Test-taking: LA, Universal Studios, and a Hotel Review

We passed by Rodeo Drive at night, when it was pretty deserted.
This post is about 2 states and 3 cities behind. I'm trying to break up the posts by state so that they don't get tl;dr. Again, everything in this post was done by iPhone/iPad.

Residence Inn Marriott: Our LA Home

Here I am back in LA, freezing in what is supposedly spring weather. (It was windy!) How I will survive New York, I don't know.
We stayed at the Residence Inn Marriott. Our suite had a study table, living room with flat screen and sofa bed, kitchen with kitchenware, toaster, microwave, and refrigerator, and bedroom with queen bed, another flat screen, and a bathroom. I chose it because it's a 10-minute walk from the testing center and they give discounts to test-takers! I cannot say enough good things about this hotel.

1. They allowed early check-in. Check-in is set at 3pm but we were there by 8am and the room was ready!
   
2. Customer service is ace. They don't have porters but we asked for help with our large luggaged and Julio, an elderly Latino man (I feel so guilty, he was old na) took care of our luggage.
   
3. Shuttle service is free to anywhere within a 3-mile radius. I took the shuttle to and from my exam!
   
4. The shuttle wasn't available when we checked out at 4am, but they scheduled a taxi for us and footed the bill.
   
5. Free wifi. (Unlike Hilton's Doubletree, another hotel offering discounts to test-takers.)
   
6. Daily breakfast buffet! And not only that, but Monday-Thursday they have an "Evening Social" which is basically a free dinner buffet!!

Our $154/night was well-spent.
Soft large comfortable bed.
Our first day there, technically we weren't supposed to be included in the breakfast buffet. But the lady at reception kindly informed us that we had 30 minutes left to get breakfast, so off we went! :D So timely because we'd left Monterey at 6am, without breakfast, and were very hungry.
This was the beginning of my descent into fathood.
At least I threw some protein into the mix, lol. I love eggs for breakfast but apparently this one was supposed to be part of the salad because it was cold. :(
This was ravioli night. I wanted to eat more but I was stuffed from breakfast.
I absolutely LOVE the Inn's waffle maker! You pour a generous cup of a premixed mixture into it and two minutes later, you get soft fluffy waffles! I prefer my waffles with jam instead of syrup, and under all that whipped cream is every fruit I could find in the buffet spread. Strawberries, blueberries, banana, grape, hahaha.
This is what a McDonald's sausage McMuffin wishes it could be.
Nachos night! I know, there are no nacho chips visible in this photo. I buried them under the salsa, beans, chicken, and cheese. MMMMMMM.
And one night we had "The BBQ." All you can eat barbecued burgers and sausages, omg. People were taking plates into their rooms lol. The sausages were fantastic and the burgers were pretty good! I made a humble tower of a burger. And I finished it. I have burger belly now.
Me getting lockjaw tryin'a eat the giant thing

Random Things

One time we missed breakfast. We were too lazy to go out for food so Mia got this from the convenience store in the hotel. Lasagna in a cup -- I wouldn't recommend it.
She also got chocolates! I love American-sized chocolates.
This king-sized Reese's cup took me two days to finish. :p
Our relatives took us to Milk in LA, which specializes in these glorious macaron ice cream sandwiches. This orange beauty is Thai tea flavored. I finished it all my by myself and wanted more! Afterwards we got second dessert (a not uncommon practice) at Sprinkles cupcakes at The Grove. I will save those for another post. :p
Me lounging in the lobby at 4am, waiting for the taxi that would take us to the airport. Ever true to the quest for obesity, here I am drinking my calories for breakfast.
I also had a small drugstore makeup haul. Flash review: Maybelline's 24h color tattoo is pretty good! No creasing in is fine weather. Haven't tried L'Oreal's Infallible Eyeshadows because we've been so busy.

Playing Doctor

I also took my CS exam. Look at me all geeky in my glasses and white coat.
Coming off the initial high of finishing (yet another) exam. I don't know why I look thin here because I am currently a balloon.

Just Plain Playing

The next day, our last day in LA, we went to Universal Studios, Hollywood. I haven't been here in like 7 years! There were no lines for the rides, it was so fun.
Shreking it up with the fam! Don't mind the wheelchair lol, props lang yan.
Darksiding with Megatron.
Animatronic brontosaurus bids you good night.