Los Angeles Area, CA

What to do in Los Angeles Area, CA

Star Gazing in Broad Daylight

Well, star-home gaze, at least. With maps pinpointing superstars' homes sold on nearly every corner, you can easily hop from mansion to mansion in number-one-fan delirium. Photograph yourself out front and keep an eye out for parting gates that might mean an autograph through a limo window! If you'd rather leave the driving to someone else, take one of the many tour buses instead.

Visit the Happiest Place on Earth

Disneyland, that is, and other theme parks like Knott's Berry Farms. See movie magic in the making at Warner Brothers Studios and Universal Studios, where hit movies and TV shows are filmed every day, and trying to escape King Kong and Jaws is all in a day's visit, thanks to special effects thrill rides.

Museum Row

In one leisurely ramble you will encounter nature, pop culture, and modern art collaboratively displayed in the side by side La Brea Tar Pits, Museum of Miniatures, Petersen Automobile Museum, Craft and Folk Art Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. But you'll need more than one day to see it all properly!.

Beach Blanket Bingo

Do a little sun-worshipping, cheer on a volleyball game at Manhattan Beach, gawk a bit at the body-builders on Muscle Beach, ride a horse along the Malibu sand (and keep an eye out for Goldie Hawn), cast a line off the Santa Monica Pier, or hang ten - it's the California thing to do!.

I'd Rather Be Shopping

That's something of a call of the wild in LA, where spending lots of money at any kind of store is a respectable and beloved pastime. Trash-n-treasure vintage shops, incomprehensible-but-I-gotta-have-it avant-garde galleries, megalithic music stores, whatever! LA has it all and for every budget. It must be said - shop 'till you drop!.

Venice's Ocean Front Walk

This place should be renamed the Venice Carnival, so festive is its energetic mix of skaters and strollers poking through bargain jewelry and clothing stalls, listening to street (or, more accurately, sand) musicians, and chowing down on a Jody Maroni "haute dog" against the gorgeous ocean backdrop.

Live Show Taping

You'll never see your favorite sitcom the same way again. Free admission to a show taping is always a great time. Wander the soundstage and crack up at the bloopers that never make it on the air, though they tend to be much more entertaining than the "perfect" aired shows.

Getty Center

A castle in the sky, ensconced high above LA near Santa Monica, where oil baron J Paul Getty's astounding art collection is housed. The airy gallery is a replica of an AD 79 Pompeiian village, and its stately gardens display an imposing collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. Even the superb view of the city below seems like a work of art.

Walk of Fame

Spend some time in Marilyn Monroe's shoes (alright, in her shoe prints.) It's fun to walk along past the Chinese Theatre and spot the hand and shoe prints of your favorite stars from Then and Now. You might get lucky and visit while the newest induction is kneeling before you to make his/her mark!.

Visit with Clark Gable and Bogey

Bring flowers. The conversation will be rather one-sided, but you'll be glad you went to the opulent Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale anyway, where you will also see the tombs of many other favorite entertainers.

Take a Hike!

Yes, there is plenty of nature to be enjoyed here, and it can be a welcome change from the beach scene. The northern end of Santa Monica Bay, for example, offers some gorgeous coastal hikes and tide-pool wading. Rock climbers test their vertical horizons on the cliffs at Point Dume and Escondido Beach even has some pretty good diving.

Day Trip to the Beach Cities

When you see the blond surfers and the swarms of bikini-clad roller bladers, the California beach cliché comes to life. Soon, nonetheless, you realize how much the scene changes from Malibu, to Long Beach and all along the coast. North of the airport is the Malibu surf culture, where movie stars' estates are tucked into the oceanfront hills. Further south, you can take in a fantastic view of the bay from atop a spiffy lighted ferris wheel at the popular Santa Monica Pier. Down the road in Venice, bridged canals wind through the neighborhood and the Venice Boardwalk's flea-market-come-circus atmosphere jovially bombards the senses. South of the airport there's the retro-glamorous Queen Mary and the new, nearby Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. Spend an afternoon watching the volleyball players on Manhattan Beach, then head down to San Pedro and soak up its Old World charm at a Greek restaurant with dancing waiters. You'll find fun for everyone like biking along the shore, building sandcastles, or sipping a piña colada as the sun sets over the Pacific.

Day Trip to the Valleys:.

San Fernando Valley

Along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains, the serpentine Mulholland Drive bisects LA from the sprawling San Fernando Valley below, home of the valley girls and the Brady Bunch. In fact, much of Middle American culture sprouted in "The Valley" - things like the mall, drive-in movies, the double burger and, of course, just about every teen trend. Despite its typical suburban air, The Valley has plenty of qualities worth exploring. Its backbone, Ventura Boulevard, houses a colorful melange of new stores and vintage boutiques. See a play in the new arts community of North Hollywood, known as NoHo. Don't forget the studios, where TV and movie-making thrives at places like Warner Brothers Studios and NBC. A journey to the northern edge of The Valley takes you to Six Flags Magic Mountain to ride the tallest, fastest roller-coaster in the world, Superman the Escape. Nearby, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library houses a piece of the Berlin Wall. The 1797 Mission San Fernando Rey De España is where it all began.

San Gabriel Valley

The next valley over, home of the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade, is rich with more than just flowers. Populated by wealthy Mid-westerners in the 1880s, San Gabriel towns like Old Pasadena are paved with wide streets and dotted with classic city halls and churches, making them a showcase of quintessential Americana. Hardly sleeping in the past, this valley is on the cutting edge with institutes like Caltech and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory leading the nation into the future. Propel yourself into the fast-paced energy of the Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, picturesquely set against the mountains. And if you need to cool off from the excitement, go to Raging Waters in San Dimas, then complete your visit with a hike into the wilderness of the Angeles National Forest.