While in Los Angeles, my friend and I booked an early day tour of Warner Bros. Studio, and then I decided to make a journey over to Universal Studios for my own adventure.

It was a lot to do and see in one day, but it was all very cool.

*Me outside of the mock Central Perk shop*

Warner Bros. Studio Tour

We knew that this tour had to be on our to-see list and bought our tickets for this a few weeks before leaving for LA. There were a few highlights advertised, but I think the draw for both of us was how much Friends-related sets and props would be on the tour.

Once we checked in for the tour and got into the cart, the whole experience started to feel surreal. Like something I’d only ever seen in movies was happening to me.

We saw outdoor sets of various films and TV shows, as well as an indoor set to a show currently airing – the answer is yes, everything in the movies is fake. Besides sets, we also got to look around the prop department which our guide explained was literally the size of four football fields stacked on top of each other. We only got to see one floor, but the prop department was probably one of my unexpected favourite parts of the tour.

There were a few gallery-style exhibits on the tour showcasing props from things like Harry Potter, Aquaman, and the Batmobiles, which was pretty neat as well.

*My friend and I on the Central Perk set*

Once our guide dropped us off at the end of the tour, there was another exhibit we could walk through and learn more about how movies are made. That led to a bunch of photo ops – our favourite being the chance to sit on the actual Central Perk set from Friends. So cool!

Then we followed signs to the exit where they had a mock Central Perk where you could buy a coffee and some merch, so naturally I picked up a “Phoebe” (cookies and cream frappuccino) a Central Perk mug to take home.

*The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Hogwarts*

Universal Studios

The second half of my day was just as magical as the first. Going into Universal, I knew there were two specific things I wanted to see – the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Springfield USA. I’ve visited the Wizarding World in Florida’s Universal park, but I had to go see it again. There’s nothing quite like walking around Hogsmeade and passing people in billowing cloaks, hearing Hedwig’s Theme twinkling through the sky, only to look up and see a beautiful Hogwarts castle looming over you.

I easily spent an hour just wandering through all of the shops in Hogsmeade – people-watching as I sipped on my obligatory Butterbeer.

Pro-tip: go non-frozen; you’re given the option between frozen or not, and always say non-frozen. Frozen Butterbeer is basically just a slushie that results in being mostly just ice chunks at the bottom, regular Butterbeer tastes foamy and magnificent.

*The clocktower on the Back to the Future set*

When I was finally bored of wandering, I found myself in line for the Universal Studios lot tour. I didn’t think I was ready for another studio tour, but this one was a lot more visual. They’ve turned the tour into a ride, rather than having people hop on and off throughout to see various stops. My favourite part was getting to see the Clock Tower square from Back to the Future (my favourite movie of all time, fun fact).

After the tour, I headed over to Springfield and found Bart and Lisa! The Simpsons was a huge part of my childhood – it was a show my family and I would watch together, and it was something we all enjoyed. The whole time I was walking around, exploring real-life Moe’s Tavern and the Kwik-E-Mart, all I could think of was how much my dad and sister would have loved it.

This was one of our first days in Los Angeles, and honestly it was a great way to kick off the trip. We did so many quintessentially Hollywood things that once it was over, we were actually able to step back and enjoy the rest of LA.

I was really excited to see the Friends set, and as cool as it was, it definitely wasn’t as cool as a lot of the other stuff we did in LA. I would have spent a week overhyping it and getting excited about the tour, then getting upset that I didn’t pay more attention to the actual city while I was there.

Once I had gone to Universal by myself and gotten back to the hotel safely, I knew it wasn’t going to be too hard to travel around the rest of the city on my own if needed.

I’m amazed at how almost every experience while travelling is some kind of learning experience.