All Aboard: Whitney's L.A. Weekend Tour

If I weren't an entertainment reporter, I would have made an amazing travel planner/tour guide.

For my past three international trips to Belize, Honduras, and Thailand, I have packed every second of my schedule with every must-do activity in the area, and even a few off the beaten path extras. 

I'm actually in the process of planning my next trip to South Africa, so if you have suggestions, please send them my way.

When I have friends and family come visit me here in L.A., it's no different. 

I feel a pressing duty to show them the best trip ever. So for the past few days, I've made it my mission to show my besty Katie all the awesome things L.A. has to offer.

Here are some highlights...

A morning hike at Runyon Canyon, L.A.'s best spot for adorable dog watching, panoramic city views, and the occasional celeb sighting (I saw Amanda Seyfried once and boy is she in good shape).

Go early during the summer as it's been pretty hot lately. Luckily, we did the standard loop instead of the more strenuous hike that goes along the back ridge of the canyon. I love that one, but not when it's 95 degrees out.

A charity comedy show featuring Ray Romano and Jason Alexander at Santa Monica College. 

Alexander was almost unrecognizable without his signature George Costanza bald spot and glasses. 

The actor had a fresh batch of head hair as he performed a song and dance number that had Katie bucking in her seat and wilding clapping her hands like a trained seal. 

Next time you're looking for an out of the box activity for visiting guests, I highly recommend checking out one of the many amazing comedy shows L.A. has to offer.

A trip to the beach. 

Obviously a must. The fact that we got hit on my some hilarious Italians, saw a jellyfish, and got parking for a mere $3 was a bonus. Here's a tip: when you park in the all day lots along PCH with the pay stations, sell your ticket to the next guy when you leave.

A refreshing smoothie from Pressed Juicery. 

I usually get a straight up Greens 1 (80 calories, pure veggies) but this time Katie and I opted to mix our juices with their frozen coconut banana base and they were delish.

We also hit up Magnolia Bakery and got a relaxing Thai massage from Chandra Thai (only $45 for an hour). Be prepared to be stretched in some strange positions though. Just go with it.

But this weekend wasn't all play, I actually had a little work to do.

When Katie met Bradley...

On Saturday afternoon we headed over to The Four Seasons for The Words junket. 

I got to interview the movie's two hotties, Bradley Cooper and Ben Barnes... and Katie got to watch. 

Photo Credit: George Pimentel/Getty Images

You can see how those chats turned out when I post the videos on SheKnows, but for now, here's a recap of the event in Katie's words:

"Bradley Cooper totally eye-f@#$ed the sh*t out of me."

I'd say her trip was a success.

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