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Posts Tagged ‘Beverly Hills Tour’
Fires from Space!
Seeing a California fire from space, really allows a person to to put enormity of the situation into perspective. The California Station fire that began in August 2009 seemed liked it would never get contained as it burned fiercely even at times when the wind was calm, destroying hundreds of structures and killing two people. Many of these wildfires continue to burn through the month of September. Although fires burned many different regions ofCalifornia in August, the month was especially notable for several very large fires which burned in Southern California, despite being outside of the normal fire season for that region.
Sporadic fires are normal throughout California in the summer and fall as temperatures rise and rainfall drops, causing vegetation to die off and provide fuel for combustion. Three years of drought amplified these effects, making already fire-prone California ripe for wildfires. Visitors on Tours of Los Angeles are always curious about the local fire updates. These fires may be ignited by natural sources like lightning, or through human activity.
Copter Cops
I saw one blue jay so far this year, but I see the LAPD helicopters several times a day!
The Los Angeles Police department’s airborne law enforcement program began with one helicopter in 1956. This helicopter, a Hiller 12J was assigned primarily for traffic patrol of the City’s freeway system and was assigned to the traffic Enforcement Division. In 1957 after a full year in operation, the “Helicopter Unit” flew 775 hours.
It is hard not to see a Los Angeles helicopter of some kind when you peer into the sky’s of Southern California.
Today the LAPD fleet at full capacity, consists of:
- 12 Aerospatiale B-2 Astars
- 4 Bell 206 Jet Rangers
- 1 UH1H “Huey” helicopter
- 1 King Air 200 – Airplane
A study commissioned by NASA and conducted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) Space Technology Applications Office confirmed the study and report findings as follows:
- The number of Part 1 Property Crimes is reduced when an LAPD helicopter is overhead.
- The number of arrests associated with radio calls is three times higher with the involvement of LAPD aircrews.
- The citizens of Los Angeles accept helicopter patrols as a necessary part of the City’s police system and strongly favor their continuation.
- Department ground based officers universally support a strong airborne law enforcement program within the department.
325 days of sunshine
Los Angeles can be so pleasantly overwhelming that often times I forget about some of the coolest aspects about living here and it always reinvigorating me when chatting with some of our visitors makes things resurface daily like a freash water spring!
A Unique Thing to do in Los Angeles
I was recently asked by a client, “Tell me about a cool hangout spot, that involves a scenic drive, and something I will not hear about on any other tour.” So I told him about The Rock Store at 30354 Mulholland Hwy near Malibu.
Located in the scenic canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, this is one of the most famous stretch of back road in the world, and is about 35 miles from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. Ed and Veronica Savko, have operated The Rock Store for over 45 years, and have turned their quiet little country store into the hottest biker destination in Southern California.
The Rock Store has always attracted celebrities, and it is not at all uncommon to spot Jay Leno somewhere in the parking lot checking out bikes. And yes, he almost always wears his trademark blue denim shirt! Leno often rides up on his Y2K jet-powered bike or one of his classic motorcycles. Among others, California’s “Governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger often comes by and “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc has also been spotted on the patio. In fact, you never know which celebs might be seen. I have diverted countless numbers of Los Angeles Luxury Tours to visit the hangout and experience something different. The best part about visiting The Rock Store is the “everybody” is welcome! Beyond celebs and traditional bikers, you will meet people from literally every walk of life! It is a place where Californians go to “get along” and enjoy life; a true California tradition!
LA is HUGE!
Whether a visitor or a “home grown” Los Angelian, there are sure to be some facts below that you did not know.
* With a population of 10.3 million, LA County is the most populous in the United States
* If LA County were a state, it would be eighth largest in population
* The population of the five-county region of Los Angeles is larger than all of the states in the nation, except California, New York and Texas
* LA County is home to 88 cities
* LA is the largest city in LA County with 3,976,071 people
* 10,064-foot Mount San Antonio is the highest point in LA County
* LA County has 75 miles of coastline
* The longest street in LA City is Sepulveda Boulevard at 26.4 miles
* The enormous Walk of Fame began in 1960 with now more than 2,300 stars and the most visited place on Hollywood Celebrity Tours
* Sepulveda Boulevard continues through LA County for a total of 76 miles
* LA County’s land area is 4,752 square miles
* LA County has 79 certified farmers markets
* The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest school district in the nation
* La Opinión in the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States, with a circulation of 125,624