Last Updated on July 5, 2016
Road tripping around California made it super easy to take in the sights that are the playground to the rich, famous and glamorous, with kids in tow. California is a great place that I’m sure we will be back to time and time again with the kids as we always feel like we can never see enough– at the end of the trip we are always wishing that we had more time to see more.
Take a look at our thoughts of some of the famous spots in the LA area of California:
Downtown Hollywood
When visiting LA, a visit to Hollywood is always at the top of everyone’s list. It had been nine years since we ventured into downtown Hollywood, so we felt the need to re-experience the quest for fame and fortune. It was exactly as we had remembered it – a big tourist trap. Tour ‘pushers’ standing only a few feet away from the last one, shoving brochures in your face, and your surroundings just feel dirty. Walking around the strip, we couldn’t help but think about what a pity it is that this glorified part of Hollywood is tempered by the tour hawkers who are continually in your face.
The cool part, however, is seeing the “Walk-Of-Fame”, though don’t expect it to be as amazing as you imagine it would be from all the media hype. It really is just stars embedded in the sidewalks along that millions walk over every year. What is impressive, though, is that the Hollywood Walk of Fame comprises more than 2,500 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars, covering 15 blocks of Hollywood sidewalk.
It’s also neat to check out the pavement outside the Chinese Theatre, with many hand and foot prints from around 200 Hollywood stars. Most people come to the Chinese Theatre for the hand and foot imprints. Legend says that Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped into the wet cement outside the new building during construction, and in response, theater owner Sid Grauman fetched Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to repeat the “mistake” with their feet and hands, beginning the tradition.
If you’ve been to Times Square in New York, you won’t be surprised when you’re walking the main Hollywood strip and all around you are different characters and superheroes trying to convince you to pose with them for a payment. Madison had just been to Disneyland and fell in love with Minnie and Mickey Mouse and was so excited when she saw the two characters standing on the sidewalk. She couldn’t look away or wander away until she had her photo with Mickey and Minnie. Some of the character costumes are so bad that they look like they are on drugs, but luckily this Minnie and Mickey she picked were the ones that closest resembled everyone’s favourite Disney Mice.
We spent only a couple hours at most exploring this main strip again this time. And really, that’s all you need.
Hollywood Sign
For visitors to Los Angeles, there really is no more of a desired photo than to get a shot of the world famous Hollywood Sign. It can be seen from several points over LA and we were able to capture it from a couple different points. At first, our GPS took us through residential streets along drive up Beachwood Drive (north of Hollywood Boulevard) and we were presented with the unique view you see below. When we realized we were really going nowhere, we went to Mulholland Drive, which has a specific viewpoint officially called the ‘Hollywood Bowl Overlook’ that offers a wonderful view of the Hollywood Sign, as well as the LA skyline.
Beverly Hills – Sunset Blvd – Rodeo Drive
One thing I absolutely love about California is the palm tree lined streets. They were especially gorgeous in Beverly Hills, home to many Hollywood stars. Beverly Hills also features the upscale shopping street of Rodeo Drive and the famous Beverly Hills hotel. Even if we weren’t snatching up items from any of the expensive Rodeo Drive shops, it was at least fun to venture around Beverly Hills and check out the playground to the rich, the famous and the glamorous.
Have you ever visited “Hollywood”? What were your thoughts?
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