Need help from LA Dis'ers

[disneymom23]

We are going to be in So. CA in a few weeks. My DD really wants to spend a day in Hollywood. She wants to see the sign, the walk of fame, Chinese theater, etc.

What is the best way to do this? Is there a tour that you would recommend?

Would you recommend a studio tour?

How about a hotel?

Thanks!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hi - I'm going to move this over to our So Cal board

 

[GrandBob]

Not an LA resident, so I can't help you. But I'll be watching this thread because my 8yo granddaughter is star-struck (plans to be an actress). So we're planning to add Hollywood to our DLR trip in Nov.

What I've found just by googling --

http://www.starlinetours.com/

http://www.hollywoodtours.us/

http://www.grayline.com/Los_Angeles/View_All

For ourselves, right now the plan is to take a 2-or-so hour tour of the stars homes, and then do our own walking tour past Grauman, walk of fame, etc. Perhaps also the Farmers Market, as DW loves those. And hopefully find a good spot to drive to see the Hollywood sign.

I'm looking forward to comments on your questions, and any comments anyone has about our plans. Thanks.

-Bob

ETA - BTW, I've already booked one night at this hotel, which gets good reviews on Tripadvisor and is supposed to be walking distance to the attractions. Yes, a day trip from Anaheim is very possible, but it's more convenient for us to spend the first night in Hollywood on our way down to Anaheim.

http://www.hollywoodholidayinnexpress.com/

 

[momjkm]

Hi... we just did this on the 19th of July ( a week ago ). We took the train into Union Station from Anaheim then the red line subway right to Hollywood/Highland metro station. WAS VERY EASY. I had driven from Santa Monica to the Grove/Farmers Market then Anaheim the week before and driving was miserable. Anyway, the metro stop at Hollywood & Highland has everything.... At that stop is the walk of fame, Chinese theater and if you go to into the Kodak Theatre shopping area, to the 3rd or 4th bridge, PERFECT view (and free) of the Hollywood Sign.

How old is your granddaughter? Startours has alot of tours that leave from there- there is a 2 hr hop on/off tour that brings you different places around the city- The Grove/Farmer's Market is a nice place to stop and shop and have lunch (Farmer's Market is cheaper and lots of options). We did the TMZ tour around town... got to see the highlights of La with a twist- like stores in Rodeo drive that so & so shops at, lots of gossip, dirt, ect. My 17 yr old loved it.... I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.... The general opinion I kept getting was that tours of "the stars homes" was just a waste of time and money. Only saw long driveways or hedges. Maybe someone knows of a tour that shows more but I didn't find one.

If you drive in, there is parking at both the Grove and at Hollywood & Highland. Reasonable costs.

 

[cyclenut]

Hi... we just did this on the 19th of July ( a week ago ). We took the train into Union Station from Anaheim then the red line subway right to Hollywood/Highland metro station. WAS VERY EASY. I had driven from Santa Monica to the Grove/Farmers Market then Anaheim the week before and driving was miserable. Anyway, the metro stop at Hollywood & Highland has everything.... At that stop is the walk of fame, Chinese theater and if you go to into the Kodak Theatre shopping area, to the 3rd or 4th bridge, PERFECT view (and free) of the Hollywood Sign.

How old is your granddaughter? Startours has alot of tours that leave from there- there is a 2 hr hop on/off tour that brings you different places around the city- The Grove/Farmer's Market is a nice place to stop and shop and have lunch (Farmer's Market is cheaper and lots of options). We did the TMZ tour around town... got to see the highlights of La with a twist- like stores in Rodeo drive that so & so shops at, lots of gossip, dirt, ect. My 17 yr old loved it.... I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.... The general opinion I kept getting was that tours of "the stars homes" was just a waste of time and money. Only saw long driveways or hedges. Maybe someone knows of a tour that shows more but I didn't find one.

If you drive in, there is parking at both the Grove and at Hollywood & Highland. Reasonable costs.

This is pretty much what I was going to recommend, although you have just done this so your information is much fresher. This is a great way to get from Anaheim to Hollywood and back without the stress.

If you think you can swing the time and cost, consider looking up some of the local theaters and see if you can take in a show. There are several in the area. Some of the small theaters (99 seat theaters) are not very expensive and they can make for a nice experience. You'll have to look closely at some of the reviews though because they can be hit or miss. The larger venues like the Pantages, Kodak and Ahmenson are much more expensive but you get top line shows too.

The TMZ tour sounds fun, although I'd wonder how many of those stories are true (not that the "truth" matters much in that case).

 

[mousefan5]

Is there a site that I can visit to find out info on the subway? I am staying near Disneyland. Most of the tours were much longer than I'd like to do. I would like to spend sometime in LA before we leave for the cruise. I would like to see the Hollywood sign and stars. And possibly Farmer's Market/Grove St since I have a little girl who'd like to go to American Girl Place if we can swing it. Any suggestions????

