#11: The Playboy Mansion

When I was in college I was pretty obsessed with the show The Girls Next Door. The only celebrity autograph I keep on my bulletin board is from Bridget Marquardt (on a Sprinkles cupcake box lid, no less), and Kendra is still one of my favorite current reality stars. At one point, my college roommate Liz and I decided our new life "goal" was to become Hef's girlfriends so that we could live and play in the Playboy Mansion.

When I moved to LA, seeing the Playboy Mansion was one of the first things on my list to do. But it certainly isn't very easy! I knew that the chances of me getting an invite to one of their parties were pre-tty slim, but luckily, my friend Tracy's brother Gabe is a chef at the Mansion and offered me a tour a long time ago. I finally took him up on the offer, and brought along Ronny, my friend Jaclyn (who is one of Tracy's best friends) and Jac's mom, Susan.

We drove over to the Mansion on an early Saturday morning. I was shocked how close the Mansion actually is to places I go to all the time! I guess it's easy to forget that it is actually a house, in a normal (though rich) neighborhood in Hollywood. Gabe met us in the front of the Mansion, and though we weren't allowed to actually go in the house, he showed us all around the grounds. The place is a complete labyrinth! I'll let the pictures do the talking from here.

Here's the entrance of the Mansion, with Hef's new girlfriend's BMW out front.

The interior of the game room, full of vintage arcade games, all with Playboy themes!

On every table surface were current issues of the magazine.

Next, Gabe took us through the aviary, which was converted from a greenhouse. Apparently Hef loves exotic birds, and owns dozens of parrots, peacocks, and even a toucan!

There were several peacocks roaming around in the backyard, including two albino peacocks. They loved showing off for us!

Me and Ronny striking a pose in the backyard.

Main pool in the backyard. On the other side of the bridge is a koi pond.

Inside the famous "grotto"

Ronny was not excited at all to be in the grotto... :)

Jaclyn and her mom inside the grotto. They took pictures and kept sending them to Jac's dad to make him "jealous"

My car parked outside the Playboy Mansion, no big deal!

We also saw the tennis court, the guest house, the monkey cages, the pool house, the slip-n-slide hill (primed and ready for the 4th of July party!) and we even snuck into a few places I'm not supposed to tell about! It was an AWESOME experience, and I am very grateful for friends that help me cross things off my list!!