Sightseeing in Los Angeles
Los Angeles may be the biggest city in California. It may also be the highest populated city in the United States and the most well known in the world. However, when someone say’s “Los Angeles” the first thing that comes to mind is Hollywood and sunshine. It’s true, even in December and January you’d be hard pressed to find the temperature hitting below 55 degrees and it’s a real event if it ever snows. Los Angeles is the perfect vacation destination any time of year. Sure, there’s plenty to see relating to Hollywood, but there are even more places to see that you may not know about.
Universal Studios is one of the most visited location by travelers in all of Los Angeles, so it makes sense that it would be our first sight to list. The main attractions is the “Tram Tour” that takes you through the soundstages and back lot, where many TV shows and movies are filmed. However, Universal Studios is like a theme park in many ways, with specialty rides, hotels, restaurants, shops and shows. You can get tickets to join the audience of any taping TV shows. If this is your main vacation attraction, you’ll be happy to hear that there are two luxury hotels and a shopping center right outside the Studios’ gates.
Hollywood Walk of Fame was the creative idea of Los Angeles’ local artist, Oliver Weismuller. With the task of giving Hollywood a face lift back in 1958, he came up with the idea of 2,000 pink stars in the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard. Joanne Woodward received the first star back in 1960. Since then the stars have continued on down Vine Street with a current total of 2,300 with names of stars and show business personalities honored for their contribution to the entertainment industry.
Santa Monica Pier will take you back to the good old days of Los Angeles with their historic 1916 carousel and play land arcade. The Pier’s aquarium is full of touch tanks, displays and Santa Monica Bay’s marine life. During the summer there are music performances encouraging you to get up and dance or you can just sit in the sand and enjoy. Pacific Park is right next door with their waterfront roller coaster and other rides.
La Brea Tar Pits sounds like a strange place to spend your vacation, but it’s so interesting that once you are there you won’t be sorry you came. The lake oozes with tar and methane gas. An ongoing excavation continues as prehistoric animals, some 28,000 years old are pulled from it. This is the location of the most impressive collection of fossils from the Ice Age, in the world. You will see exhibits of the ancient skeletal remains inside the George Page Museum. In addition, you can watch outside bubble-bowl laboratory as paleontologists examine, clean and restore fossils.
Grauman’s Chinese Theater has been a Hollywood cornerstone for over 75 years. It started with a bang with a riot broke out during the grand opening in 1927. Fans lined Hollywood Boulevard fighting for a glimpse of stars as they arrived. The first movie of the theater was “The King of Kings.” The theater cost $2,000,000 to build with permission granted by the U.S. government to import and include, from China, artifacts such as temple bells, Heaven Dogs and pagodas. Still today, Grauman’s is the most sought after theater to show premiers with fans still trying to get a look at celebrities as they enter the theater.
Sunset Strip became famous with the early TV show, “77 Sunset Strip.” This mile and a half stretch of road that encompasses cutting edge restaurants, nightclubs, rock clubs and boutiques. It passes through West Hollywood and is known as the celebrity’s hangout where you might see movie stars, rock stars and other entertainers. Many celebrities, such as Cameron Diaz, Leo DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves, Paris Hilton and others, live in the near by areas of Hollywood Hills and Laurel Canyon.
Venice Beach was just a marshland before Abbot Kinney got his hands on it. He envisioned a California style Venice, Italy with gondolas, hotels, an amusement pier and Italian style buildings. It opened in 1904 and did well until the depression hit and then World War II. However, it never died and bounced back in 1944. Today, it’s known for it’s cultural melting pot of music and art with a lifestyle all it’s own. You shouldn’t be surprised to find a movie being filmed when you are there or that it seems to be a home for body builders to show off their assets. It’s the number one beach on the West Coast and shouldn’t be missed.
Korean Bell of Friendship is a huge bell bestowed upon the U.S. as a bicentennial gift to commemorate Korean War veterans. The Republic of Korea donated the bell in a show of friendship in 1976. It weights 17 tons and stands 12 feet high beneath a stone pagoda structure. The housing structure stands on 12 columns with animals guarding at each one. The 12 columns represent the signs of the oriental zodiac. The bell gets rung four times a year, Korean Independence Day (August 15), July fourth, New Years Eve and every September to commemorate Constitution Week.
Heritage Square Museum boasts twelve turn of the century homes that have been relocated and restored. Take a guided tour to learn about Victorian American structures and living. You’ll also see Palm’s Train Station which was used in a Laurel and Hardy flick way back when. If you can visit Los Angeles during Halloween week you’re kids will get a real treat with trick-or-treating between the houses, craft making and choosing a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.
Watts Towers is a group of 99 foot folk art masterpieces created with steel rods, pipes and wire mesh with decorations of ceramic tiles, seashells, scrap metal, bottles and more. This famous Los Angeles monument was sculpted by a construction work, Simon Rodia, over 30 years of spare time, completed in 1954. Every year, thousands of people are gathered at the site to enjoy the Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival and the Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival.
China Town in Los Angeles may be smaller than the ones in San Francisco and New York, but you won’t want to miss the total cultural richness of the population while enjoying the authentic Chinese restaurants and picking up a remembrance or two from their shops. The location is pedestrian friendly and walking is really the only way to experience the entire flavor of China Town. After all, the old Los Angeles down town area, including China Town, was built for streetcars in mind, not for today’s vehicles.
Sightseeing with the family can get expensive. Save money on your Los Angeles hotel at Hotels Cheap.
Categories: Sightseeing