 

[cyclenut]

Is there a site that I can visit to find out info on the subway? I am staying near Disneyland. Most of the tours were much longer than I'd like to do. I would like to spend sometime in LA before we leave for the cruise. I would like to see the Hollywood sign and stars. And possibly Farmer's Market/Grove St since I have a little girl who'd like to go to American Girl Place if we can swing it. Any suggestions????

Here is the link to the official site for the LA transportation system.

http://www.metro.net/around/maps/

Look at the "Metro Rail Service" for the "subway" information. Note that many of the routes are actually above-ground. This is not at all like the NY subway system. The red line is the one that goes into the Hollywood area.

When you first open the schedule all the times will be at the top. The maps will be at the bottom of the timetable.

If you are staying near Disneyland you will want to take a shuttle or cab to the Anaheim Amtrak Station and take the Amtrak over to Union Station. From there you can catch the Red Line. The Red Line will take you right through Hollywood.

To get to American Girl Place, I think the best way to do that is to get off the Red Line at Hollywood and Highland. American Girl Place is about three miles from there. Bus route 217 toward the Hollywood/Fairfax transportation hub. You'll stay on that bus until Fairfax/3rd. You will be about a block away. It should take you less than 30 minutes to get to American Girl Place from Hollywood and Highland.

Hope this helps!

 

[momjkm]

To get to American Girl Place, I think the best way to do that is to get off the Red Line at Hollywood and Highland. American Girl Place is about three miles from there. Bus route 217 toward the Hollywood/Fairfax transportation hub. You'll stay on that bus until Fairfax/3rd. You will be about a block away. It should take you less than 30 minutes to get to American Girl Place from Hollywood and Highland.>>>>

DId this. It is easy.
And a great spot to see the Hollywood sign is the 3rd floor bridge of Kodak theatre shopping area.... It was easy to find though I don't think it was marked... you can see people standing on it looking out. It is free and you can stand there as long as you like and take pictures. The other times I saw it was while I was driving so couldnt stop ect lol.... ask a security person if you need help finding it. It is towards the back of the shopping area.

Jill

 

[LadyMac428]

One of our favorite shopping trips while in the LA area is to "It's a Wrap". It is a really cool store that buys clothes from different TV shows and sells them. It is really inexpensive. We are not big shoppers at all but we went to both stores last February (myself, DH, DS 15, SD 8) and spent an hour at each store going through the racks. It was a blast! My daughter got some clothes from sets like Hannah Montana, Suite Life with Z&C, Dexter, etc. My DH and DS also bought some clothes.

It was really cool this past summer when I was catching up on Grays Anatomy and my daughter pointed out that she had the same shirt as the one the girl actress was wearing. She went and got the shirt out of her room and we checked the code (each item of clothing is coded with what TV show it is from) and sure enough it was the exact shirt the girl wore on that episode! We thought is was pretty cool!!!

We even bought some clothes that still had the original tags on them that were never worn. And like I said, great prices!

I bought a purse.

Anyway, that is my suggestion. We will be going again this February. It's at the top of our list!

 

[melk]

That clothes store sounds so cool! Where is it located?

 

[StageTek]

That clothes store sounds so cool! Where is it located?

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=it's+a+wrap&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

 

[GrandBob]

ETA - BTW, I've already booked one night at this hotel, which gets good reviews on Tripadvisor and is supposed to be walking distance to the attractions. Yes, a day trip from Anaheim is very possible, but it's more convenient for us to spend the first night in Hollywood on our way down to Anaheim.

http://www.hollywoodholidayinnexpress.com/

We're back (went in November), and I can recommend the Hollywood Holiday Inn. It was quite nice - good, clean, spacious rooms, and decent breakfast included (scrambled eggs, a meat, toast, yogurt, pastries, etc).

But I only recommend it if you get a decent rate. We paid about $150, with a senior discount and by booking far in advance. Later on, the same room was going for about $220. That's close enough to the rate of the Hollywood Renaissance that I'd recommend the latter. The Renaissance is right in the Hollywood/Highland complex, so if you have to pay those rates, you might as well stay there. But if you can get a good rate at the Holiday Inn, it's quite nice, and only a two block walk to the Hollywood/Highland complex.

Disneymom23, where did you end up staying? Would you recommend it?

-Bob

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

That clothes store sounds so cool! Where is it located?

The closer one is actually in Burbank - 3 miles away. It's an absolute BEAST to get to the Robertson location - I've lived 3 blocks away from that one and now live 2 blocks away from the Burbank one.

It's A Wrap! Burbank 3315 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505 ...

There's a great coffee shop across the street and the best bakery for sandwiches in the area - Porto's - just down the street one way and Pinocchio's/Monte Carlo Deli for an authentic Italian deli the other direction - both within 2 blocks of the store. Magnolia also has fabulous antique and vintage clothing shops on it.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

While in Burbank, you can do Jay Leno, Tour Warner Brothers Studios - the best REAL backlot tour in Hollywood, and drive over to the Disney Studios. They will actually let you walk into the campus to take photos of the Disney Legends Plaza, the original Partners Statue, and the 7 Dwarves building.