Beach/Touring LA question....Help me please?

[vellamint]

A friend and I are going to DL for 5 days in April....Yeah Disneyland!!!

I need help with a day of touring the LA sites......my real problem seems to be that I actually did this touring a few years ago with my family and she wants to see all the things that I have already seen. My goal is to try to get her to the things I already saw .....and yet make it fresh enough for myself that I dont feel like a tour guide repeating myself.

I figured we would do the Warner Brothers Tour early in the morning (Never did this one) and then go to Hollywood Blvd to see the Walk of Stars, Grummans and the Hollywood Sign.

She wants to see a beach......any California beach. Not to swim...just to see....can you suggest a beach as close to the vicinity of these other attractions as possible. I have NO DESIRE to go back to Venice or Santa Monica....dont get me wrong they were great fun but I will lose my mind spending a day doing all the same things that I saw before.

She also wants to shop Rodeo Drive although I dont see myself having too much fun with that one either since I will not be able to actually afford to buy anything there lol!!

We are in Anaheim for 4 1/2 days.....I would really like to relax and just do mainly Disney (did not like the driving around LA the first time I went and dont anticipate liking it much more this time around).....how much do you think we can get done in one day?

Sheesh I hope I dont come across as a grump.....I dont mean to but I like to relax on our annual away from the hubby and kids trip and this sounds like work right now to me...lol

Help me help my friend to see all the sites in one day.

 

[CACruisin']

You do have yourself a task! I was going to suggest Santa Monica since I think it is the closest to where you are going to be. What airport are you flying into? Maybe try and stop by the beach on your way to or from the airport. If LAX you could try Manhattan Beach or if you drive West on Imperial Hwy, it literally goes straight to the ocean. If you are flying into John Wayne you could go to Newport Beach.

 

[lntsmom]

http://www.tonythelimoking.com/

I see from his Limo Land website that he does private LA tours for $65 an hour.

I used him last year for a trip to Laguna Beach. He charged me $100 for the round-trip drive. He included some sightseeing on the way back...which was in a limo. We took a van out since I didn't prepay (I reserved, but didn't prepay.)

The Anaheim/Orange Visitors Center gave me his name, and I've seen other reviews mention that people have used and been satisfied with his service. Matter of fact, I see that he now charges the same price as a cab from the airports. Next time we visit Disneyland we'll have a limo waiting for us, lol!

Have fun on your tour.

Oh, and a p.s. When I was trying to figure out a way to go directly to the beach, I realized it doesn't exist if you're flying into John Wayne. That airport doesn't have lockers, and I couldn't find a beach with lockers, either. So, unless you're going to the beach with luggage in tow, you'll probably want to go by your hotel first to drop your bags!

 

[Snow Brite]

When you go to Hollywood make sure you stop by the new Disney Soda Shop at the El Capitan Theatre. That will be something new for you to see.

Rodeo Drive can be fun to window shop and people watch. Maybe you could plan to eat lunch there? Feel like you are one of the rich and famous and really get a chance to see the entertainment that is the people that actually DO shop there. The Beverly Hills Hotel is nearby and I thought it was kinda fun to walk around there.

What day/date are you going? The world famous Pasadena Flea Market (of Rachel Ashwell/Shabby Chic fame) is the second Sunday of the month. Or the Hollywood Bowl has outdoor concerts all summer, some with fireworks.

Those are just a few of the ideas I had to help you make it more fun and interesting for you.

 

[mickeysgal]

When you go to Hollywood make sure you stop by the new Disney Soda Shop at the El Capitan Theatre. That will be something new for you to see.

We're first timers to the LA area...

Is the Disney Soda Shop at the El Capitan Theatre very far from the Hollywood Blvd area where the Hollywood sign, the Walk of Stars and Gruman's Theatre is located?

 

[Snow Brite]

We're first timers to the LA area...

Is the Disney Soda Shop at the El Capitan Theatre very far from the Hollywood Blvd area where the Hollywood sign, the Walk of Stars and Gruman's Theatre is located?

Next door to Grumann's is the Kodak Theatre and shopping center (where the Oscars are held). Across the street from there is the El Capitan and the Soda Fountain. If you have the time, I really reccomend seeing whatever the current Disney movie is playing at the theatre. There is always some "extra" with the movie, the doggy actor from the Shaggy Dog performs tricks before that movie for instance. There is also a wonderful live organist that plays disney tunes that was worth getting there early for. The theatre is beautiful as well.

