LA Sound Design Trip — Aug 22–27, 2026
6 days · 4 studio tours · museums · live music
Phillip — local/driver Trey — arrives Sat, departs Thu 2 PM Angie — arrives Sat, departs Thu 11:40 AM Andrea — arrives Sat, departs Thu 11:40 AM Ryan — arrives Sun 9:58 AM, departs Wed 11 PM Ty — arrives Sat 10:55 AM, departs Thu 11:22 AM
Studio contact tracker (password protected)
Still pending
PV beach party (Tue) — nail down headcount with local friends
Studio tour
Food
Culture/museum
Live music
Transit/parking
Nature/outdoors
Explore/free roam
Logistics
Day 1 · Sat
Aug 22 — Arrival · DTLA + Bunker Hill
Metro
~12:30 PM
LAX pickup — Ty, Trey, Angie & Andrea Maps ↗
Ty lands 10:55 AM, Angie/Andrea 11:39 AM, Trey 11:55 AM — all clear LAX close together. One run.
12:45 PM
In-N-Out Burger (Sepulveda) Maps ↗ Website ↗
Sits under the flight path — planes overhead while you eat. First meal in LA.
1:40 PM
Park at Union Station (~$16 flat) Maps ↗
B or D Line to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill — 3 min ride. TAP cards: $1.75/person each way.
2:00 PM
Walt Disney Concert Hall Maps ↗ Audio Tour Info ↗
Last self-guided audio tour at 2 PM (narrated by John Lithgow). Exterior and Blue Ribbon Garden rooftop always free and open even without a tour.
Free
3:00 PM
Free roam — Bunker Hill + DTLA (3–5 PM)
Choose from
MOCA Grand Avenue — 2 min walk. Open Sat until 5 PM. Maps ↗ Website ↗
The Last Bookstore — 10 min walk. Book tunnels, vinyl, open until 11 PM. Maps ↗ Website ↗
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels — 5 min walk. Open until 6 PM. Maps ↗ Website ↗
Gloria Molina Grand Park — free, open until 10 PM, city views. Maps ↗ Website ↗
Pershing Square — 10 min walk south. Historic central plaza. Maps ↗ Website ↗
5:00 PM
Angel's Flight Railway Maps ↗ Fares & Hours ↗
$1.50 each way down Bunker Hill to Hill St. $3 round-trip souvenir ticket. Open until 10 PM.
5:15 PM
Grand Central Market — dinner Maps ↗ Website ↗
LA's oldest food hall (1917). Split up, everyone picks something different. Aim to leave by 7–7:30 PM.
7:30 PM
Olvera Street / El Pueblo Maps ↗ Website ↗
On the walk back to Union Station — 10 min from Grand Central Market. Stalls wind down by 8 PM but atmospheric at night.
Day 2 · Sun
Aug 23 — Ryan's arrival · Rodeo Drive + Hollywood Bowl
Drive
~10:30 AM
LAX pickup — Ryan (lands 9:58 AM) Maps ↗
Drop her things at home, then full group heads out together.
11:00 AM
Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills Maps ↗ Website ↗
Park on Dayton Way — Beverly Hills structure free for first 2 hours. ~2 hours here.
1:00 PM
Nua — lunch Maps ↗ Website ↗
Mediterranean, cascading flower patio, right near Rodeo. Open Sundays.
Reserve ahead
2:30 PM
Hollywood Walk of Fame Maps ↗ Website ↗
Walk Vine to La Brea. Look for film composers and sound people alongside the actors.
3:00 PM
Free roam — Hollywood (3–4:30 PM)
Choose from
Amoeba Music — 5 min walk. Soundtracks, experimental, electronic. Open until 9 PM. Maps ↗ Website ↗
TCL Chinese Theatre — free handprints forecourt on the Blvd. Maps ↗ Website ↗
Ovation Hollywood — bridge level, direct Hollywood Sign view. Free. Maps ↗ Website ↗
Hollywood Forever Cemetery — Cecil B. DeMille, Judy Garland, Johnny Ramone. Open until 4:30 PM. Maps ↗ Website ↗
4:30 PM
Trader Joe's (Vine St) — picnic supplies Maps ↗ Website ↗
No glass containers allowed in the Bowl. Charcuterie, snacks, canned drinks. Open until 9 PM.
4:45 PM
Park at Ovation Hollywood — Park & Ride to the Bowl Maps ↗ Parking Info ↗ Park & Ride Info ↗
Leave the car in the Ovation Hollywood garage and catch the Hollywood Bowl Park & Ride shuttle over — skips Bowl lot traffic and the walk up from Highland.
5:00 PM
Hollywood Bowl — A Concert for Venezuela Maps ↗ Event Page ↗
Dudamel's final concert as Music & Artistic Director of the LA Phil. A genuinely historic event. Picnic lawn opens ~5 PM. Concert at 7 PM. Everyone has tickets — Angie & Andrea just bought theirs plus Park & Ride shuttle passes.
Day 3 · Mon
Aug 24 — Sugar Studios + Paramount + Academy Museum + The Grove
Drive
Paramount access: Ron Bartlett (intro) · Rodrigo Ortiz (Paramount)
Sugar Studios Paramount Academy Museum The Grove Koreatown → Melrose → Miracle Mile
Home
Breakfast — at home or on the road
Sit-down options: Bites & Bashes Cafe (Lomita, 10 min from Carson) Maps ↗ · Clutch and Coffee (Torrance) Maps ↗
10:15 AM
Depart for Koreatown
On the road for the 11 AM Sugar Studios tour. Street parking near the Wiltern.
