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Archive for the ‘Tours of Los Angeles’ Category
Taking a Tour of My New Hometown
Despite the fact that I have lived in Los Angeles a little over a year, I’ve had few opportunities to explore the sights the city has to offer. Due to my hectic work schedule, I hardly have a spare minute to spend traveling the city at my leisure. I’ve expressed my desire to see the city several times to my boyfriend, and for my birthday last we he surprised me with a pair of LA tours.
The tours were everything that I thought they would be, taking us to some of the famous haunts of bygone Hollywood stars, as well as some of the most popular current attractions. While my boyfriend was visibly bored most of the day, as he has lived in Southern California his entire life, we even stopped at a couple of sites he wasn’t familiar with. Now that I’ve become more acquainted with the city, I’m going to make a concerted effort to begin exploring on my own.
Los Angeles Attractions: Sunset Trip
The Sunset Strip has been the crux of numerous songs and films, but few people are aware of the actual history of this iconic stretch of Sunset Boulevard. Walking down The Strip it’s impossible to not become inundated by the surfeit of advertisements that are now emblematic of the area. During the 1970s, the Strip became a haven for rock stars and groupies, and its reputation as a reprieve for Hollywood celebrities remains intact.
Not only is there a litany of restaurants, stores and clubs littering the strip, but it also features high-end condominium complexes. Many A-list celebrities also reside in the Hollywood Hills, which are located just above the Sunset Strip. If you want the full Sunset Strip experience, your best bet is to employ some tour vans Los Angeles on your next visit.
Los Angeles Attractions: The Miracle Mile
As one of the most densely populated areas of Los Angeles, The Miracle Mile is a buzzing stretch of Wilshire Boulevard located in-between Fairfax and La Brea Avenues. Many people are probably most familiar with The Miracle Mile through the 1988 film of the same name, but the area is one of the busiest in Los Angeles. The buildings lining the Boulevard are classic art deco structures and a spectacle in themselves.
One of the main attractions on the stretch is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which features four separate buildings and a wealth of original artwork. Traffic, as can be imagined, is a constant struggle, and as such, many people opt for Los Angeles helicopter tours while taking in the site—although you will have to venture in on foot to see the museum.
1980s LA Movie Locations
1980s LA Movie Locations
American Gigolo (1980) Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills
Raging Bull (1980) Olympic Auditorium, 1801 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
On Golden Pond (1981) Franklin Canyon Reservoir, Santa Monica Mountains, north of Beverly Hills
True Confessions (1981) Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Downtown LA
Blade Runner (1982) Bradbury Building, 304 S. Broadway, Downtown LA; Ennis-Brown House, 2655 Glendower Ave., Los Feliz
E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) (flying bicycle scene) White Oak Boulevard, Granada Hills; private home, 7121 Lonzo St., Tujunga
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Canoga Park High School, 6850 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park
Rocky III (1982) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Blue Thunder (1983) Westin Bonaventure Hotel, 404 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
So many locations can be showcased on private Los Angeles helicopter tours
Valley Girl (1983) Sherman Oaks Theater, 15052 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks
All of Me (1984) Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills
Body Double (1984) Farmers Market, 6333 W. Third St., LA
Ghostbusters (1984) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) private home, 1428 Genesee Ave., Hollywood
Splash (1984) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Swing Shift (1984) Fort MacArthur, 3601 S. Gaffey St., San Pedro
The Terminator (1984) Griffith Park Observatory, Griffith Park; Second Street Tunnel, Downtown LA
Into the Night (1985) Avenue of the Stars, Century City
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) Vincent Thomas Bridge, San Pedro
Police Academy 2 (1985) Third Street Tunnel, Downtown LA
Pretty in Pink (1985) Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Downtown LA
Star Trek IV (1986) Will Rogers State Historical Park, Pacific Palisades
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) private home, 4160 Country Club Drive, Long Beach
Back to the Beach (1987) Surfrider Beach, 23050 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Born in East L.A. (1987) Whittier Boulevard and Anderson Street, East LA
Innerspace (1987) Wayfarers Chapel, 5755 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes
La Bamba (1987) The Wiltern theater, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., LA
Witches of Eastwick (1987) Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills
Miracle Mile (1988) La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., LA; Johnie’s coffee shop, 6101 Wilshire Blvd., LA
Rainman (1988) Westin Bonaventure Hotel, 404 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA
Back to the Future (1989) Gamble House driveway, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) Hollyhock House, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St., Downtown LA; Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Ghostbusters II (1989) Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills
Police Academy 6 (1989) Fourth Street Viaduct, Downtown LA; Highland Park Police Station, 6045 York Blvd., Highland Park
Los Angeles Van Tours
Every year my family has a reunion at a different city around the country. Past locales include Miami, Boston and Philadelphia, but this year we wanted to venture out to the West Coast, so we came to a consensus on Los Angeles. Since none of us had ever been there, it was a joint venture to find accommodations and various activities to keep us entertained over the four-day weekend.
I was put in charge of the entertainment for Sunday, and since none of us had ever been to the city, I felt like a tour was in order. The only problem was that many companies didn’t have the means to accommodate our extensive family. Luckily, I was able to find an outfit that offered Los Angeles van tours, so we were all able take in the main attractions that LA has to offer.
