discover Los Angeles

Things to do in Los Angeles Part 2

June 6, 2016 by Lisa Grable 2 Comments

There are so many things to do in Los Angeles for classic film fans and more. Los Angeles has great food and wonderful historic hotels. See Part 1 for sightseeing!

Los Angeles map

Grabbing a bite

Philippe the Original is the home of the French dip sandwich. I thought I just had to try this and was overwhelmed by roast beef, pork, lamb, turkey or ham! The restaurant is on the edge of Chinatown, near Union Station, and it does have parking lots. There is sawdust on the floor, you stand in line to get your order, and you might be sharing a table with other customers. If you like old-fashioned diner-type restaurants, you must try Philippe’s!

Bennett’s Ice Cream is a fun dessert stop at the Farmers Market. The ice cream is made on site and has a fantastic array of flavors. I liked the Cabernet Sauvignon! I like that they employ teachers in the summer.

We enjoyed a seafood lunch at The Lobster on the Santa Monica Pier. The décor is modern and serene and the views of the beach and ocean through the huge windows can’t be beat. Raw bar items, mussels, crab, fish, salads, and steak with lobster are all available.

We love Duke’s in Waikiki and Kaua’i, so of course we had to have a meal at Duke’s Malibu. You can get a table by the huge windows perched on the rocks above the surf. The Barefoot Bar is outside and has a grill menu. I loved it!

We had wonderful morning meals at the Sunset Tower Bar’s outdoor terrace. The views of the city are spectacular, the food and coffee are wonderful, and you never know who you might see having a meeting in the cabanas or the dark recesses of the bar. (I respected privacy by not snapping away, but now, dear readers, you don’t get to see the proof of who I saw!)

Café Med on the Sunset Strip is Italian. It has a cute outdoor patio for seating. The food is excellent, with homemade pastas and fresh sauces.

In Hollywood, you could eat every meal at Mels Drive-In. The location on North Highland is the gorgeous Max Factor building. You can get almost anything you can think of to eat: malts, milkshakes, root beer floats; cherry pie, cheesecake; pastrami with eggs and cheese; turkey and goat cheese sliders; and salads, burgers, and chicken salad.

Swingers Diner in Santa Monica is a hip diner with an old-school vibe. They have great vegetarian options along with the burgers, tuna melts, and eggs.

Where to stay

The Sunset Tower Hotel started life in 1929 as luxury apartments for the movie colony. It’s an art deco jewel. I enjoyed just wandering around and finding nooks. John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Paulette Goddard and more all lived here and left stories behind. I heard that John Wayne liked fresh milk and they let him keep a cow on the premises! Our room was luxurious and the view from the huge windows was fabulous.

The Georgian Hotel faces the beach at Santa Monica. This 1933 hotel is a blue art deco dream! It’s so nice to sit on the front veranda and watch the world go by. The hotel has easy access to the tour buses and is in easy walking distance of the Third Street Promenade.

Langham Huntington is a large resort hotel in Pasadena. Elegance everywhere! You can even sign up for a history tour of this 100-year-old hotel. We enjoyed breakfast outside at the Terrace next to the pool.

Getting there

If flying to LA, be sure to check out the different available airports. You might be able to get a better fare depending where you fly. Just check if the location is good for the amount of driving you plan to do. LAX, Bob Hope, John Wayne, Long Beach, and Ontario are all in southern California.

Resource links things to do in Los Angeles

http://www.hollywoodheritage.org/#!museum/c1bhu
- Hollywood Heritage Museum
http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/philpedia/hollywood-bowl-history
- The Hollywood Bowl
http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com/tcl-chinese-theater-history/
- TCL Chinese Theater
http://www.chateaumarmont.com/insidechateau.php
- Chateau Marmont
http://www.sunsetplaza.com/?page=home
- Sunset Plaza
http://lovebeverlyhills.com/things-to-do
- Love Beverly Hills
http://californiasciencecenter.org
- California Science Center
http://www.tarpits.org
- La Brea tar pits and Page Museum
http://www.farmersmarketla.com
- The Original Famers Market
http://www.santamonica.com
- Santa Monica Travel and Tourism
http://gamblehouse.org
- The Gamble House
http://huntington.org
- The Huntington

Let’s talk story

My great grandparents lived in Los Angeles long ago. Their home was in Inglewood and was destroyed for the 110 freeway. I really wanted to find the street where they lived and that my father still remembers visiting.

I thought about movies and TV shows the whole time we were there. What came to mind: Anchors Aweigh with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Kathryn Grayson; Private Practice with Kate Walsh; The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall; I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! with Peter Sellers; Sunset Boulevard with William Holden and Gloria Swanson; and Nickelodeon with Ryan O’Neal and Burt Reynolds.

