Local "Touristy" Stuff

Cpt Jules

Cpt Jules

TVS Writer and Beta Reader/Editor
Jul 20, 2005
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8
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Colorado Springs, CO
Of course, if you are new to the Los Angeles area, there are several "touristy" areas you can visit if you find the extra time:

In Los Angeles and surrounding suburbs:

Universal Studios - I wonder if they have QL stuff there. They had Season 1 the last time I was there several years ago.

The Chinese Theatre - this is great to visit before looking for Don's and Dean's stars.

Lowell Observatory - haven't been there but it was featured on QL in "Goodbye, Norma Jean"

Outside of LA:

Disneyland - only 2 hours (with bad traffic) away
 
2 hours to Disneyland? That'd be in really bad traffic, Cpt Jules. One of our con committee members in 1995-96 lived right down the street from Disneyland, and I could make it to her house in about 45 minutes from West L.A. Hope you didn't suffer the experience of sitting in your car for 2 hours. Ouch!

I'll add one more thing people who haven't been to CA should experience: the BEACH!

Some other stray thoughts:
The Warner Bros. studio tour -- it's excellent! Lots of behind-the-scenes stuff.
The L.A. Zoo
Attending a taping of a game show or talk show

Gotta ponder this some more. I lived there for 11 years, but on weekends I mostly did "normal" stuff -- movies, shopping.
 
The Observatory in Goodbye Norma Jean was Griffith, unless it has been renamed Lowell since the renovation.

I have to echo Carol, and say that you should try and visit the beaches. Santa Monica is beautiful, and Venice is boho and a little trashy, but a great place all the same. When in Venice, try and visit the canals that earned the area its name; most have long since been filled in, but there is still a canal left with some fantastic houses.

Pasadena is worth a visit, and you can spend many happy hours exploring beautiful Old Town before heading to the world famouse Cheesecake Factory for dinner, though be prepared to queue!

If you're going to be driving, go for a drive through Beverly Hills and gaze openmouthed at the fantabulous houses, and great views.

If you DO end up at the Griffith Observatory, go for a hike along the chapperal for breathtaking views of Los Angeles and a peep at the Hollywood sign. It's utterly gorgeous and a wonderful spot for photos.
 
Originally posted by EmmaCMF If you DO end up at the Griffith Observatory, go for a hike along the chapperal for breathtaking views of Los Angeles and a peep at the Hollywood sign. It's utterly gorgeous and a wonderful spot for photos.
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Just watch out for the rattlesnakes... :)

Cheesecake Factory is actually a chain -- they have a number of locations around L.A. Definitely worth a visit! They have something like 60 kinds of cheesecake, and yummola regular meals. There's a new one right near where I live now, and once the lines die down, I'm headed there for some cheesecake!
 
Here's a cool building that is fun to visit:

Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites - 404 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

I've been there before, and it's really fun to walk around. Especially if you're a fan of any of the movies that have been filmed there, including scenes from True Lies, and just about the entire movie of Nick of Time (a Johnny Depp movie). It's fun to spot the places that you recognize from the movies you've seen (and take the elevator that The Governator took while riding the horse; they have a plaque indicating which one).

And the building itself is just such a beautiful design to look at.

:Love To All:
~ Joy ~
 
Kat, like I could resist stopping by The House That Walt Built no matter HOW long the drive was!! :lol
 
EmmaCMF said:
The Observatory in Goodbye Norma Jean was Griffith, unless it has been renamed Lowell since the renovation.
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Okay, so I'm not very good with travel time OR names. But I know they're there and how to get there! And that's more important anyway. :D

Cheesecake Factory! YUM! At least my ex brother-in-law isn't working there anymore. (Work... HA! As if he actually WORKED while employed there!)

Oh, there is a great Television and Entertainment Museum on the Walk of Fame, near DeForest Kelly's star. Has the set for Cheers in it. :D
 
McDuck said:
Kat, like I could resist stopping by The House That Walt Built no matter HOW long the drive was!! :lol
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If I don't go to Disneyland while I'm there... I'll scream! I will! I'll be the Al-coholic dressed in metallic sandals, running around in a Mickey Mouse cap (years old), screaming, "MICKEY! I WANT MICKEY! AND AL!" :lol
 
Hollywood Boulevard is a must for people who've never visited L.A. before. It's a combination of great (and not so great) souvenir shops, movie/TV memorabilia shops, weird and cheesy clothing stores, and the weirdest people walking around...

(I would add to that, don't go after dark.)
 
Disneyland is a MUST for me... as is the zoo...

I'm not travelling to LA from Melbourne and NOT doing those things...


Just a suggestion... Perhaps we should all go in groups... like we can arrange an itinerary which could either start or end with the convention?
 
That's certainly possible -- you guys have a full two years to decide what you'd like to do during your visit to L.A., and connect with other fans who'd like to make the same "field trips." Going with a group is always more fun, I think.

As for the zoo -- are you talking the L.A. zoo, or the San Diego zoo? San Diego's better (IMO) but it's a couple hours away. Still, if you can find some buddies to go along, it's well worth the ride.
 
Ooh we should get a group together to go to Disneyland for a day. I've been to WDW several times, but Disneyland sounds mighty fun!
 
Cemetaries. Lots of REALLY cool cemetaries. I used to live in LA. Seen all the tourist stuff. Cemetaries rule. I can visit all the silent film people I want and they don't have to deal with me.
 
naggindragon said:
Disneyland is a MUST for me... as is the zoo...

I'm not travelling to LA from Melbourne and NOT doing those things...


Just a suggestion... Perhaps we should all go in groups... like we can arrange an itinerary which could either start or end with the convention?
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Me too. I'm from Ireland and I won't miss that. Count me in if I make it over.
 
Having been to both the LA zoo and the San Diego, I'd recommend San Diego. Then again, I'm not a fan of zoos. That said, I really enjoyed SanDiego. It was 2 and a half hours from LA but worth it. You just need to have the time to do it. (and yes, the koalas were my sole motivation)
 
A very good friend of mine with whom I worked for several years is now the Head Animal Trainer for the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. :D
 
There are strange people everywhere. :)

Seriously...there are areas in L.A. that you'd want to avoid, particularly if you're roaming around on your own. And like any big city, you probably want to be sensible about where you go at night. But most of the places you guys are interested in going are tourist destinations, where you'll mostly find other tourists.

Don't forget, Janine, TV plays things up for dramatic value. I remember talking to someone years ago who'd been under the impression that everyone in California looked like the cast of BAYWATCH, and that isn't even remotely true.
 
As Carol said earlier on in this thread, the Warner Bros tour is excellent. If you are a movie fan, it's well worth spending $140 to do the 'deluxe' five-hour tour. Private tram, set visits, the chance to watch something being filmed - it's amazing. Maryse, Judy and I went in November last year, and we loved it. I'm a huge Gilmore Girls fan, and I got to roam all over the sets, and when I told the tour guide that I love Supernatural, he got us onto a dubbing stage to watch a dubbing session - we then walked past one of the lead actors outside! We also got to sit on THE couch from Friends, and take photos, which made me squee. I was like a four year old for the entire tour, I was so excited. The tour includes lunch in the studio commisary, which is full of actors and crew - great food, and it's just plain cool eating on the backlot.

The regular tour is still fun, though, and the most in-depth studio tour that there is, IMHO.
 
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