we were at that exhibit alone for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then we checked out Car Pong from LMAD. Upstairs there were a ton of old Price memorabilia like Bob Barker's mic, the showcase podiums, even a Plinko chip. The last thing which was really cool was their media archive. Their archive consisted of thousands of episodes from past and present programs. So I knew I needed to practice, I found some Chuck Woolery era Wheel episodes which were crystal clear. We left the Paley Center and got lunch and then the next day I taped my show.

^ Most of them are online if you know where to look.

The first night we drove to Venice Beach to watch the sunset (it was GORGEOUS!) and had a couple drinks at one of the beachside bars -- lots of fun! Got back early to get a good night's sleep before taping. I taped the 3rd episode, so was out of there by lunch, so we drove to In-N-Out (yummy!) then went to the mall next to the hotel and shopped and ate there. The next day started early with a trip to the Santa Monica Pier where we spent several hours, then drove up to the Griffith Observatory for great views of downtown and the Hollywood sign, as well as the Observatory itself -- awesome!! Then down to Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame, to Grauman's Chinese Theater -- so fun looking at all the handprints and footprints! Shopping for tchotchkes, then wonderful seafood dinner in Marina del Rey, then back to the hotel for our early flight out on Saturday!
We drove by the fabric store "MOOD" -- the NYC location is famous from "Project Runway" but it was closed -- just wanted a "MOOD" bag! Also, just before our trip we tried to get reservations at "SUR" (famous from "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and "VanderPUMP Rules" but could only get seating for our group of 6 after 10, so missed out on going there. Other than that, did pretty much everything we wanted to do!

If you have the means, I highly recommend trying to make a vacation of it. That way, if you bust (like I did), you still have an unforgettable experience. But, don't count on winnings covering the cost of this trip.

My taping was Friday. I arrived Wednesday late afternoon and left Sunday afternoon with my Mom (later joined by my brother and his girlfriend). Try and get the contestant rate for all your nights at the Doubletree. Initially, theY said they were all booked up/I couldn't have the contestant rate, but I spoke to a manager and got it.

Wednesday I was so exhausted from travelling/not being able to sleep, I just ate at the hotel restaurant (tasty but a bit expensive) and chilled in the room.

After barely being able to sleep, I went to "The Price Is Right" Thursday morning (you can go just make sure you make your ineligibility is clear, and you aren't called to contestant's row if you do this!) which was super fun to go to. Even more fun if you go with family that have the chance of being called down! (Be prepared for lots of questions from everyone why your number is X'd out, haha). After TPiR, I booked it in an Uber to watch the Thursday afternoon taping of Wheel. Although the ticketing website won't have dates available since you don't have much notice (if you tape on a Friday), you can call the contestant line and ask if you can show up by yourself. "We always have room for one," they told me. I think this was great at putting my nerves at ease -- being in the studio with no pressure gets you acclimated to it. During the whole first taping, I was in so much awe. This can especially help your nerves if you're chosen to tape first on a Friday like I was.

After my taping (I just watched the second episode then left), we went to a Mexican place near Hollywood (um levesp08, what was it? She recommended it) and then went to the comedy store then to West Hollywood for some nightlife and met up with a fellow boardie.

Saturday we went to Venice Beach then rented these slow three-wheeler low-rider bikes to go to Santa Monica Pier to watch the sunset. Beautiful. Went to a seafood place after that in Venice (It was so good, I wish I could remember the name!)

Lots of things I wanted to do but didn't have time for: Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, Little Tokyo (per Josh's suggestion), renting a car and driving up the coast. Traffic is terrible, so an Uber to downtown LA one way was like an hour. (Though, Uber is relatively cheap compared to other cities. So. Much. Uber.) **AS A FORMER UBER DRIVER, I RECOMMEND LYFT BECAUSE YOU CAN TIP IN-APP**

I recommend doing more planning than I did and have a great time! Especially if you've never been to California. (First time dipping my toes in the [COLD!] Pacific Ocean).

Prizes Found it from Instagram! Cabo Cantina 3rd St. Promenade bahaha (relevant pic, sorry Leanna! )

imgur.com/a/lBB9y