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Los Angeles Maps & Attractions Guide
Los Angeles maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Los Angeles
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Los Angeles
Attractions - Things to do
1. Hollywood
www.seeing-stars.com |
What is it? Los Angeles is the film and entertainment
capital of the world and the name 'Hollywood' is the embodiment of
glamour, success and money; the place where films are made,
television shows are recorded and stars take up residence. The
famous Hollywood sign on the hills above the city has become the
enduring symbol of the movie industry and of Los Angeles itself -
the 50ft-high (15m) white letters can be seen from miles away. The
historic heart of the movie industry is centred on Hollywood
Boulevard where millions of visitors flock to see landmark
attractions and museums. The impressive Mann's (Grauman's) Chinese
Theatre is famous for its courtyard where over 200 stars like
Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood and Frank Sinatra
have set their signatures and imprints of their hands or feet in
cement. For many years the theatre has been the spot for movie
premieres and is modelled on a Chinese temple with columns, dragons
and an ornate interior. Passing in front of the theatre is the
mile-long Walk of Fame, the world-famous sidewalk embedded with the
names of legendary television, film, radio, theatre and recording
greats engraved within pink granite stars. More than 2,500
celebrities are honoured, including Elvis Presley, Charlie Chapman,
Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson. The cylindrical Capitol Records
Tower is one of the most recognisable buildings in the city and is
supposed to resemble a 12-storey stack of records with a needle on
top that blinks out 'h-o-l-l-y-w-o-o-d' in Morse code. Other
attractions include the Kodak Theatre designed to host the Academy
Awards, and the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, as well as the
Hollywood Guinness World Records Museum, the Hollywood Wax Museum
and the Ripley's 'Believe It or Not!'
Museum.
Hours of Operation: Hollywood Entertainment Museum opens daily 10am to
6pm (summer) and 11am to 6pm in winter (closed Wednesdays). The
Guinness World Records Museum opens daily 10am to midnight; Wax
Museum daily 8am to midnight; Ripley's ?Believe It or Not!' Museum
open daily 10am to 11pm (until midnight on weekends)
Phone:Mann's Chinese Theatre (323) 461 3331, Walk of Fame
(323) 469 8311, Hollywood Entertainment Museum (323) 465 7900,
Guinness World Records Museum (323) 463 6433, Wax Museum (323) 462
5991, Ripley's ?Believe It or Not!' Museum (323) 466
6335 |
2. Universal Studios Hollywood
100 Universal City Plaza, University City
www.universalstudioshollywood.com |
What is it? One of the most popular attractions in Los
Angeles is Universal Studios Hollywood, reputedly the world's
biggest film studio and theme park. The main attraction is the
Studio Tour, a narrated tram ride that traverses the huge complex,
passing stars' dressing rooms and famous back-lot sets, including
an Old West town, the town square in 'Back to the Future' films, as
well as Jurassic Park III and 'Curse of the Mummy's Tomb' sets.
Along the way visitors will experience several realistic
staged-disasters such as an earthquake, an avalanche, an attack by
'Jaws' and a meeting with an enormous version of 'King Kong'.
Besides the tours there is a theme park that provides a thrilling
introduction to the principles of special effects with several
attractions and movie-related rides. The popular 'Back to the
Future' ride is a simulated jerky flight in a time machine with
exceptional special effects and is one of the park's best rides.
The 'Jurassic Park' ride is a tour through a jungle full of
frightening dinosaurs ending with an 84ft (26m) near-vertical drop
into water. Other attractions include the spectacular 'Waterworld'
live action stunt performance, a realistic warehouse fire in
'Backdraft', a 'Terminator 2' 3-D show, and animal tricks on
'Animal Planet Live!' Universal CityWalk is a separate venue with
shops, restaurants, cinemas and nightclubs.
Hours of Operation: Opening times vary according to season and visitors
are advised to check beforehand. Generally open daily in summer
from 8am to 10pm (June to September), and in winter from 10am to
6pm (September to June)
Phone:(818) 622 3801 |
3. Warner Bros Studios
4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank
wbsf.warnerbros.com |
What is it? The tour at Warner Bros offers a
comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at an authentic working studio
and provides more of a technical slant than the Universal Studios
tour, focussing on the authentic filmmaking procedure. The
informative two-hour tour takes visitors to view the sets, prop
construction, wardrobe and sound department, as well as visiting
active film and television sets where it is sometimes possible to
watch actors in the midst of filming. There is also an introductory
film and museum depicting the studio's film
history.
Hours of Operation: Open for tours from Monday to Friday between 9am and
4pm (9am to 3pm in winter). Reservations are
required
Phone:(818) 954 3000 |
4. Disneyland Resort
1313 Harbour Boulevard, Anaheim
www.disneyland.com |
What is it? Claiming to be 'The Happiest Place on Earth',
Disneyland is an integral part of an American childhood and was the
world's first mega theme park designed for the family by Walt
Disney in 1955. It is one of America's most famous attractions and
despite competition from other similar parks in Florida, Paris and
Tokyo, nothing can compare to the original. It is an enchanted
kingdom of fantasy and imagination filled with magical
entertainment and attractions. The park is divided into eight
'lands' and each one features different rides, dining experiences
and entertainment as well as daily live-action shows and parades.
