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

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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

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