Mrs. Wheelz and I will be spending 3 nights at the Beverly Hilton in May. I’ve booked us the Warner Brothers studio tour, and we’re looking at the Surf City Perfect Hollywood Tour to check off some of the obvious tourist boxes. Other than that, we don’t have much planned except for checking out Rodeo Drive and Hollywood Boulevard.
What else should we do? Tourist attractions (traps?) are not out of the question, but I’d also welcome suggestions for lesser known activities, as well as good restaurants, quirky bars and night life. We’ll be relying on our feet and Uber to get around, so I’d rather keep to the general BH/Hollywood area, but we’ll consider more far-flung options if they sound really good.
If you’re up for a little bit of a hike, Runyon Canyon, which is just northwest of Hollywood and La Brea, offers a great panoramic view of the city from the hills including the Hollywood sign.
If you have good weather take a walk around the La Brea Tar Pits. Pretty close by and free.
TIP: keep your eyes on the ground and look for “thin spots.” These are small (unfenced) patches of ground where the asphalt is just below the surface and bubbles up. It’s your chance to get up close an personal with something that has killed thousands of small animals, and probably still does.
Yes, or go a little more east–into Thaitown itself–for the original, at Sanamluang, at Hollywood and Kingsley. While you’re in the area, see the Hollyhock house, if you’re interested in architecture.
If you’re there on Sunday morning, don’t have breakfast in the hotel. Instead, go to the farmers market between Vine and Cahuenga, one block south of Hollywood Blvd.
I’d second Runyun Canyon–or for an even better view, don’t drive to the Observatory. Instead, park in the Ferndell (near Los Feliz and Western, go early), and walk up. You’ll meet more real Angelenos and fewer tourists.
Another option farther afield - head up to Paradise Cove in Malibu for breakfast and a stroll on the beach. (Are you sure you don’t want to rent a car?)
Nah. It’d cost more to park the thing than it would to rent it. Plus, we’ll be on vacation, so we’ll definitely be having cocktails whenever the mood strikes. I think there’ll be plenty to keep us occupied in the general vicinity for a few days.
+1 on the La Brea Tar Pits, and also the Page Museum there. I grew up in L.A. and that was always one of my favorite places. We even had a Dopefest there many years ago. LACMA is right nextdoor too, so you can really make a day of it.
(I don’t remember anyone ruining a pair of shoes there. The tar is not “everywhere”, and pretty easy to spot in the few patches where it exists outside of fenced areas.)
No one from LA would make such a statement. Good luck if you can walk everywhere you want, but without a car, you’re cutting yourself off from 99+% of what LA has to offer.
Well, in 2½ days, I doubt we’ll have time to experience 99% of LA anyhow.
Not planning to walk everywhere, but even quite a few short-ish Uber rides will probably come out a bit cheaper than car rental plus parking - and definitely a whole lot cheaper than a DUI.
When I was in LA last, we visited the Music Box Stairs, from the Academy award winning short by Laurel and Hardy. I’m a L&H geek, so I understand it’s not for everyone, but hey, it’s free!