Adventureland, Fantasyland, Critter Country, Frontierland, Mickey's
Toontown, Tomorrowland, New Orleans Square and Main Street USA
offer such attractions as a boat trip through the underground
caverns of 'Pirates of the Caribbean', an experience of the Wild
West, a visit to Sleeping Beauty's Castle and flying with Dumbo the
elephant, a giddy journey with Indiana Jones, or the experience of
a pitch-black rollercoaster ride inside Space Mountain, and a wet
ride on Splash Mountain. There is also a new shopping, dining and
entertainment district called Downtown Disney. The latest appendage
to Disneyland is the adjacent California Adventure, a separate park
with the same style that offers further rides and rollercoasters,
but an additional ticket is required. The parks are busiest during
summer from mid-June to mid-September and during school holidays
and there are usually long queues at the popular rides. The new
Fastpass system allows visitors to reserve a place in line at the
park's busiest attractions.
Hours of Operation: Both parks are open daily, but opening hours vary
according to days and seasons; please check their website for up to
date information
Phone:(714) 781 4400 (tickets) |
5. West LA
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What is it? West LA is famous for its trend-setting
style; the place where the 'stars' live, shop and go out on the
town. The area includes some of the most prestigious neighbourhoods
in Los Angeles, particularly Beverley Hills and Bel Air. Home of
the rich and famous, and one of the world's most expensive
residential areas, Beverley Hills flaunts its wealth with luxurious
manors, tree-lined streets, grand estates and security gates
concealing landscaped grounds that are home to the likes of Jack
Nicholson and Harrison Ford. Scheduled tours are available or Star
Home Maps can be picked up at any street corner vendor for the
latest on who lives where. The neighbourhood is also home to the
famous shopping district centred on Rodeo Drive with expensive
shops oozing designer labels such as Gucci, Armani and Vuitton.
West Hollywood, between Beverley Hills and Hollywood, is the centre
of LA's gay community and boasts the area's best restaurants,
trendiest shops, eccentric boutiques and modern galleries along
Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. Sunset Strip, a section
of Sunset Boulevard, is famed for its nightlife with rock clubs,
bars and posh hotels attracting a huge variety of characters, and
many places have a history of big names. In the 1930s Errol Flynn
and Rita Hayworth went dancing at nightclubs like Trocadero, by the
1970s it had become the focus of rock and roll with stage
performances by the Doors and Elton John at Whisky-a-Go-Go club.
The actor River Phoenix died of drug-related problems at the Viper
Room, and Thunder Roadhouse was where Mickey Rourke bought his
Harley-Davidson.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
6. The Beach Communities
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What is it? The miles of sandy beaches along the Pacific
Ocean are a celebration of the Californian lifestyle with distinct
neighbourhoods and oceanfront walks linking the communities. Malibu
is popular with the privacy seeking rich and famous and their
mansions line strips of privately owned shoreline; the wide sandy
beaches, rocky outcrops and green open-spaces make Malibu the most
scenic neighbourhood in LA. It presents the classic Californian
beach babe image immortalised by the 'Beach Boys' and 'Baywatch'.
LA's premiere beach community, Santa Monica, is known for its
alternative beachfront atmosphere, as well as its famous hideaway
Hollywood residents. The palm-lined cliffs - once the location of
the homes of Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo - are today
home to celebrities like Merryl Streep, Rod Stewart and Michelle
Pfeiffer. The neighbourhood's famous landmark is the Santa Monica
Pier, boasting old-world carnival attractions, including a wooden
1920s carousel with painted horses, and plenty of seafood
restaurants. Third Street Promenade is a lively pedestrian mall
bustling with buskers, street vendors, evangelists and original
shops, and is the heart of Santa Monica's cafes, restaurants and
bars. Venice is best known for its Ocean Front Walk that is a
non-stop parade of jugglers, artists, vendors, musicians and
joggers. Venice Beach provides a classic Los Angeles lifestyle
experience where beautiful sun-bronzed bodies on bicycles and
rollerblades cruise along the walkway to Muscle Beach, where the
outdoor weightlifting gym gleams with the sweat of muscle-bound
hunks flexing their pecs for the onlookers. The area is full of
laid back cafes and restaurants, health food shops, bike and blade
rentals, and second hand record stores. After dark however the area
becomes the haunt of street gangs and drug dealers; and visitors
are advised to exercise caution in the
area.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
Los Angeles Holidays guide
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Transport -The city of LA sprawls over such a large
area that getting around without a car can be frustrating and time
consuming.
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