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During your Los Angeles vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Paramount Pictures
Paramount is the only major studio still located in Hollywood, which makes the 2-hour cart tour around its Hollywood headquarters far more historically enriching than the modern studios in Burbank (even the wrought-iron gates Gloria Swanson motored through in Sunset Boulevard are still there) The tour is both a historical ode to filmmaking and a real-life, behind-the-scenes look at a working movie and television facilities in day-to-day operation; ergo, no two tours are alike, and chances of spotting a celebrity are pretty good. Visits typically include a walk-through of the soundstages of TV shows or feature films, though you can't enter while taping is taking place. The $35 tours (by advance reservations only) depart Monday through Friday on a first-come, first-served basis at10am, 11am, 1pm, and 2pm. You need to be at 12 or older to take the tour, and cameras and recording equipment are verboten. Tip: After the tour, have lunch at the Paramount Studio?s world-famous Commissary; you never know who might drop in for a bite, and the food?s pretty darn good.
The Bradbury Building
This National Historic Landmark, built in 1893 and designed by George Wyman, is Los Angeles's oldest commercial building and one of the city's most revered architectural achievements. Legend has it that an inexperienced draftsman named George Wyman accepted the $125,000 commission after communicating with his dead brother through a Ouija board. Capped by a magical five-story skylight, Bradbury's courtyard combines glazed brick, ornate Mexican tile floors, rich Belgian marble, Art Nouveau grillwork, handsome oak paneling, and lacelike wrought-iron railings -- it's one of the great interior spaces of the 19th century. The glass-topped atrium is often used as a movie and TV set; you've probably seen it before in Chinatown and Blade Runner.
Museum of Television and Radio
Want to see the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show (1964), or Edward R. Murrow's examination of Joseph McCarthy (1954), or Arnold Palmer's victory in the 1958 Masters Tournament, or listen to radio excerpts like FDR's first "Fireside Chat" (1933) and Orson Welles's famous War of the Worlds UFO hoax (1938)? All these, plus a gazillion episodes of The Twilight Zone, I Love Lucy, and other beloved series (including numerous pilots never aired on national television), can be viewed within the starkly white walls of architect Richard Meier's neutral, contemporary museum building. Like the ritzy Beverly Hills shopping district that surrounds it, the museum is more flash than substance. Once you gawk at the celebrity and industry-honcho names adorning every hall, room, and miscellaneous area, it becomes quickly apparent that "library" would be a more fitting name for this collection, since the main attractions are requested via sophisticated computer catalogs and viewed in private consoles. Although no one sets out to spend a vacation watching TV, it can be tempting once you start browsing the archives. This West Coast branch of the venerable New York facility succeeds in treating our favorite pastime as a legitimate art form.
Comfort Inn Los Angeles
Conveniently located between Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles. Numerous restaurants and shopping within walking distance. Close to Wilshire District and all major attractions, including Universal Studios, Dodger Stadium, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Convention and Staples Centers, and Mann's Chinese Theatre. Walking distance to Subway. Parking Charge: 5.00 per night. Safe charge: 1.75 per night. Technology fee for calls in 310 area code: 2.50 per ...
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel
Nearby Airport: * Los Angeles International Airport - 2 Blocks * Long Beach Airport - 22 Miles * Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport - 27 Miles * John Wayne/Orange County Airport - 41 Miles * Ontario International Airport - 53 Miles Nearby Cities: * El Segundo - 2 Miles * Marina Del Rey - 4 Miles * Manhattan Beach - 5 Miles * Hermosa Beach - 6 Miles * Venice Beach - 6 Miles * Redondo Beach - 8 Miles * Santa ...
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