Los Angeles

What to do in Los Angeles? Who hasn't seen an American movie where a stunning girl is rollerblading down a sidewalk with the ocean in the background? Who hasn't imagined themselves accepting an Oscar at the Kodak Theater? Or splurging at the fanciest store on Rodeo Drive?

! Welcome to Los Angeles ! Let's take a walk through some of Los Angeles' neighborhoods and see what activities we can do there. Here's a map…

FUN AT VENICE BEACH

This is undoubtedly one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, and one of the most iconic places in Los Angeles: the Ocean Front Walk in Los Angeles, or a sort of boardwalk that runs from Santa Monica in the north to Venice Beach a little further south.

If you want to experience the quintessential California experience… !! Rent a bike and start pedaling !! There are tons of bike rental stands scattered all along the beach: between $8 and $10 an hour, although if you haggle hard—like I did—they might let you rent one for $5 an hour.

Along the way, you will encounter a diverse array of characters: dozens of skateboarders, musicians of all kinds, marijuana shops, and a few psychics.

With those prices, the customer's future is easy to predict: bankruptcy...

Once you arrive at the Santa Monica Pier, relax at the Pacific Park, the amusement park that the Americans have set up at the old pier.

This park originally had a space-age theme, but it went out of business in 1967. The skateboarding culture began on the ruins of this park: When the park closed and was abandoned in the 1970s, the pier’s structure began to collapse into the water. The ruined area, littered with charred pillars and broken wood, became known as “Dogtown.” Local surfers (the legendary Z-Boys) used the dangerous waves beneath the rubble to surf, and on days when there were no waves, they began skateboarding in the empty swimming pools in the area

Fortunately, it has reopened today looking just as you see in the photo above, complete with its legendary Ferris wheel—powered by solar energy, no less. Admission is free, and its regular hours are from 11:00 AM or 12:00 PM until nighttime (10:00 PM or 11:00 PM on weekends).

If you want to learn more: https://pacpark.com

WHAT TO SEE IN LOS ANGELES: HOLLYWOOD´S GLAMOUR

If someone asks you what to do in Los Angeles, visiting Hollywood will surely be one of your first answers. Of all the places in Los Angeles, this is undoubtedly the best known… How did it all begin?

By 1915, this former farming neighborhood in Los Angeles had become the mecca of cinema. As part of a publicity campaign to launch his real estate project in the area, a man named Harry Chandler built this enormous billboard (each letter measures 13 meters) for a fortune by the standards of the time: $21,000. By the late 1970s, the sign was so dilapidated that it would have cost $250,000 to repair it… Who came up with the solution? None other than the owner of Playboy, Hugh Hefner, who held an “auction” at his undoubtedly entertaining home so that guests could “sponsor” and pay for each of the letters on the sign.

Starting from Hollywood Boulevard, we're going to take a long stroll through the mecca of cinema

Hollywood Boulevard (and more specifically, the Walk of Fame) is the place where you want to be remembered if you're in show business. Dozens and dozens of stars line this long avenue, representing stars of yesterday and today.

The idea for the famous sidewalk stars originated in the 1950s. The president of the Chamber of Commerce drew inspiration, in part, from the ceiling of the dining room at the historic Hollywood Hotel, which was decorated with stars bearing the names of famous actors.

Just to share a little anecdote, there’s one star that isn’t on the ground: Muhammad Ali accepted his star on the sole condition that people would step on the name of the Prophet Muhammad. For this reason, his star was placed vertically on a wall at the Dolby Theater. Plus, you don’t have to be human to have your own little piece of the sidewalk—after all, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse have their own stars, too 🙂

Are you looking for a particular actor? The Walk of Fame is several kilometers long. If you're looking for someone specific, check their official website first (https://walkoffame.com ) to find out the exact address. A word of advice: don't touch the stars. A girl who lives in Los Angeles told me that the many homeless people who roam around here at night relieve themselves on those little stars…

The neighborhood's most historic movie theater is the Chinese Teather, right in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard. It seems that ever since it opened in 1927, it has been the go-to venue for premiering the best movies, thanks to a visionary producer named Sid Grauman. He must have been a really popular guy because even Humphrey Bogart dedicated a few words to him on his handprint.

