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| Los Angeles - Attractions |
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 Hollywood,
Rodeo Drive, Melrose Avenue, Sunset Strip, Venice Beach. You've heard
about them for years and now you can visit them! Stand on the Walk of
Fame where Marilyn Monroe, Tom Hanks and hundreds of other celebrities
have their stars in the sidewalk. See where the rich and famous live,
play, shop and star in the latest blockbuster movies!
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| The Original Family Vacation Town |
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L.A. practically invented theme parks (Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland,
Knott’s Berry Farm). That’s just the beginning. The true test
of a family-friendly place is: would parents enjoy themselves with or
without the children? In L.A. the answer is yes. The Getty Center is super
kid-friendly -- a gallery to try on costumes just like in the paintings
and spacious intriguing gardens to run off energy. The George C. Page
Museum of La Brea Discoveries is a hit with all dinosaur-philes. The Petersen
Automotive Museum is favorite for those who only dream of the day that
they will have a driver’s license. The L.A. Zoo is definitely an
all-dayer for both generations, with the Red Ape Rainforest high on everyone’s
list.
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| From Raphael's Madonna To Madonna's Bustier |
L.A. boasts many magnificent museums with masterpieces (Van Gogh, Rembrandt,
Monet, Picasso) to rival the best collections in Europe: the acropolis-like
Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Huntington Library and
Gardens (especially strong in English painters) and the Norton Simon. But
that’s only part of the story. Several of L.A.’s museums pay homage
to California culture: Autry Museum of Western Heritage (honoring both the
real and reel-life cowboys of the Southwest), Petersen Automotive Museum
(reveling in L.A.’s car culture), Frederick’s of Hollywood Celebrity
Lingerie Hall of Fame and the Museum of Neon Art.
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| L.A.'s Movie Palaces: From Orpheum to ArcLight |
“Movie Palace.” The words conjure up fabulously extravagant movie
houses. It’s only natural that the home of the movie industry should
have a sentimental attachment to these grande dames. From the razzle dazzle
of Downtown (Palace, Mayan, Orpheum) to San Pedro’s Warner Grand and,
of course, Grauman’s Chinese -- all these ladies are open for tours
and/or movies. Disney restored Hollywood’s El Capitan (where the curtain
alone is worth the price of admission) and American Cinematheque (specializing
in tributes and retrospectives) has brought the exotic Egyptian back to
life. The tradition continues with Universal Studios Cinema (a mega-plex
right next door to the studio itself!) and ArcLight, part of the Cinerama
Dome complex, that is strictly a 21th century movie-going experience with
assigned seats, ushers, limited previews, no pre-show ads, a cafe and a
jazzy lobby gift shop. |
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