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During your Los Angeles vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Farmers Market and The Grove
The original market was little more than a field with stands set up by farmers during the Depression so they could sell directly to city dwellers. Eventually, permanent buildings grew up, including the trademark shingled 10-story clock tower. Today the place has evolved into a sprawling marketplace with a carnival atmosphere, a kind of "turf" version of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. About 100 restaurants, shops, and grocers cater to a mix of workers from the CBS Television City complex, locals, and tourists, brought here by the busload. Retailers sell greeting cards, kitchen implements, candles, and souvenirs, but everyone comes for the food stands, which offer oysters, hot donuts, Cajun gumbo, fresh-squeezed orange juice, corned beef sandwiches, fresh-pressed peanut butter, and all kinds of international fast foods. You can still buy produce here -- it's no longer a farm-fresh bargain, but the selection's better than at the grocery store. Don't miss Kokomo (tel. 323/933-0773), a "gourmet" outdoor coffee shop that has become a power breakfast spot for showbiz types. Red turkey hash and sweet-potato fries are the dishes that keep them coming back. The seafood gumbo and gumbo ya ya at the Gumbo Pot (tel. 323/933-0358) are also very popular.At the eastern end of the Farmers Market is The Grove, a massive 575,000-square-foot Vegas-style retail complex composed of various architectural styles ranging from Art Deco to Italian Renaissance. Miniature streets link The Grove to the Market via a double-deck electric trolley. Granted, it's all a bit Disney-gaudy, but the locals love it. Where else can you power-shop until noon, check all your bags at a drop-off station, get a spa treatment at Amadeus Spa (tel. 323/297-0311), see a movie at the 14-screen Grove Theatre, have an early dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy (tel. 323/965-9665), and be home by 7pm?
Hollywood History Museum
The historic Max Factor Building -- Max Factor was the patriarch of the Hollywood make-up industry -- has finally been restored to its original 1935 Art Deco splendor and is now the home of the Hollywood History Museum, which features thousands of famous and rare props, costumes, scripts, cameras, awards, and numerous photos and posters from the television, stage, and recording industries. It's arranged for the visitor to experience Hollywood chronologically -- from the Silent Era and Golden Era to current production technology and a glimpse into the future of the industry. The museum, located across from the Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex, also houses a library, a screening room, an education center, and a museum-studio gift shop. Private guided tours are available upon request.
La Brea Tar Pits
An odorous swamp of gooey asphalt oozes to the earth's surface in the middle of Los Angeles. No, it's not a low-budget horror-movie set -- it's the La Brea Tar Pits, a truly bizarre primal pool on Museum Row where hot tar has been bubbling from the earth for more than 40,000 years. The bubbling pools may look like a fake Disney set, but they're the real thing and have enticed thirsty animals throughout history. Nearly 400 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, and fish -- many of which are now extinct -- walked, crawled, landed, swam, or slithered into the sticky sludge, got stuck in the worst way, and stayed forever. In 1906, scientists began a systematic removal and classification of entombed specimens, including ground sloths, giant vultures, mastodons, camels, bears, lizards, a Starbucks, and even prehistoric relatives of today's superrats. Today it's one of the world's richest excavation sites for Ice Age fossils. The best finds are on display in the adjacent Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, which houses the largest and most diverse collection of Ice Age plants and animals in the world. Archaeological work is ongoing; you can watch as scientists clean, identify, and catalog new finds in the Paleontology Laboratory. An entertaining 15-minute film documenting the recoveries is also shown.
Crowne Plaza Hotel LOS ANGELES- INTL AIRPORT
Welcome to the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)! Our 613 room, full- service hotel is the gateway to Los Angeles. Located on Century Blvd, less than one mile from the LAX terminals, with 24-hour complimentary shuttle service to and from LAX! While only steps away from LAX, the Crowne Plaza Hotel- Los Angeles International Airport is convenient to all major southern California area attractions, including Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios and The Los Angeles ...
Ramada Hollywood near Universal Studios
The Ramada Hollywood Near Universal Studios provides affordable luxury in the heart of Hollywood. This 100% NONSMOKING hotel is near all major Los Angeles attractions and Hollywood studios and clubs. The Ramada Hollywood's multi-lingual staff serves a varied and colorful international clientele. Recipient of the prestigious Three Diamond AAA Award 1995 - 2007 from the American Automobile Association, this hotel has been recognized for demonstrating high levels of excellence in every area. ...
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