Follow Us
Posts Tagged ‘los angeles tours’
Thanksgiving on the Beach
So, our hill sides in Southern California are not covered in fall foliage. So hit the beach I say! I know of no better place to combine “food and beach” than Paradise Cove in Malibu. While I think it would be the coolest place to enjoy a California Style Thanksgiving in flip flops, you must make a visit on any sunny non-holiday as well.
Enjoy a Traditional Thanksgiving dinner at this restaurant on the sand in Malibu will include clam chowder, salad bar, turkey with macadamia nut dressing and all the fixings, pumpkin pie and free seconds. $29.95 for adults, half price for kids 10 and under; reservations 11 am to 9:45 pm. I recommend the Cove on all of my Los Angeles tours. You must have the calamari, even if you go on Thanksgiving!
Paradise Cove Beach Cafe 28128 Pacific Coast Hwy Malibu, CA 90265 (310) 457-2503
Postmodern LA Structures
Do not let the “lights, camera, action” aspect of LA distract you from some of our city’s most interesting structures and the exhibits inside of them. Places like:
* Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry
* Museum of Contemporary Art by Arata Isozaki
* Getty Center by Richard Meier (photo)
* Broad Contemporary Art Museum by Renzo Piano
* Paley Center for Media by Richard Meier
* Skirball Cultural Center by Moshe Safdie
* Japanese Pavilion at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) by Bruce Goff
* Frank Lloyd Wright, the most generally renowned American architect, designed nine structures in the LA area
* The Pacific Design Center, at 1.2 million square feet, is the West Coast’s largest interior design marketplace
* The world’s first circular office building, Capitol Records, was designed to look like a stack of 45 rpm records
* The largest adobe building in the United States is Mission San Fernando in Mission Hills
* The largest concentration of restored Victorian homes in LA is the 1300 block of Carroll Avenue in Angeleno Heights
* Olvera Street in Downtown LA has 27 historic buildings
* The oldest existing house in LA is the 1818 Avila Adobe, in the center of Olvera Street LA. including:
LA boasts several of the world’s most lauded postmodern structures; some of which provide private escorted tours. With the Entertainment Industry stealing most of the spotlight with regard to
The Business of LA
We get down to business here in LA! 
* The largest toy manufacturer in the world and Barbie creator, Mattel, Inc., is based in LA
* The leading export from the Port of LA is electrical apparatus followed by flying devices
* The leading import by value is electronic machinery, followed by motor vehicle
* LA/Long Beach is the No. 1 import/export port in the United States. It is fifth in the world in terms of containers handled
* The LA region is home to one of the largest retail sales markets in the United States
* The Los Angeles Customs District is No. 1 for international trade
* Major exports include integrated circuits, aircraft and space craft, computers, aircraft parts and parts for office machines
* Hundreds of guided tours are conducted per day 365 days a year
* Major imports are computers, passenger vehicles, integrated circuits, office machine parts and reception apparatus
* LA is the nation’s No. 1 manufacturing center
* LA is the center of movie and TV production
* LA has 563,000 people that work in some type of a creative activity
* LA County is a leader in minority-owned businesses
* LA boasts the largest port complex in the United States
* The port serves 1.2 million cruise passengers every year
* The Port’s top five trading partners are China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand
* Los Angeles is the third largest hotel market in the United States
* LA has more than 92,000 hotel rooms ranging from hostels to luxurious five-star resorts
Roof Top Lounge / Venice
Ambiance always attracts, and when it comes to cool roof top hang outs with amazing views, I am always drawn in for a peek. Located atop the Hotel Erwin overlooking the Pacific Ocean, High is a Venice Beach open-air lounge, where the nightly sunset is captivating and calming!
High takes full advantage of its outdoor location with 360 degree views of the city and famed Venice beach community. With an inviting, “no velvet ropes” attitude and a comfortable, contemporary design, tourists and locals alike mingle and enjoy a drink menu of premium handcrafted cocktails, artisan beers, interesting wines and light snacks after experiencing one of he luxury LA tours. Check out the view @ 1697 Pacific Avenue Los Angeles (Venice Beach), CA 90291 P: 310.452.1111
Cat in a Cab
If you live in LA, the phrase, “Now I have seen it all” should never depart your lips. In fact I have embraced the fun things I encounter on a daily basis as the most enjoyable aspect of being a local!
Seriously, when will I ever see a cat lounging in the back of a cab again? While I enjoy being in a Los Angeles helicopter and flying around above traffic, there are certain sights that only can be see on the ground and in the right place at the right time. I would not make a good paparazzi!
Cupcakes: Beverly Hills Style!
There is a line that forms daily on Little Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills, CA. Sweet cakey goodness like no other is what makes Sprinkles so special. I always gravitate back toward the Red Velvet Cup Cake; but there is simply no way to go wrong.