Hollywood is home to a whole bunch of museums, each one more touristy than the last: the Guinness World Records museum, Madame Tussauds wax museum… but if you’re a true movie lover, there’s one that stands out: the Hollywood Museum (http://thehollywoodmuseum.com/)

Nestled in what was once the headquarters of the fledgling makeup company created by Max Factor (whose clients included Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis), it houses an immense collection of memorabilia from a wide variety of films (such as the wands from the Harry Potter series) and the cell where Hannibal Lecter was held.

To this must be added the hundreds of autographed photos that a certain Joe Ackerman accumulated over the years, a veritable gallery of classic actors.

The visit to the movie studios

What you CANNOT miss in Los Angeles is a visit to one of the major studios: Warner Bros., Universal, or Paramount.

Which one should I choose? I guess it depends on personal taste… I went with the one from Warner Bros because it felt less like an “amusement park” and more like a “movie theater.” It costs $72, and honestly, even the youngest visitors will be satisfied with the sets from shows like *Friends* or *The Big Bang Theory*…

…like the veterans, visiting the “factory of dreams” in the most literal sense of the phrase: whether it’s the magical Warner warehouses, where paintings, lamps, and the occasional Maltese falcon are stacked and sorted, or a ghost town built in meticulous detail for film shoots.

You might even get lucky and work your way up to the presidency of the United States

THINGS TO DO IN LOS ANGELES…IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF MONEY: BEVERLY HILLS

What can you do in Los Angeles if you have money? Anyone who's seen the movie “Pretty Woman” will remember the scene where Julia Roberts goes from store to store shopping like crazy… well, all of that is supposed to have taken place in Beverly Hills.

The origin of this concept of a neighborhood filled with luxury stores stems from a women’s fashion boutique originally called Giorgio Beverly Hills, which opened in 1961 and offered special VIP treatment to the celebrities of the time (Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, etc.). The concept was so successful that it wasn’t long before luxury brands also set up shop on Rodeo Drive, eager to attract this select clientele (Gucci opened its store in 1968).

To be honest, it seemed like a waste of time to me: it's way out of the way (it took me a little over an hour to get there by bus from Venice Beach) and boring unless you're a millionaire looking to max out your credit card on the famous Rodeo Drive

Just in case you're one of those millionaires who's actually eager to spend your entire paycheck, here's a map of the most famous stores

Well, it's your typical street with shops selling the most exclusive brands, nothing out of the ordinary; at least when you go in—even if you're wearing shorts like me—they're super friendly and you can spend a while browsing through jewelry, suits, and various handbags...none of which have price tags, thankfully.

HOW TO GET AROUND LOS ANGELES

If you like to walk everywhere, don't come here: you absolutely must use a car or public transportation. To make matters worse, the places of interest to tourists—here we are all tourists, not travelers—are very far apart.

A single ticket costs $1.75 at the time of this post (January 2017) and is paid directly into a machine installed next to the bus driver, which does not give change. If you unfortunately find yourself with only a large bill (10 or 20 dollars), ask another passenger to exchange it for smaller bills because the driver cannot give you change.

If you are traveling by bicycle, you should not bring it inside; some buses have a bicycle rack at the front—on the outside—that can hold two or three bicycles.

Well, that's all there is to know about what to do in Los Angeles; one last tip: the Los Angeles airport is huge, so it's best to arrive with plenty of time to spare. An Uber or shuttle will cost you about $21–23, and if you take the bus—depending on where you're coming from—you'll have one or, at most, two transfers (allow an hour or so) for $3.

Well, if you liked this post, let me know by leaving a comment!

And if you want to read more about the United States: https://999millas.net/category/paises/estados-unidos/

Next stop: New Zealand!

Texto y fotos : Mike !