Expert: Steve Summers - 7/3/2006

Question
Hello Steve, i am flying out to san diego to meet my cousin and his family and we are planning about 2 days to drive up and see hollywood, beverly hills.  They have been in san diego for several years now but never made it up to that region and i am new to the hollywood are since i am from PA>    I basically wanted to hit the major tourist sights and was hoping you could help, i was thinking of the famous boulevard, the walk of fame, the tour of the stars home and i was thinking of a movie studio tour but which one is best?  Alot of questions for me, can you get me a starting point.  thanks so much

Answer
Hi Marc,

If you are visiting Hollywood, you have a lot of choices. You will want to visit the usual places: Hollywood Blvd, the Walk of Fame, the Chinese theater, and a studio.

The “Must-do” studio is Universal. If you only had one studio to see, this would be it. I would arrive early, and try to get on the first tour tram out of the station. Then you have the rest of the day to see the other shows and entertainment. You can also enjoy yourself at Universal City Walk, where there is a multitude of shops, restaurants, and even a movie theater complex to round out your day and leave you tired. See www.universalstudioshollywood.com for online info. While you are planning your time here, try going to www.audiencesunlimed.com and www.tvtix.com to see if you can get into a TV show taping. It’s a very interesting process, not all the glam you might expect. The big thing to see is the taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, so check out http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/tickets.shtml to see if you can get some. With these show tapings, you must remember that seating is not guaranteed—they give away more tickets than seats, so arrive early.

If you want to take a bus tour, you should stick with Starline Tours. You can find them online at www.starlinetours.com. They do tours of the biggest attractions in LA. My recommendation is the Grand Tour of LA, but feel free to choose your own, based on what you really want to see. I thought that this would give you a taste of LA, and you could then spend a day or more going back to get more of what your really enjoyed.

As for movie star’s homes, I have to admit that I am biased against them. I call those tours the “Driveways of the Rich and Famous” tour, and I think that it’s a rip-off and a waste of money. Most of the time, you are looking at the former home of a celebrity, who either moved long ago or has been dead for years. The really rich celebs have several homes, and the chances of seeing a celeb are close to nil. I’ve met my share of celebs over the years, and they are far less impressive when they aren’t dressed up walking down a red carpet. If you must take one of these tours, go with starline since it’s their bread and butter business. But my advice is that there are better ways to spend your money.

Freebies. Check my other posts regarding Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach (free for the price of parking).  BTW, you might want to rent a bike at Santa Monica Pier and ride it down to Venice… it’s a lot of fun. Griffith Observatory is free, and offers a very nice view of Los Angeles at night, as well as a decent view of the Hollywood Sign. Also part of some tours. Olvera Street: The birthplace of Los Angeles, part of some tours. Getty Museum: Free admission, parking is five dollars. There are excellent collections of art here. Hollywood Bowl tours: A short walk up the hill from your hotel, so it’s free, free, free. A list of SoCal landmarks is also available at http://www.laokay.com/Landmarks.htm Some are very close to your hotel, others a short drive. I would avoid Watts Towers unless you are going with a tour. Not the sort of neighborhood you want to get lost in.

Dining: Fortunately, there are lots of “famous” places that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. If you want the so-called celebrity restaurants, you can go to Spago in Beverly Hills and spend $50 per entrée. Good food, to be sure, but I don’t have that much money to spend. There are also a number of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant right there in the Hollywood and Highland complex, so there’s no need to travel far if you want fine cuisine. Expect to spend $18-$28 per entrée, so a meal for two could easily approach $100 if you have a couple drinks and an appetizer. My tastes are a little more simple, so I’ll share some of my favorite places that are well-known and even famous:

Canter’s Deli: Located at 419 N. Fairfax Avenue, this is a legend. It has been in this location for over 50 years, and you have as good a chance as anywhere to spot a celeb. It’s a couple blocks from CBS Television City, and a number of celebrities are regulars here.

Pink’s: Very casual. You stand in line to order your hot dog, then try to find a table so that you can sit down and eat. They are famous for their hot dogs, so that’s what I recommend. My favorite is the chili dog.

Tommy’s: Famous for its chili burgers, there is one in Los Angeles, on the corner of Beverly Blvd and Rampart. You don’t even get to sit down here, you eat standing up.

In-N-Out Burger: Californians are crazy about hamburgers, can you tell? Get the Double-Double, you won’t be sorry. French fries are never frozen, so they have a different taste and texture than other places. I believe that there is one on Hollywood Blvd or on Sunset Blvd.

Mexican food: Los Angeles is a great place to get Mexican food. Try someplace like El Torito or Acapulco, for the rather tame variety of Mexican food. If you are feeling adventurous, just ask at your hotel for a good local Mexican food place. They’re everywhere, but be careful! Sometimes the food can be muy caliente (very spicy).

Claim Jumper: This is about as American as it gets. You get HUGE portions, so you either need to share a plate or be prepared to take some food home with you. I really enjoy the ribs.

That should be enough to get you started.

Have fun!

Steve