Los Angeles is not a city I thought I would ever like, but, to my surprise, I do. However, technically it is not really L.A. that I like, but some of the districts and incorporated cities within Greater L.A. According to Wikipedia, the city is divided into the following major areas: Downtown Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, South Los Angeles, the Harbor Area, Greater Hollywood, Wilshire, the Westside, and the San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys.
It is further divided into over 80 districts and neighbourhoods, that were developed and incorporated piecemeal. The Westside, Wilshire and Greater Hollywood areas are the ones we went to, and probably where most go for the L.A. “experience”. More specifically, we liked West Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. Oh, and of course, Malibu. Beautiful scenery and some of the best shopping and restaurants in the world! What’s not to like?
We wandered around the usual attractions:
- Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive and area
- Hollywood Hills to see the view of L.A. and the Hollywood sign
- Sunset Strip
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
- Santa Monica Pier
- Drive through Malibu
- Universal Studios (on a previous trip)
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is the famous movie theatre on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It has been home to many premieres and three Academy Awards ceremonies. It still functions as a movie theatre.
There are nearly 200 Hollywood celebrity handprints, footprints, and autographs in the concrete of the theatre’s forecourt.
I’m not into “celebrities” and neither is Jimmy, but it was fun to see some of the old hand prints. Marilyn Monroe’s hands and feet were so small! My all time favourite actor is Al Pacino, so I had to get a photo of that. Having taken acting lessons many times, I certainly admire great performers for their craft and I know how difficult and all-consuming it is to become a good one. In my opinion, there are not many truly great actors, but Al Pacino is definitely one of them.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame has more than 2,600 stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street. This part of Hollywood is crowded with tourists.
The Santa Monica Pier and beach is nice and relaxing. From here you can drive to Malibu along Route 1.
Universal Studios
On a previous trip I went to Universal Studios and highly recommend it if you like movie memorabilia. At the time, they had the following displays: Bates Motel and mother’s house from the film “Psycho”; the Apollo 13 space capsule; western film sets; The “Back to the Future” time travel car; “Jurassic Park” creatures and more. I’m sure they have interesting film sets on display today as well. They rotate the display based on current and classic films.
Where to Stay?
We stayed at the Sunset Marquis, the rock n’ roll hotel. It’s an old renovated hotel in West Hollywood, close to the Sunset Strip. It is famous for the rock n’ roll guests of the past and present. Some of our favourite bands stayed here in the 1970’s: The Runaways, The Clash, The Ramones and others. There is a recording studio on the premises, a restaurant, lounge, spa and two pools.
What’s really nice about this hotel is the 3.5 acres of tropical gardens. It’s a mini jungle. And the hotel is very close to legendary venues such as The Roxy, The Rainbow, the House of Blues, The Comedy Store, Viper Room and Whisky a Go-Go.
The best rooms are in the Villas. They have great bathrooms with a soaker tub and railhead showers. Very roomy. Of course, they cost more. At this time, they started around $595. The rooms in the main part of the hotel have pretty small bathrooms, like the type you get in older apartment buildings with a shallow tub.
We enjoyed our stay here very much!
Other options I recommend:
Below are some fabulous recommendations from a friend in LA. Next time we will stay at one of these hotels:
- Mamma Shelter
- Charlie Hotel (Charlie Chaplin’s former home – cottage apartments)
- Palihouse
- Hotel Covell
Where to Eat?
We ate at the hotel restaurant, Cavatina. Great food, not cheap. The ambiance is really nice since it is set within the tropical garden area.
Other recommended restaurants for 2017:
- Michael’s Restaurant in Santa Monica
- Verlaine in Beverly Hills
- Delilah in West Hollywood
- Black Rabbit Rose in Hollywood
- Beaty and Essex in Hollywood
- 71 Above in downtown L.A.
- Hyperion Public
Below are some great recommendations from my L.A. friend with impeccable taste – Thank you Claire!
- The best steak and martinis at the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, Musso & Frank
- Seafood at Son of a Gun on 3rd
- Sandwiches at Larchmont Village Wine (daytime only)
- Breakfast tacos at Home State on Hollywood Blvd.
- Oysters at L&E Oyster bar in Silver Lake
- Pizza at Osteria Mozza at Highland and Melrose
- Anything at Petit Troi
- Korean food at The Bun Shop
- Vegetarian and good tequila at Gracias Madre
- Lobster at Neptune’s Net in Malibu / Ventura – scenic drive destination, right on the seaside
Come to Los Angeles for great food, great shopping, beautiful scenery and a bit of driving. It is certainly on the list for places to see in the USA.