Do not let the line outside the door intimidate you. There is very little standing room inside the front door and it creates the illusion that the line is longer than it is. I have never waited more than 20 minutes, which is worth every second if you have to. Enjoy them fresh! The perfect guilty pleasure before or after star tours Hollywood. Sprinkles Beverly Hills is located @ 9635 Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 274-8765
Brother Klaus Puck
Prior to a Clippers game, I was finally able to try Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, at LA LIVE downtown, and loved every aspect of it. The restaurant is masterfully designed by Tony Chu, serving excellent food from chefs John Lechleidner and Dustin Lewandowski.
Wolfgang’s Bar & Grill showcases his signature comfort food with a variety of inventive dishes drawing inspiration from his renowned fine dining restaurants ranging in price to accommodate varying budgets. The restaurant offers creative salads, wood-oven baked pizzas, handmade pastas, enticing entrees and meats grilled over hard wood. If you are planning to tour Los Angeles, dining here will allow you to blend right in as a “Los Angelenos.” Also, if you happen to notice a family resemblance with the General Manager, Wolfgang’s brother Klaus Puck is partner and manager! 800 W Olympic Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90015 – (213) 748-9700
The Malibu Country Mart
The Malibu Country Mart encompasses 6 acres of land in the heart of the Malibu Civic Center and comprises approximately 82,000 square feet of high-end retail, dining, and service providers. Its buildings are a mix of architectural styles, displaying Spanish, Mediterranean, modern, and rustic influences. Other features of the property include unique gardens and sculptures, outdoor dining and picnic areas, and a children’s playground.
Because of its high end retailers, the Malibu Country Mart has been a destination for the famous and the well heeled who inhabit the beachfront property west of Los Angeles, and a hidden gem for Los Angeles tours. The Malibu Civic Center area is the primary local gathering place, known for being frequented by locals and tourists, alike. To the city’s bemoan the area has also become an increasingly popular venue for paparazzi hoping to catch a glimpse of local celebrities, like Pierce Brosnan and his sons. Definitely stop by The Malibu Country Mart @ 3835 Cross Creek Rd Malibu, CA 90265 / (310) 456-6226
It’s a Wrap
This is the only company on the planet that offers the general public the opportunity to purchase actual wardrobe and props from movie and TV sets for sale in 2 fabulous retail stores. The folks from “It’s a Wrap” pick up wardrobe and props off the sets or out of the wardrobe or prop departments of major motion picture studios and independent production companies. Shoppers have the unique and special opportunity to purchase an item from a film or TV show-movie history can hang in your closet or decorate your home! The studios buy all types of clothing to dress the character from a movie or TV show.
It’s a Wrap sells designer labels such as Giorgio Armani, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Thierry Mugler, Anne Klein, Barney’s, Romeo Gigli, Escada, Prada, Hugo Boss, Canali, Ralph Lauren, Tahari, Nicole Miller, Ellen Tracy, Carroll and Company, St. John, Bagley Mishka, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gianfranco Ferre, Yves St. Laurent, Anna Sui, Betsy Johnson, Product, Versace, Moschino, Chanel, Ann Taylor, DKNY, Dana Buchman, Banana Republic, Gap and more!!! Most items in their stores are priced at 35% to 95% OFF retail price! I have often thought of opening my own kind of store called “tour vans Los Angeles” dedicated to selling the piles of designer clothing left behind on tours; but I have an excellent track record of tracking down my clients and returning their forgotten articles. Celebs dig “It’s a wrap too! Their customers include Gena Davis, Drew Barrymore, The Olsen Twins, Shirley MacLaine, John Tesh, Anthony Hopkins, Joe Mantegna, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brittany Murphy, David Arquette, Patricia Arquette, Shannen Doherty, Angela Bassett, Shelley Michelle, Mark Harmon, Mario Lopez, Nicole Eggert, Margaret Scarborough… and more. I am telling you……..add this to your list, because this place is simply the coolest! 3315 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505(818) 567-7366 or 1164 S. Robertson Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 (310) 246-WRAP (9727)
Pre-owned Luxury Handbags
Yesterday, I was doing what I like to call “Professional Ease Dropping” while on Rodeo drive. Generally speaking, women unlike most men like to share their experiences with the process of “consumer spending” where as men typically like to simply show off the toys they bought. I digress. Two ladies chatting at 2 Rodeo Drive were talking about Pre-owned Luxury HandBags. So there I was 5 feet away Googling it on my Blackberry. Turns out, Fashionphile is the largest pre-owned luxury handbag business in the country. It is a family-owned and operated business, located just off of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA.
Founder Davis says, “I started Fashionphile in 1999 as a way to pay off my law school loans. Over time, and with an enormous amount of help from my family, Fashionphile has earned an un-rivaled national reputation for selling only authentic luxury bags. Our mission is to make shopping for pre-owned bags easy, fun, and safe.” The fact that I find this stuff interesting, even though I do not own a hand bag and never will, explains why I often look down at my shirt to see if it reads, “sightseeing tours Los Angeles.” I suppose I just like to know, and share, then know some more. So if handbags stir the urge for you to “consume” go to: 9551 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills, California 90210 / or call: 310.279.1136