When we went to see Narnia there marquee for the theatre was draped in "snow" and some snow even drifted down to the sidewalk. Inside were many of the props from the movie, including the wardrobe, in the lobby. Inside the theatre there was more snow draped and two scenes in the VIP boxes by the stage as well as an "ice" carving of Aslan up above the curtain. After the previews were over, the lights went down and then there were lights like a storm and it snowed in the theatre before the movie started. My little kids thought it was SO cool, and frankly so did I. The other thing I really liked is that everyone in the theatre was really into the movie. I don't know if this happened where other people saw the movie but there were a lot more gasps and laughs with this crowd and a huge round of applause when it was over. Afterwards we could go downstairs and tour through more of the movies props including one of the thrones, the Ice Queen's costume, and many other interesting items.

The VIP tickets seemed really expensive when we bought them on line, but once we got there we realized they were a pretty good deal. They included assigned seating, so there was not waiting in the long (2 hours at Christmas break) line and a bucket of popcorn in a keepsake container as well as a bottled soda for each person.

The soda fountain is really cute and fun and usually has some decorating theme that relates to the movie playing next door. They had some yummy ice cream sundaes including one that related to Narnia. There is a sundae whose name escapes me that is something like 20 scoops of ice cream and one whole can of whipped cream and is served on a Sorcerer Mickey Hat. We saw one served to someone having a birthday.

Nearby as I said is Grumann's Chinese theatre, the Hollywood stars (look for the one for Disneyland at the entrance to the Soda Shop its the only "place" to receive one, as well as Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse on the block, other side I think), the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood High School, and the Roosevelt Hotel (where many of the stars like to hang out). This is all in about a block. There isn't much down at the famous Hollywood and Vine, this block has a lot more to see actually.

The link to the site for the El Capitan and Soda Fountain is: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/el_capitan/

Have fun!

 

[vellamint]

Thanks for the suggestions....we are flying into LAX on Monday but dont think we will want to stop for a look at the beach that day. Probably on Wednesday or Thursday.

Good idea for Rodeo Drive......you guys are the best!

 

[mickeysgal]

Nearby as I said is Grumann's Chinese theatre, the Hollywood stars (look for the one for Disneyland at the entrance to the Soda Shop its the only "place" to receive one, as well as Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse on the block, other side I think), the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood High School, and the Roosevelt Hotel (where many of the stars like to hang out). This is all in about a block. There isn't much down at the famous Hollywood and Vine, this block has a lot more to see actually.

The link to the site for the El Capitan and Soda Fountain is: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/el_capitan/

Have fun!

Wow...I can't thank you enough for the great post!

One more question...the Hollywood Sign. Is this visible from this area or where do we go to best see it?

 

[Snow Brite]

Wow...I can't thank you enough for the great post!

One more question...the Hollywood Sign. Is this visible from this area or where do we go to best see it?

I dont know! How funny is that? I dont think we looked for it. We came in from the Los Feliz area when we went so we could drive by and see the apartment and school my mom used to work at in the late 60's. I think I remember reading somewhere that you can see it from certain places in the Kodak complex?

Jen

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

The Hollywood sign is visible from this area. Snow Brite gave a great description!

You can see it from the Highland Complex (Kodak Theater/shops/restaurants/Mann's Chinese Theater).

From Hollywood Blvd, walk up the outdoor stairs (as you go, read the snippets of quotes that people had when they first came to Hollywood). When you get to the top there is a big "casting couch" made out of cement that you can sit on, and when you look out you'll have a great view of the Hollywood sign. You can also see the church they used for the interior singing scenes in Sister Act.

My friend & I took a couple of the Starline tours - Hollywood & the stars homes - for the heck of it. If you have a couple of hours to kill you might want to take one of these tours -- only if you're into the Hollywood info stuff.

These are pics I took when we visited w/our cousins

 

[mickeysgal]

Next door to Grumann's is the Kodak Theatre and shopping center (where the Oscars are held). Across the street from there is the El Capitan and the Soda Fountain. If you have the time, I really reccomend seeing whatever the current Disney movie is playing at the theatre.

Nearby as I said is Grumann's Chinese theatre, the Hollywood stars (look for the one for Disneyland at the entrance to the Soda Shop its the only "place" to receive one, as well as Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse on the block, other side I think), the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood High School, and the Roosevelt Hotel (where many of the stars like to hang out). This is all in about a block. There isn't much down at the famous Hollywood and Vine, this block has a lot more to see actually.

The link to the site for the El Capitan and Soda Fountain is: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/el_capitan/

Have fun!

Ok...another question! Is there ample parking around here so we can get out and look at everything? Are there parking garages or is it luck of the draw with street parking?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

There is an underground parking structure under the Kodak/Mann's Chinese Theater, known as the Highland Complex. I think it's $10 a day, and you can have your parking ticket validated to knock some of the cost off.

There is a lot of parking down there, and earlier in the day it is easy to find a good spot.