Los Angeles like Royalty
William and Kate are flying back from Los Angeles where they have ended their first tour abroad. During their stay they have been visited deprived children on Skid Row, played polo and have been thrown a party attended by the Hollywood stars like Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Lopez. If the Cambridges (as Stephen Fry them so lovingly called them) have inspired you to visit the city of angels, here are some suggestions to help you plan your trip:
Hop through town
Choose a 24-hour or 48 hour ticket for the ultimate hop on – hop off tour in Los Angeles, giving you flexibility to explore the city in your own time. There are four different routes that explore different parts of Lost Angeles. Each loop has a different duration varying from one to two hours and you can join busses at the various stops along the route. This way you can see the highlights of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Downtown and Universal all at your convenience.
Walk this Way
The Walk of Fame is made out of tiles with names of the rich and famous, which runs all along Hollywood Boulevard and along Vine. Search for the names of the legendary like Lawrence Olivier and Nat King Cole to more recently Penelope Cruz. Once there visit the Chinese Theatre where stars have left hand and footprints in cement, see the small hands of Shirley Temple and last week Jennifer Aniston joined the honours. Don’t forget to have a peek the Kodak Theatre next door: it is the location for the annual Oscars!
Life’s a beach.
Los Angeles has amazing beaches like Venice beach. Spend a day relaxing or people watching on the beach, you might even see some dolphins, or walk to along the boulevard where you can find stalls with souvenirs, restaurants and entertaining street artists.. Santa Monica offers entertainment in the shape of the Santa Monica Pier with rides and attractions that will keep children of all ages happy.
Eat
Food in Los Angeles can be healthy conscious: Mexican chain Sharky’s offers excellent organic food. Everything is freshly made on the premises and so you can eat delicious Mexican meals for a very reasonable price. Popular restaurant Kate Mantilini specialises in American food and is open until late during the week.Choose from burgers to salads, but what you really want to try is the rotisserie chicken.
Alternatively…
Should America not be on the cards for you this year, book a London theatre break and experience a little bit of the American Dream with Legally Blonde the Musical. California girl Elle Wood loses the love of her life when he dumps her to go to Harvard. Determined to get him back Elle follows him and enrols to do read law in her own well-manicured style! The musical is a perfect show for the summer.
Famous Los Angeles lights come to a climax
Few outdoor winter events in Los Angeles are as popular as the annual Griffin Park Holiday Lights Festival, which is to close at the end of the month after a fantastic run. On December 30th the spectacular display along a stretch of Crystal Springs Drive will come to a close and there is sure to be a surge in popularity of this long-running and much-loved attraction among locals and those on Los Angeles tours a like.At around a mile in length the festival is impressive in terms of its scale as well as it aesthetics and this year’s display could go down as one of the best ever. Highlights include illuminated renderings of the Statue of Liberty, the Hollywood sign and an incredible Tunnel of Lights. In addition to the lights, the festival also incorporates a Reindeer Romp at the nearby LA Zoo and the Spark of Love Toy Drive, which aims to gather donations for underprivileged children at this special time of year. The festival has been running for the last 13 years, attracts some half a million visitors each year and is organised by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
“Zoopendous” fun in Los Angeles
A popular monthly event at the famous Los Angeles Zoo offers a rare chance to experience a different side of this terrific family attraction.
The first Zoopendous Nights of 2009 will be held on January 24th and 25th, with plenty of zoological fun in store for all the family. The event gives younger visitors on Los Angeles tours the chance to see the attraction after dark and take part in some unique and very hands-on experiences. After gorging themselves on pizza and salad, the youngsters can listen to some animals stories to send them off to sleep before waking up to the sound of the natural world rising for the day all around them, with a hearty continental breakfast to look forward to as well.
The city has enjoyed a zoological attraction since 1885, with the current Los Angeles Zoo opening in 1966. One of the original residents, an alligator named Methuselah, is still on display to visitors today
Los Angeles offers the weird and wonderful
Everyone can claim to have a dusty old edition of the Guinness Book of World Records on a shelf somewhere but visitors to Los Angeles may want to have a look at the museum.
It is situated on Hollywood Boulevard just yards from the famous Chinese Theatre and, predictably, has a section devoted to the history of the movie industry but its exhibits go way beyond that.
Showpieces include the world”s heaviest man and there are several other curios from the realms of human endeavour, sports, architecture, and the animal kingdom.
One of the more intriguing attractions is the actual-size model of the world”s tallest man Robert Wadlow who at eight feet, 11 and a quarter inches casts a very long shadow over and beyond the world”s smallest woman Lucia Zarate who stood at just 26 and a half inches high.
Via the magic of television, a rare interview given by Mr Wadlow is on show but the museum tries not to exploit the freakish unlike its close neighbour – Ripley”s Believe It Or Not museum.
This museum specialises in the bizarre and may not be suitable for the kids.
If you still haven”t had enough of the weird and wonderful, you could always cross the street and have a wander around the Hollywood wax museum.
Culture and Sightseeing – City Tours – Whichever city you are in these tours will help to ensure you do not miss a thing.