I was surprised how much I liked this part of California (see Part 1.) Being such a classic film fan, I guess I should have known. I would love to go back again!

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Things to do in Los Angeles, Part 1

June 3, 2016 by Lisa Grable 4 Comments

I did not have a Los Angeles trip on my must-see list, but a family wedding took The Gardener and I to California. There are so many things to do in Los Angeles, and it’s lovely and fun!

Attractions: Things to do in Los Angeles

Hollywood and West Hollywood in Los Angeles are iconic in film history and much of the art deco from the 20^th century still exists. The Hollywood Bowl is a historic venue for visiting or a performance. Across the street is the Hollywood Heritage Museum. Located in the historic Lasky-DeMille barn, it has wonderful artifacts from the beginnings of Hollywood. Pioneers such as Jesse Lasky, Samuel Goldwyn, and Cecil B. DeMille helped build the film industry.

The Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard has been a must-stop since Sid Grauman opened it in 1927. The forecourt is where the tradition of stars leaving their signatures and handprints in the cement began. Of course, I had to find Betty Grable! This is a very busy Los Angeles spot, especially on the day of a movie premiere. Just be prepared for crowds, noise, and jostling!

Along with checking out Hollywood, Vine, Highland, and Sunset, we had a good time walking on the western part of Sunset. We went into the famous Chateau Marmont to see the bar and garden terrace and other public spaces. What a lovely, elegant place! Walking further west (yes, we were actually walking in Los Angeles!) we came to Sunset Plaza, a beautiful little shopping district with charming small-scale buildings and flowers everywhere. Even further west is Whisky-a-Go-Go, a 1960s music venue that featured The Doors, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, and so many more.

Beverly Hills is a beautiful planned community. The streets have beautiful homes. Each street has its own distinctive tree planting. There is a 2-mile long park with a fountain and a gorgeous Italianate city hall. Rodeo Drive is the renowned upscale shopping district of Los Angeles.

California Science Center is in Exposition Park near Inglewood. This is a giant outdoor and indoor complex. The center is the home of the space shuttle Endeavour. All areas of science are here, along with art, live demonstrations, and IMAX. It’s a great place for families. We loved the dive show in the Kelp Forest section of Ecosystem’s Forest Zone. The divers are equipped with microphones and headphones. The visitors can ask questions in real time as the diver swims through the huge tank!

Page Museum and La Brea tar pits are in Hancock Park on Wilshire Boulevard, a really interesting section of the city of Los Angeles. The tar pits are near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the original Farmers Market, and the Grove shopping complex. I recommend allowing lots of time for this area. The La Brea tar pits contain fossils from the Pleistocene era. The site is set up so you can walk around the lake and see many of the excavation sites. Excavation has been going on here since 1905! The Page Museum is a wonderful example of architecture. A very well designed museum, it includes interactive exhibits which children and adults really enjoy. The museum also includes the labs of working scientists that are glassed-in for viewing. Exhibits also include the ancient peoples who lived in the area and the story of G. Allan Hancock and his family (owner of Rancho La Brea).

We chose to use Starline Tours Hop On Hop Off tours to do much of our getting around. Just the trip from the airport to the hotel showed us that we were not really comfortable with driving around in the city, much less look for parking. You can purchase a 24-, 48-, or 72-hour ticket good for 6 different routes through the area and 70 stops. We enjoyed riding in the top of the double-decker buses (be sure to bring hats and sunscreen!). Bring your earbuds to listen to the pre-recorded tour info.

We got on Santa Monica Boulevard and took it all the way to Ocean Boulevard in Santa Monica. This charming beach town has a long history (the pier was built in 1909!). There is lots of shopping, fantastic coffee and food, and art everywhere. I can see why people want to live here! We took a little side trip to see Malibu going west on the Pacific Coast Highway.

We headed to Pasadena because we LOVE ❤ the Tournament of Roses Parade! The town was developed in the 1870s, partly as place for rest cure for asthmatics from Indiana. The architecture throughout the town is great and you can see Craftsman bungalows from the early 20^th century. We had a lovely tour of the Gamble House designed by Greene and Greene.

Nearby is Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. If you like art and gardens, reserve plenty of time for this visit. There is art to see in 5 different buildings. There are ten different gardens, including roses, herbs, and Shakespeare. Be prepared to walk! We enjoyed seeing Gainsborough and Mary Cassatt paintings. It’s a fabulous place, all begun by industrialist Henry Huntington.