What to do/see--arriving 1 day prior to Backstage Magic!

[lornak]

I will be doing my first ABD (Backstage Magic) on June 15th. I am so excited!! I have arranged to fly into LAX on June 14th and will arrive at 12:30 PM. I booked that night at the Lowes so I would have a little extra time to enjoy the area. I would love some ideas and suggestions on things to do and see before the adventure officially begins. I'm specifically looking for things we aren't going to see during our tour. I would also love some restaurant ideas----maybe a great Sunday brunch?! TIA!!

 

[Cousin Orville]

I'm curious as we'll, although I'm planning on spending my prenights in Disneyland. I just don't get to go out there as much as I'd like.

 

[DisneyKevin]

After having done the Backstage Magic Adventure several times, here are some of the things we love...

Going to the LA Farmer's Market at Third and Fairfax.

It's a short cab ride, but it's worth it. It's been in the same place since the early 30's. Lucy and Ricky went there in their "Ricky goes to Hollywood" era.
I recommend a corned beef sandwich from Magee's and a donut from Bob's. This is also connected to the Grove. It's an outdoor mall, but celebrity sightings are common. Keep your eyes open. I could easily spend a couple of hours here.

The Griddle Cafe
7916 W Sunset Blvd, W Hollywood, CA 90046

This is an amazing "hole in the wall" place that you would probably pass without notice. A word of advice....GO EARLY or prepare to wait an hour or more. Great food. Do not be surprised to see a line of 100 people (or more!) Unless you eat like a lumberjack...think about sharing....especially pancakes.

25 Degrees in the Roosevelt Hotel

This a two block walk from the Loews. It serves really decent burgers and "adult" milkshakes. It's also inside a Hollywood Landmark. Marilyn Monroe lived at the Roosevelt. It's where the first Academy Awards were held and in the back of the lobby is the tiled staircase where Bill "Bojangles" Robinson taught Shirley Temple to tap dance. Check out the ceiling of the lobby area. It's work of art.

The Grill on Hollywood
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Grill is a great place to eat and it's attached to the Loews in the Hollywood and Highland complex. Exit the hotel on the second floor mezzanine level and it's one flight up. Good food/ good atmosphere and it's a minute from your room. Great when you are exhausted.

Hope this helps.

 

[OKW Lover]

Kevin beat me to it! His suggestions are all good ones. We especially loved the burgers at the Roosevelt and wandering around the lobby area.

We also wandered along Hollywood Blvd a bit in each direction looking at all the stars. Many, many "who's that/where are they now?" moments. Just be a bit careful of all the "local color" shall we say.

One other suggestion, don't try to do too much before your actual adventure starts. Especially if you have flown in from the east coast. The actual BSM tour has some pretty full days and you wouldn't want to start out in sleep deficit.

 

[AddictedtoTravel]

The Pantages Theater is right down the street. We went to see West Side Story prior to our Backstage Magic. It looks like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be playing when you're there. It's amazing!

 

[tstidm1]

Also, Don't forget about Universal Studios Hollywood. It has a much better Backstage tour than DHS and several attractions if you like other things besides Disney to try such as King Kong 3D and Transformers. It's two Metro stops away on the Red line. Thinking about doing that when I go in July, but may also just do things close to the hotel. It depends on how much energy I want to spend knowing I will be on an active trip from Sunday evening on.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Looking at the ABD schedule, there appears to be on your own time the afternoon and evening on the 2nd day. Would that be a good time to walk around and see the [grauman's] chinese theater and area right around the hotel or should that be done prior to the ABD? Or is there another activity that most ABDers do during that OYO time?

 

[OKW Lover]

Looking at the ABD schedule, there appears to be on your own time the afternoon and evening on the 2nd day. Would that be a good time to walk around and see the [grauman's] chinese theater and area right around the hotel or should that be done prior to the ABD? Or is there another activity that most ABDers do during that OYO time?

Yes, that would be a good time to do some of that. That way, if there are any surprises by ABD, you won't duplicate anything.

 

[lornak]

DisneyKevin---thank you for the wonderful suggestions!!!! I am definitely going to look into some of these ideas! They sound GREAT!!

OKW Lover---great tips! Especially about not packing too much into our time! I am so excited I can see myself overscheduling!!

AddictedToTravel---I LOVE LOVE LOVE Joseph so this is a really great idea! Thank you for pointing it out!! I have already been to the website to check on tickets!!

tstidm1---I would love to check out Universal Studios! Do you think we have enough time to do this on Day 1 (arrival day) of the actual tour??? I think we have a welcome dinner that night.

I really appreciate all the idea!!! Please keep them coming!!!

 

[DisneyKevin]

Looking at the ABD schedule, there appears to be on your own time the afternoon and evening on the 2nd day. Would that be a good time to walk around and see the [grauman's] chinese theater and area right around the hotel or should that be done prior to the ABD? Or is there another activity that most ABDers do during that OYO time?

Currently, ABD includes a guided tour of the Chinese Theater and the forecourt as part of the Adventure.

 

[DisneyKevin]

You might also want to check the schedule for Disney's El Capitan Theater.

It's directly across Hollywood Blvd. from the Loews.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Currently, ABD includes a guided tour of the Chinese Theater and the forecourt as part of the Adventure.

Great, thanks!

 

[Chris931]

We are thinking of walking from the Loews Hotel to the Griddle Cafe. It is just under 2 miles which is fine for us. Just concerned about the area. Would it be safe to walk there?

 

[DisneyKevin]

We are thinking of walking from the Loews Hotel to the Griddle Cafe. It is just under 2 miles which is fine for us. Just concerned about the area. Would it be safe to walk there?

It's my opinion that you'd be fine...especially during daylight hours.

 

[k5jm]

The Griddle is yummmmmy!

 

[lornak]

The Griddle is yummmmmy!

Ok, that looks unbelievably good! Tell me exactly what kind of pancake that is?!

 

[tstidm1]

D
tstidm1---I would love to check out Universal Studios! Do you think we have enough time to do this on Day 1 (arrival day) of the actual tour??? I think we have a welcome dinner that night.

I really appreciate all the idea!!! Please keep them coming!!!

What I was thinking was to get a two day ticket and spend Saturday evening there doing the tram tour and some attractions. Sunday is to finish up. If your willing to be among the last to check in with the ABD folks, it is quite doable in a day.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Ok, that looks unbelievably good! Tell me exactly what kind of pancake that is?!

Those are blueberry pancakes.

I just happened to be there when Mike took the picture.

Four of ate those pancakes and didn't finish them.

This is what prompted my reason for suggesting sharing.

 

[pixiepirate]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. We are doing Backstage Magic in October and I have been researching the Hollywood portion. Can anyone comment (yea or nay) on the following restaurants: PigNWhistle, Juicyburger, Mel's Drive-In and Tinhorn Flats? Also I am interested in early Hollywood architecture. If anyone has info on places of interest I would appreciate hearing about them.

 

[lornak]

A question about the Griddle----what do you mean by "get there early"??? Do they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner? What is the best time to go to minimize our wait??? TIA