Our hotel was so pretty. And within a few minutes' walking distance from the Ka'bah! We got our rooms, dropped off our luggage, and headed straight out to do our first umrah.

No L.A. trip is complete without a visit to Griffith. It was absolutely packed that night, and so we parked lower on the hill since so many spots were taken, and hiked up. It was a nice hike at least, just after sunset, and the moon was full and swiftly rising.

We explored the inside before we went out for the view of the cityscape.

Both my mom and I are huge Harry Potter fans, so of course our trip to L. A. wouldn't be complete without a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We were so excited! It was a gorgeous day, hot and brilliantly sunny. We went early, hoping to beat the worst of the crowds.

My mom had a great time with King Julien of Madagascar (we figured my niece would really like these photos but also, my mom is clearly having the time of her life here).

And then finally, the world of our dreams awaited us! It was so very amazing to hear the music from the films and the whole magical world right there!