Our thinking was getting into downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood, traffic-wise, would be easier on the weekend than on Monday. It wasn’t too bad, but once we got parked right off Hollywood Blvd., we realized everyone who did not go to the beach on this beautiful day was in Hollywood. We set out to do all the cheesy touristy stuff. We did draw the line at taking the “See Where The Stars Live!” home tour.
We began at Grauman’s Chinese Theater to see all the hand and footprints immortalized in cement. I’m posting Shirley Temple’s as it was one of the older squares (1935) that most would recognize. Clint Eastwood wrote on his – “You made my day.” Roy Rogers included Trigger’s hoof prints in his square.
You’ve probably heard of a celebrity getting their “star” on the Walk of Fame. This 15-block stretch of sidewalk is also on Hollywood Blvd. We didn’t walk the whole 15 blocks (and it is both sides of the street), so we probably missed many, many names. We were not looking for anyone in particular so just enjoyed seeing the ones where we were. Some names we had never heard of, and it is obvious it is MUCH easier to get a star on the Walk than your prints in cement at Grauman’s.
As in New Orleans, we did a hop on, hop off bus tour. The circuit took about 2 hours to complete. It was a great way to see the area without getting frustrated with traffic and the GPS. Or me constantly saying to Mike, “Can you stop RIGHT here so I can get a picture?” We sat up top with the sun shining but enough of a breeze to be comfortable. The bus went down Sunset Boulevard, with the narration pointing out such things as the Pollo Loco where Brad Pitt stood outside in a chicken costume for advertising before he became BRAD PITT, the hotel where Julie Roberts stayed with Richard Gere in “Pretty Woman”, the Whiskey A-Go-Go where The Doors were the house band before they became THE DOORS, the exclusive hotel bungalow where John Belushi was found dead, The Comedy Store where virtually every famous comedian did stand up before they became FAMOUS, or the milkshake shop where you are likely to find Miley Cyrus or Lindsay Lohan mixing their own shakes. You know, all the trashy stuff we love to hear.
Two blocks later we were on Santa Monica Blvd., which runs through Beverly Hills. What a contrast! Suddenly we were in the middle of quiet, tree-lined side streets. The narration said many of the Hollywood stars live in the hills above LA but enough of them live in these tasteful houses, too. And where do these people shop? You guessed it – Rodeo Drive, which we turned on to next. Mike was really glad the bus didn’t make a convenient stop here!
Another turn and we were on Wilshire Blvd. This street was developed for business. It’s claim to fame? The first street to have timed stoplights and a left turn lane.
The Le Brea Tar Pits were next to view. Next to the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Arts, the Tar Pits are just that - tar. In prehistoric times, animals mistook the tar for water and became stuck. They have discovered a trove of fossilized animals here. And the pit is still oozing tar today.
We did get off at the Farmers Market, a two-block area filled with every conceivable type of food in an open-air environment. Connected to this was The Grove, another two-block area of shops. Way more enjoyable to stroll than an indoor mall with a dancing fountain and beautiful landscaping.
A root beer float and hot fudge sundae later we got back on the bus to return to the Chinese Theater. The iconic Hollywood sign up in the hills was visible for fleeting moments so our picture is not the greatest. And Mike put his foot down about driving up in said hills to get a closer shot. We did learn the sign was altered for Pope John Paul II's visit to LA. While he was there the sign read "Holywood". We did not take any studio tours, although Paramount or Universal were options.
Our bus tour ticket included free entry into Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. We feel kind of silly about this, but we ended up taking more pictures in here than outside. Tacky, but fun! Some of the wax figures were spot-on. (You would have thought Morgan Freeman was REALLY standing there). Others were just OK. We posed and mugged through 3 floors of wax.
It was mid- afternoon, so I made my pitch for a trip to Disneyland (it’s stays open until 11 pm!) I thought it would be fun to see how Mickey’s west coast home compares to his Florida home. (and the California Adventure Park is only in California!). Instead we drove to Pasadena to see the Rose Bowl stadium. And then Mike said he would drive me to Dodger Stadium, where IF there was an statue of Sandy Koufax, and IF there was a huge billboard of Kirk Gibson doing his fist pump after hitting the game winning home run, I would be happy. It was 4pm local time. Too bad that when Mike saw a 4pm game start time, it was Eastern Standard Time. So the 1 o’clock game was over and all the spectators were leaving as we were arriving! We couldn’t pull into any of the parking lots as all lanes going into the stadium were being used for cars leaving. Anyone that has been to a major sporting event knows the snail’s pace that traffic moves when leaving. We were caught up in all that without the benefit of actually seeing the game!
Pictures today are: me with a famous couple; Mike with Marilyn (notice he didn’t get as close to her as I did to Brad); Eddie Murphy – I know a strange choice for a picture, but he is wearing a Detroit Lions jacket, so I immediately smiled and he is standing with the Beverly Hills sign. I missed getting a picture of it from the bus; look who is helping Mike line up his putt; the source of another of Mike’s favorite sayings – “You think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?”; the Rose Bowl, with some of the biggest roses I have ever seen; the outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theater; Clint Eastwood and Shirley Temple’s imprints; Kevin Costner’s star on the Walk of Fame; a view down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills; the Hollywood sign; and the famous street corner of Hollywood and Vine
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