Bridgewater, Va. – Instead of going home or going to the beach, COMM-331X traveled to the sunny city Los Angeles for spring break. After traveling all day Friday, March 1, we finally made it to our hotel, and the morning of Saturday, March 2, the fun began. There was a mixture of majors on the trip but that did not seem to matter, everyone was on the trip for one reason or another and everyone was beyond excited.

We started the trip off with a rainy Saturday by taking a tour of celebrity homes throughout Los Angeles and got to see where people like Ryan Seacrest, Ellen Degeneres and many others live. 

Sunday we spent the whole day at Universal Studios. We started the day by taking the studio tour which had amazing 3D King Kong simulation and an earthquake scene from the TV show “Bones.” 

We also got to see the “Jaws” set which has been there since 1976. The rest of Universal was a theme park with rides and stores. From the Wizarding World of “Harry Potter” to the “Simpsons” and a special effects show, there was a lot to do and see Sunday. 

Monday we toured Warner Brothers Studio, responsible for producing popular shows like “Pretty Little Liars,” “Friends,” “Shameless” and all the “A Star is Born” movies. Then we went to a taping of a talk show called “The Real” where we got to meet the hosts Tamera Mowry, Jeannie Mai, Loni Love and Adrienne Houghton.

The next day we finally got to sleep in a little–between the time difference and going nonstop the first couple days, we were all excited to have a relaxed morning. Some people in the class are really interested in writing scripts so when we got to meet and talk to Jennifer Corbett,  a writer for “NCIS,” they were beyond thrilled. 

Later that afternoon, we went to a taping of a comedy show “The Neighborhood.” It was fascinating seeing how many people and how much hard work it takes just to get one episode recorded. 

Wednesday, March 6, was full of rain and more tapings but that did not stop us from having fun. In the morning we went to a “Jeopardy” taping where we got see history being made. In the afternoon, we went to my favorite, “America’s Got Talent.” 

The taping we were at is going to be the premiere episode of season 14, which has new host Terry Crews and two new judges, Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union.

It was so cool to see a show that I have been watching for years being recorded right in front of my own eyes. 

It was nice to have some free time throughout the trip. On the morning of Thursday March 7 we toured Paramount. They have one large room open to tour groups that is full of props from movies. That afternoon, the class split up and did a variety of different things. Some people went to the “Captain Marvel” movie premier, some just adventured around Hollywood, some classmates and I went to “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” 

Sadly, the week flew by and it was Friday before we knew it, we spent the first part of the day at a taping of a new show called “Face The Truth.” The second part of the day was our last tour, Sony Studios. 

Our last full day in California was a free day spent in Santa Monica at the beach. Although it was not very warm, it was still beautiful and the pier had rides, tons of shops and delicious food. 

We got the inside scoop on things not many people know, we got to see the backlots used like the New York City street set up. We also got to go on the soundstage of “Grace and Frankie” and “The Goldbergs.”  

The entire trip was full of adventure, fascinating information about TV and film and lots of laughs. There was so much we learned about how movies and shows were made that I never would have even imagined.