One of the most famous neigbourhoods in Los Angeles is Hollywood. The area is directly linked to the American film industry. In the neighbourhood there are four big film studios to be found. Unverisal Studios, Warner Brothers, Paramount and Sony. It is possible to pay a visit to the studios. Universal Studios has built a complete theme park around the studios. Besides visiting the theme park it is also possible to have a little peak in the studios themselves. All of the studios organise tours where you can visit famous movie sets. If you pay a little extra it is possible to see live recordings of a new tv-show or film.
If you are in Hollywood then you of course should have walked on over the Walk of Fame. More than 2000 movie stars and celebrities have left their signature here. The first star of the Walk of Fame was Walt Disney in 1955. The Walk of Fame is situated on the Hollywood Boulevard and Pine Street. Along the Hollywood Boulevard you can also see the famous Kodak Theatre of Chinese Theatre. In this theatre the yearly Oscars are handed out each February. Regularly the theatre displays the prime showing of big blockbuster movies.
The rich movie stars like to live in the luxurious neighbourhood Beverly Hills. The chances are that you will run into a movie star when you are walking these streets. On the streets special maps are sold with which you can go look for the houses of celebrities. One of the most expensive streets to go shopping is in the Rodeo Drive neighbourhood. Here the chances are quite big again that you will spot a celeb.
Santa Monica was once a small coastal town where not too much was happening with its 10.000 inhabitants. The coastal town was annexed by Los Angeles. The city kept expanding and slowly Santa Monica became a neighbourhood of LA. The Santa Monica Pier is known from different movies and tv-series. Especially fans of Bay Watch are familiar with the famous pier. On the pier a small theme park is situated where you can perfectly enjoy yourself. Do not forget to go for a ride in the ferris wheel at the Santa Monica Pier.
In the native slang Venice Beach is also called Muscle beach. Bodybuilders and skaters are determinant for the image of the street. On the boulevard there are different street artists to be found that entertain visitors. Does it seem cool to you to learn how to surf? Venice Beach is then definitely the place for you to be! It is a famous place to surf where the waves are almost always good to surf. There is a surf school where you can take lessons in surfing.
One of the most cheerful places to go in Los Angeles is Disneyland of course. It is the first theme park that Walt Disney opened. The park is fully built from his own vision. From Downtown LA it takes about half an hour to get there. Disneyland consists of two parks. The original park as Walt Disney imagined it and Disney California Adventure Park. The last park is based more on California. Of course there are also typical Disney rides to be found, such as from the little mermaid and Monsters & Co.
The last couple of years more and more Americans have moved to Malibu. This neighbourhood of Los Angeles is popular because of its beautiful beaches and nature. With a bit of luck you can spot a big movie star on the beach. Most of them enjoy their privacy and would not just go to the public beach of Malibu. The most beautiful beaches are: El Matador, Zuma and Westward Beach. There are free parking spaces available close to the beaches if you are on time. Paid parking is quite expensive so make sure you get there in time.
Griffith Parj could be seen as the Central Park of Los Angeles. The park is situated in Santa Monica and is a gigantic city park. In the park there are different activities to enjoy. For instance there is a big amphitheater, walking route, golf course and the famous Hollywood Sign. Unfortunately it is not possible anymore to get close to the sign. In the past the sign is used a number of times to commit suicide. This is the reason that they decided to close access to the sign for visitors.
Situated in Griffith Park is the LA Zoo. This is the zoo of Los Angeles. The zoo is opened everyday, except for Christmas. Besides different species of animals, the zoo also knows botanical gardens. In these gardens you will find plantspecies from all over the world. From orchids from Hongkong to Mexican plants.
In Griffith Park lies the Griffith Observatory, this is the star centre of Los Angeles. There are different showcasings and you can look through the telescope yourself. Admission to the observatory is free and it is of course always good to have seen it once. The building has been used quite regularly as a set for tv-shows and films.
The Walt Disney Concert Halls features unique architecture. The building knows modern design and has been opened in 2003. The building was designed by architect Frank Gehry. This American architect has, amongst others, deisgned the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao. Different shows are displayed in this building. The concert hall is the home base of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. May you want to visit a concert, then it is a good idea to reserve a ticket in advance.
In America you have probably heard of China Town. In Downtown Los Angeles you will find, besides China Town, Little Tokio. In this area you will find dozens of Japanese restaurants. Besieds the restaurants some shops are worth visiting if you are a fan of video games. One of the sights to see in Little Tokio is the Japanese watchtower.
The Farmers Market is opened daily and consists of different shops and stalls with fresh foods. It is fun to walk on the market and potentially visit a little restaurant. A visit to the Farmers Market is also a little bit of history. On the market you will namely find the old Gilmore Oil Co gas station. The market has seen a recent increase in its popularity, especially amongst real foodies.
