5. Hollywood Boulevard/Rodeo Drive These are two of the most notorious strips in all of America! Hollywood Boulevard is where the walk of fame is and you can find your favorite celebrities' star. Also, there are tons of crazies out there dressed up in all kinds of everything to try and earn your money. So that is fun too, just do not take their picture unless you expect to give them some money. Rodeo Drive is in Beverly Hills and you are bound to run into celebrities. Last time I was there I ran into Tito Jackson and Taye Diggs. All of the high end stores can be found here and its fun to walk around and window shop. Also I discovered there is a Roots. Roots is a Canadian "Outdoors" clothing store, kind of like American Eagle and Abercrombie, that I fell in love with when I was in Canada for a summer with World Changers. This is very dangerous for me.
4. TV Show Tapings I had the opportunity to go and see a live taping of Two and a half Men. I do not like the show at all but the experience was a lot of fun! These are free to go to and any show that is filmed in front of a live audience gives out tickets for the show. Anything from Jimmy Kimmel Live and Conan to Big Bang Theory and Two and a half Men. All you have to do is go to their website and request tickets! You get to walk through the studio lot that the show is being taped on and you get to see all the behind the scene action! If you are planning a trip to Los Angeles I would recommend looking up your favorite show and see if they will be taping when you are in town.
3. The Hollywood SignWhenever you get a glimpse at the Hollywood sign from any location in Los Angeles you get excited and someone is always quick to point it out. One of the more fun times that I have had out here is finding the sign and just driving towards it. There is a neighborhood at the base of the mountain called "Hollywood Land," and when you get in it you can just take the road that leads up. You will hit numerous forks in the road, just examine the roads and much like life, take the high roads. You will eventually get to a part where the road ends and there are large signs that say you can not go any further and its illegal to walk to the sign; but a quick little stop for a photo opp is not too harmful. Just do not get caught.
2. Mountain Hiking
Los Angeles is surrounded by mountains. Currently you can see snow capped mountains from Downtown LA. Hiking trails can be found on most of these mountains, in fact there is a famous one called Runyon Canyon Park and its' trails go throughout the Hollywood Hills and under the Hollywood sign. I walked up part of one of those trails and the view was incredible! You could see the Hollywood sign, the ocean and the tops of the buildings in Downtown Los Angeles. My apartment is at the base of a mountain in Burbank and today I ventured into it. The view was amazing; however, I was wearing sandals and that was a mistake. I was intrigued by how high I was going up and then realized it was too high... it was much like a cat who climbs too high in a tree. Here is website that has all of the trails you can take in the area! LA Mountains
1. The Beach This is Southern California and even though you are in the mountains you are also a short drive to beach! Santa Monica Pier is fun, free (minus the parking) and there is also a small amusement park on the pier. The pier has several restaurants, street performers and tourist shops. Beside the pier is a "Chess Park" where you can bring your chess pieces and use the tabletop boards to play other opponents, this was actually kind of fun to watch. There is a playground and also a little place to workout beside the pier as well. There is a bike bath that goes down the middle of the beach, so you can bring your bike and ride on down the coast. A little ways down the coast is Venice beach, which is notorious for people going there to work out and be seen. If you are into people watching, this is your spot! Also I think it is a given that one must do the Baywatch run on a LA beach.
