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Jetsetter Column: Californian Road trip
By Emily Taylor (Age 15, England)
Release the Jet-Setter in you with our newest column all about Travelling! Need inspiration on where to go next? Find out about Holiday destinations all over the world!
Sea, Sun and Sand not enough for you? How about adding the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, fabulous shopping and the odd famous face? Now what more could you want? And what more could you get on a Californian Road trip?
In the next few articles we’ll look along the Californian coastline exploring what some of this versatile state has to offer.
Our first stop: Los Angeles.
Now you just need to fill every hour of your time with fun, fun, and fun! And in this remarkable city it won’t a hard job. Here is your step by step guide of how to utilise each and every day you have to the best of your (and my) ability.
Day 1.
To get almost anywhere in LA you need a car, and the air conditioning it comes with, or trust me you’ll not survive long and head down to Hollywood Boulevard and Vine. Today you will be walking along the Hollywood walk of Fame, embedded with over 2,000 famous names of TV/Movie stars, Fictional characters and fierce directors. You can’t miss Grauman’s Chinese Theater complete with stars hand and foot prints outside. Next door is the Kodak theater, home to the Oscars, you can walk up the famed stairs many mega stars have before you and inside is one of the best places to see the Hollywood sign!
Take the rest of the day to get away from tourist traps and shop where the locals do. The Beverly Center, a shopping mall and cinema complex that is nice for a quick browse and possibly a flash of a famous face! I was lucky enough to meet the English star of Torchwood, actor John Barrowman whilst he was shopping for suitcases!
Day 2.
Another day filled with shopping? One of my favourite places in LA was The Grove. (And not just because it’s a Celebrity Hotspot!) The outdoor mall is full of people sipping coffee at small cafes round the large water fountain, situated in the middle of the vast space. As well as a place to relax the Grove also has big American brands like Barnes and Noble, Abercrombie and Fitch and Forever 21. The place comes to life at night and you might consider dinner at the popular Cheese Cake Factory!
Next door is LA’s famous Farmers Market. Full to the brim with unusual and gorgeous food and an atmosphere that is somehow more real than the rest of the city; the Farmers Market is definitely worth stopping at for lunch and dinner any day of the week!
Finally stars are always spotted walking down Robertson Boulevard and Melrose Avenue, both famous shopping districts and you should be too! Melrose is known for its Vintage stores and Robertson for the high end designer boutiques like Kitson (celeb favourite and good to pick up a small souvenir or a big one if you can afford it!)
Day 3.
The highlight of LA for me was the Warner Brothers Deluxe tour.
“The Deluxe tour is a special five-hour tour that explores in-depth the craft of movie-making, with lunch in the Commissary Fine Dining Room. Led by our top tour guides, this very exclusive tour takes you into the craft shops to talk to the artisans at work, onto working production sets to talk to key crew people and an overall experience that answers the questions that you may have about how movies are made. In addition your private group will dine in the studio commissary where you have the real opportunity to dine with the stars”
warnerbros.com/vipstudiotour
It’s $225.00 (per person) price tag is worth every penny. Your tour guide will ask you your favourite shows and films so that they can tailor the tour to fit you. You get to sit on the Central Perk (Friends) couch, stroll through The Gilmore Girls village, see ‘Central Park’ where Phoebe and Rachel went for a run and climb the Batman (title sequence) steps. Seeing places they film in and learning how they redesign buildings over and over again to get the right look, means you can never watch a WB production again without yelling “I’ve been there” or “I bet that’s that building” at the TV. Eating in the Commissary Fine Dining Room is also a wonderful treat, knowing that you are possibly eating at the same table as names like George Clooney and Steven Spielberg in a place that many of Warner Bros major deals have been made. The experience is invaluable and one of the best things you can do!
On your way down to the studios you will pass lots of famous places like the Hollywood Bowl so keep your eyes open!
Day 4.
Today is a mixed up day, made up of visits to lots (all equally good) places.
First up, Rodeo Drive like Robertson is home to lots of high end shops, high end cars and high end people. But seeing as that’s Hollywood in a nut shell, it’s a must!
Then off to Beverly Hills to see some Hollywood Homes. I wouldn’t bother with a proper tour, just print a map off the internet before you go (or sneakily follow a tour van). The late Michael Jackson’s pad is worth a look! For the rest of the day head to Santa Monica Pier, it’s a bit of a drive but worth it, especially if you stay till night time, where the place comes to life with candyfloss and bright lights. Much better if you are with a group of friends or with siblings so you can enjoy the fun fair rides.
Day 5.
On your last day in LA head down to Venice Beach and Marina del Rey. Sadly I never made it on to Venice Beach where it’s rumoured to be swarming with Muscle heads and Blonde ‘Katie Prices’ due to excessive traffic and high car parking tolls, so get there early! All was not lost though as I replaced the sights of Venice Beach with the much more natural ones of Marina del Rey. You can however do both in a day. Once in Marina del Rey buy a ticket for the water express (just like a bus but on water) it circles the Marina dropping you off at places like Fisherman’s Village, a very small village complete with live music, seals, other amazing wildlife and most importantly ice cream! . Whilst on the water bus you can start some fascinating conversations with the locals (they use the bus to get everywhere!)
Miley Cyrus fans don’t forget to head up to Toluca Lake where the starlet now has two houses, one for herself and one for the family. Yet again it is a great place to see how Californians live and you never know you might see Miss Cyrus at a Pink berry! Also if you consider getting tickets to a show taping be prepared to get there super early! I had tickets to a taping of Ruby & the Rockits and despite getting there an hour before the designated time, making it down to the top 20 (first come first serve policy and there was over 100 eager people waiting) every single person got turned away due to the seats being filled with friends and regulars (every time you don’t get in you get given a ticket giving you first priority if you come again, and the best thing is it never expires!) Despite waiting 3 hours to reap no obvious rewards I did get into Studio City and to be in the same place Disney hits like Wizards of Waverly Place are filmed, yes Selena Gomez works there, so all was not lost!
I would also recommend lunch or dinner at a Mel’s Diner. Curly fires galore all set within four walls of old style Americana complete with a juke box in every booth.
Whilst driving between the glamour of Hollywood, the tranquillity of Marina Del Rey and getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of LA life, it suddenly dawns on you that you are in one of the most beautiful and culturally diverse places in the world. And if you are anything like me, you won’t ever want to leave!
Next time we sadly part with LA to travel up through Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway (Route 101) stopping at quaint villages up till Carmel and then on to San Francisco to continue our magical journey through a magical state!
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