Amazing Hollywood Sign Photos + Story
For many many years I have been photographing the Hollywood sign on private tours with people from all of the world; showcasing it from a plethora of angles and even from above by helicopter. Tuesday April 20th 2010 was a magnificent day due to the manner that the Hollywood sign revealed itself to one particular family that I was with from Australia.
I rarely boast about my “instinct” in any capacity, because it rarely serves me in a manner that I can report on. In this case, we were at a point on this tour where I should have been able to see the Hollywood sign from miles away, while approaching the very special place we take people to be photographed beneath it. Logic alone told me not to waste any further time trying to get any closer to the sign, because it was engulfed in fog from a rainy day and completely out of sight. Yet, my instinct kicked it and I persuaded this incredible family to allow me to follow it into the hills.
So, we trek to this location, and within 15 minutes we are standing beneath a tree and I am assuring this family that The Hollywood Sign is “up there” as I point to a hill that is completely covered in fog. At this point my instinct was telling me that they simply did not believe me and I certainly did not blame them. So, I did what any good tour guide would do……I ran to the vehicle to grab a book so I could show them a picture that would associate the surrounding land, and at least show them with good faith, that those giant letters standing 45 feet tall and 30 feet wide individually, were up there………and that they were just perhaps the unluckiest family of 2010 with regard to seeing it on Holiday!
But then……..the fog literally cleared letter by letter before our eyes! It was so cool……….I almost felt that I cued it! If only there were a symphony orchestra behind us that played prior to me shouting, “Action.” Ok, I am dreaming a little bit, but it was almost that awesome. For a moment I was a hero, and then I realized that I better get this family positioned for a photo because it looked like the sign was going to disappear again into the fog. In fact it did for a minute, but then there was a period of about 5 minutes that we were able to see the Hollywood Sign, doused in fog and surrounded by white clouds and blue sky! So, very very cool! I am happy to share theses images with you!!!
Tour Los Angeles
No trip to Southern California is complete without a guided tour around the city of Los Angeles. As the largest and most influential city of the West Coast, Los Angeles is a hub of economic and social activity. If you plan to tour Los Angeles, however, it is important that you do your research to find a qualified guide and reliable transportation.
There are several options for touring the city—from buses and vans to helicopters. While they may be more expensive, helicopter tours are the way to go in my opinion. They usually allow you to go with only friends and family, making for a more personable atmosphere. Helicopter tours also allow you to see more of the city and afford you the freedom to go where you please.
Swimming Pools and Movie Stars
Beverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area’s “Platinum Triangle” of affluent neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Bel Air and Holmby Hills. The population was 34,980 as of the 2006 census. Beverly Hills is home to many Hollywood celebrities, corporate executives, and numerous other wealthy individuals and families.
Beverly Hills is bordered on the north by Bel-Air and the Santa Monica Mountains, on the east by West Hollywood, the Carthay neighborhood of Los Angeles, and the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, and on the south by the Beverlywood, and simply a must on private sightseeing tours of Los Angeles.
Beverly Hills contains some of the largest homes in Los Angeles County and in the nation. In 2007, Coldwell Banker lists Beverly Hills as the most expensive housing market (second year in a row) in the United States, with a median home price of over $2.2 million. These homes range from the extravagant andluxurious in size, to the more elegant and modern homes, and then to the many small duplex rental units and detached homes with less than 2,000 sq ft (280 sq meters).
Celebs on the Strip
Many celebrities can still be seen on the Strip, especially on its western end, and quite a few live in the area, particularly the nearby Hollywood Hills andLaurel Canyon.
Today the Strip contains some of the most exclusive condominium complexes on the West Coast. However the most coveted residences are the celebrity-studded hills above the Sunset Strip. Accessible by only a handful of streets and aggressively patrolled by security, this ultra-exclusive neighborhood of multi-million dollar homes above the Sunset Strip provide the ultimate in seclusion, luxury, and staggering views of the entire L.A. basin. The highest concentration of celebrities living in Los Angeles are in this part of the Hollywood Hills, located just above Sunset Boulevard, from Kings Road, to Sunset Plaza Drive, to Doheny Drive. Homes generally range from $3–15 million.
Private Hollywood tours showcase celebrities living in the Hollywood Hills above the Sunset Strip include Cameron Diaz, Paris Hilton, Kylie Minogue, Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Mullally, Keanu Reeves, Robbie Williams, Byron Allen, Seth Macfarlane, Ryan Phillipe, Buck Henry, Dido, Jose Eber, Nicky Hilton, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum,Jewel, Jimmy Kimmel, James Franco, Reggie Bush, Dane Cook, John Frusciante and Michael Bublé.
Essential Vacation Planning
Some people go to Los Angeles and are flabbergasted by the litany of amazing attractions and historic locations to visit it. It is virtually impossible to take in all that the city has to offer in just one trip. One of the best ways to make the most of your vacation is to pinpoint specific areas or attractions that you want to visit before you make your trip.
Hollywood usually is at the fore of these vacationing itineraries. If this historic area is on your list, I would recommend making reservations for a Hollywood tour before your leave home. Tours are the best way to make sure that you take in all of the high points, and making your arrangements early will guarantee that you aren’t left to your own devices.