11:00 AM
Sugar Studios (at the Wiltern, Koreatown) Maps ↗ Website ↗
Post-production, mixing, ADR. Confirmed for 11 AM Monday. Arrival instructions coming soon.
12:15 PM
Lunch — Larchmont Village Maps ↗
~10 min from Paramount — whatever's convenient before the tour. Café/casual strip along Larchmont Blvd.
2:00 PM
Paramount Pictures Tour (via Ron Bartlett) Maps ↗ Website ↗
Locked in — Ron connected us with Rodrigo Ortiz at Paramount. Tour approx 2–4 PM. Rodrigo's in the process of sending over gate passes. Formosa Group also has its own location on the Paramount backlot.
4:30 PM
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Maps ↗ Tickets ↗
Sound design, cinematography, filmmaking history. Dolby Family Terrace has the Hollywood Sign view. Budget ~1.5 hrs — tighter with Paramount in the day. Open Mon 10 AM–6 PM.
Buying tickets once everyone's here — probably day-of
6:00 PM
The Grove + Original Farmers Market — dinner Maps ↗ Website ↗ Farmers Market ↗
Farmers Market closes 7 PM Mon — arrive by 6 PM. Brazilian, Cajun, pizza, seafood, Mexican. Walking distance from Academy Museum.
Day 4 · Tue
Aug 25 — Sony Pictures + Pacific Standard + PV Beach Party
Drive
Sony contact: Raquel
Pacific Standard: Glen Glenn Sound Center, Seward St, Hollywood
Sony Pictures Glen Glenn / Pacific Standard Venice Beach PV Beach Party Culver City → Hollywood → Venice → home → Palos Verdes
9:15 AM
Depart for Culver City
On the road by 9:15 AM to make the 10 AM call at Sony.
10:00 AM
Sony Pictures Studios Maps ↗ Website ↗
Confirmed with Raquel. Tour 10–11:30 AM. Originally MGM — Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind. Focus on post-production facilities. Fully locked in — Raquel's sending everyone's individual gate passes later this week.
11:45 AM
Merka Saltao — lunch Maps ↗ Website ↗
Peruvian bowls, 5 min from Sony. Fast casual — in and out to make the 1 PM call. Lomo saltado bowl is the move. Open Tue 11 AM.
1:00 PM
Pacific Standard at Glen Glenn Sound Center Maps ↗ Website ↗
Seward St, Hollywood — ~25 min from Sony on the 10 to the 101. Tour approx 1–3 PM.
3:30 PM
Venice Beach Boardwalk Maps ↗
Venice Art Walls, boardwalk, Abbot Kinney. Quick look around before heading back to Carson to regroup.
5:00 PM
Home — relax before the party
Breather in Carson before heading down to PV. Grab swimsuits/beach stuff here.
6:30 PM
Beach Party — Lunada Bay Maps ↗
Phillip's hosting the group + local friends for a sunset party on the beach. Right by the golf course — park up top and take the short trail down to the cove. ~25–30 min drive from Carson.
Confirm headcount with local friends
Day 5 · Wed
Aug 26 — Ryan's departure · Smart Post Sound + Warner Bros + Griffith Park
Drive
Warner Bros access: Ron Bartlett (intro) · Marissa Boquet (WB)
Smart Post: 919 N Hollywood Way, Burbank · (818) 845-8050
9:00 AM
Smart Post Sound Maps ↗ Website ↗
ADR, Foley, Dolby Atmos mixing. Credits: Reacher, Tulsa King, Netflix originals. Tour approx 9:00–11:00 AM. Open Wed 9 AM–7 PM.
11:15 AM
Granville — lunch (downtown Burbank) Maps ↗ Website ↗
California comfort food, 10 min from Smart Post. Pasta alla vodka is the move. Open Wed from 11:30 AM.
1:00 PM
Warner Bros Studio Tour (via Marissa Boquet) Maps ↗ Tickets ↗
Industry access — more authentic than the public tour. Deep sound legacy. Marissa reached out to confirm 1 PM. Tour approx 1–4 PM. Sent Marissa everyone's names — waiting on her to send gate passes and arrival/check-in info.
4:15 PM
Griffith Park hike Maps ↗ Website ↗
20 min from Warner Bros down the 5 to Los Feliz. Hike up to the Observatory for sunset. Last full-group view of the city before the airport day. Bring water. Trails open until 9 PM.
6:00 PM
Griffith Observatory Maps ↗ Plan Your Visit ↗
Free entry. Sunset over the city. Appeared in Rebel Without a Cause, La La Land, and dozens more. Closed Mon — today is Wed, all good.
Free
7:30 PM
Messhall Kitchen — dinner Maps ↗ Website ↗
American gastropub at the base of Griffith Park on Los Feliz Blvd. Great patio. Open Wed until 9 PM.
9:00 PM
LAX drop-off — Ryan (11 PM flight) Maps ↗
Rescheduled to 11 PM so she can make the full Wednesday lineup. Head straight from dinner — about 30 min from Los Feliz.
Day 6 · Thu
Aug 27 — Airport day
All depart
LAX LAX drop-off runs
Morning — airport runs
9:00 AM
LAX drop-off run 1 — Ty, Angie & Andrea Maps ↗
Ty's 11:22 AM flight and Angie/Andrea's 11:40 AM flight are close enough for one run — need at LAX by ~9:22 AM. Leave by 9:00 AM. Trey stays home, waits for his own run.
11:30 AM
LAX drop-off run 2 — Trey Maps ↗
2 PM flight. You free from ~12:30 PM.