It all started with a big bang in Hollywood… and ended with sitting in Sheldon’s spot.
But as ever it’s the bit in between which would be worthy of a sitcom misadventure.
Where our party spent the designated afternoon at Warner Studios while the biggest Big Bang fan was back at base.
Watching reruns of The Golden Girls between visits to the rest room with a bug I’d caught helping a sick passenger on the plane.
And so I could only live the Warner experience vicariously the next day through their stories.
Move over Sheldon
Until that is we got to Anaheim and they had only recreated Sheldon and Leonard’s front room, just for me in the mall outside our hotel!
This being Hollywood studio tours are a must on your LA LA land odyssey.
Warner (and Disney) are celebrating their centennial anniversary this year.
With the new slogan ‘100 Years of Storytelling.’
The tour allows guests to wander the Gilmore Girls’ hometown of Stars Hollow, Big Bang’s San Diego.
We’re all Friends here
Central Perk, locales that double for Casablanca and, of course, Sheldon, Penny, Leonard and Big Bang.
Over to Disney Tours and it being the Happiest Place on Earth everyone wants to have it all to themselves.
For those who want to walk these hallowed grounds away from the public.
Then private tours are available through D23 Events, Disney Movie Insider Awards and Adventures by Disney.
Or visit your favourite blogger here who brings you all the news from the American travel world, the travel fair IPW.
The Universal
Of course you can’t keep a good man down for too long and your Bandanaman was back lighter after his 24-hour bug for the the Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour.
When another Jimmy (Fallon) hosted us, on video, around four acres of the sprawling studio lot.
Including the largest set construction project in studio history built with creative consultation from Steven Spielberg.
The tour took us to the sets, including the plane crash from War of the Worlds, Desperate Housewives’ Wisteria Lane, Bates Motel of Psycho fame, and the set of Jaws.
And some ancient inhabitants of this planet were introduced to us dinosaurs.
Of Paramount importance
Of course, we’re not finished there and you can walk in the footsteps of De Mille, Hope, Crosby, Dietrich, Cooper, West, the Marx Bros and Elvis at Paramount Pictures Studio Tours.
On Melrose Avenue (yes, it exists) Available daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
It is also home to an elaborate New York Street backlot that can transform into 10 different NYC neighbourhoods.
Sony days are here again
If you’ve still got feeling left in your legs and the adrenaline will be pumping then head to Sony Pictures Studio Tours in Culver City.
Dance down the Yellowbrick Road of Wizard of Oz, get futuristic with Men in Black and Spider-Man and check out the studio museum which permanently homes the Breaking Bad RV.
While if you want to be on TV (in the audience) then beloved game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are currently taped here.
Because remember this is where film and TV entertainment got started.
It all started with a big bang in Hollywood.