Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles, California

As the last major studio still located within Hollywood, the Paramount Pictures lot is full of nostalgia, history, and tons of stereotypical scenes right down to the clear views leading up to the Hollywood Sign and an array of Best Picture Academy Awards on full display.

The Paramount Pictures lot today features 30 stages, a blue sky tank, and a massive New York backlot with 10 different neighborhoods. The Paramount Pictures lot also includes the former Desilu Studios (formerly RKO) which was purchased in 1967. There are still numerous clues throughout of the movies and popular television shows that have been filmed here in the heart of Los Angeles since the initial Paramount lot was constructed on this spot in 1926.

Paramount's Best Picture Oscars on display.

Lucille Ball's Bungalow from when this was the next door Desilu Studios Lot.

Twin Pines Mall: Back to the Future Location

Located in City of Industry, California, the Puente Hills Mall served as the location for the Twin Pines Mall (and Lone Pine Mall) in the 1985 film, Back to the Future. This is the parking lot where Doc Brown first performs the time travel experiments with his custom DeLorean. As such, the mall has long been a popular site for fans of the iconic trilogy.

We visited before news broke about the sale of the mall and its intended closure. The full plans are yet to be revealed, but with much of the Puente Hills Mall already vacant it's expected that the site will be completely redeveloped, likely destroying the lot where the movie was filmed.

One of the few remaining attractions here was a replica of the Twin Pines Mall sign located inside. A small collector's shop was also the perfect spot to pick up a few Back to the Future souvenirs. I'm just glad we had the opportunity to see it before it disappeared for good.