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Los Angeles Things to Do

5 Most Popular Los Angeles Attractions

You can call it the City of Angels, Southland and even lala-land. But no matter what you nickname Los Angeles, it really is one of the biggest and most fascinating cities in the United States, and one that is worth visiting. With year-round sunshine and sandy beaches, Los Angeles holidays provide many tourist attractions that can keep anyone entertained for days.

Universal Studios

Not only does Universal Studios make movies, it also has guided tours where visitors take a look at how movies are created, and entertaining rides with movie themes.

During the guided tours, you will learn the ins and outs of special effects, be a part of the movie-making experience, and perhaps even meet a few stars. Afterwards, enjoy many of the studio’s eateries and gift shops and hop onto a few rides for an adventurous time.

Hollywood

Whether you go by foot or take a narrated tour bus, Hollywood is one of Los Angeles’s most famous attractions. After all, people from all over the world go there to become stars.

In Hollywood, you will find many famous landmarks such as the notable Hollywood sign, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood & Highland Center, The Hollywood History Museum, The Kodak Theatre, the Madame Tussaud’s and the star-studded Walk of Fame.

Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive

As one of the most affluent areas in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills is certainly worth a visit. If you take a drive around the neighborhood, you can get a taste of the lifestyle of the rich and famous by peeking at their mansions and beautifully groomed yards.

Beverly Hills also has Rodeo Drive, which is a world-renowned shopping street known for its high-end designer shops such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. For anyone who loves high fashion and luxury goods, Rodeo Drive is the perfect place to browse around.

Santa Monica

If you want to spend a day on the beach, do some shopping, and then enjoy the nightlife, then head to Santa Monica. This area has a beach you can surf, run and tan at, a pier that offers a ferries wheel, fishing and classic arcade games, and a shopping street that turns into lively nightlife when it gets dark. You will find many people cruising on third street promenade at night, hanging out or enjoying street entertainment.

Venice Beach

Want to visit a quirky, beach-y place that represents L.A’s relaxed and artsy lifestyle? You should spend a day on Venice Beach. This vibrant place has a stretch of sand perfect for sunbathing, surfing, rollerblading and strolling, and is a great place to spend a lazy, relaxing day at. It is also home to many of Hollywood’s favorite stars like Julia Roberts, Kate Beckinsale and Nicolas Cage.

What’s your favorite thing to do in LA?

Photo by: donielle

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Articles Los Angeles

Museum of Television and Radio

interiors_white_front_282431_m.jpgThe Museum of Television and Radio is a befitting tribute for a city whose fortunes and future were constructed by mass media entertainment.

Now named the Paley Center, the location in Beverly Hills is part reference library, part movie theater and part celebration of Television culture. Visitors have the option of looking up old video clips and pulling them up on individual screens or watching them in a “family room” for four people. The Paley Center also screens films and shows daily in their movie theater sized screening room. Visitors might find shorts looking at the work of Jim Henson, Saturday Night Live over the years, or an exploration of another theme having to do with TV.

The Museum of Television and Radio is a tribute to the media’s past, but it also weighs in on contemporary shows and trends in the industry. Every so often the center offers a Media as Lens series, which assembles a room of people in the television industry and has them weigh in on current topics in the entertainment industry and world at large.

The Museum of Television and Radio is one of those free museums with a suggested donation of $10. Although you don’t have to pay it to enter, the museum is run off of donations in addition to the trust of William S. Paley, whom the museum is now named for.

Unlike typical museums, the Paley Center does not collect artifacts and mementos from Television shows. In fact, there is almost nothing tangible in the Paley Center. The museum exists as a way for future generations to see the shows that established television into the media giant that it is today. With over 140,000 shows selected by the museum staff for their influence, innovation, quality, or success, the museum supplies a way for scholars, historians, and the general public to look into what sort of shows were popular throughout the last century and what those shows looked like.

Unfortunately, the public cannot view the museum’s collection before arriving. Visitors can contact a curator with specific questions at 212.621.6600 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. EST.

The radio component of the Museum of Television and Radio operates much the same way that the television part does. Visitors can look through a catalogue of available shows and programs and choose one to listen to. Unfortunately, copies of programs or even clips of shows are not available for the public as part of the donation agreement with the museum.

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Articles Los Angeles

The Beverly Hilton

losangeles_hollywood_rodeodrive_1002286_l1.jpgThe best location, the best views, the best service… the superlatives accompanying the Beverly Hilton are many. But the best prices? Not so fast.

The Beverly Hilton may be one of the world’s finest examples of “getting what you pay for” out of a hotel, or anything else. Yes the towels are plush and your balcony overlooks the LA Country Club or the mansions of Beverly Hills. Your breakfast comes in on a tray and leaves the same way after you’ve eaten it. Your car is valet parked upon arrival. Your credit card is required.

Luckily for the hotel, the availability of the Penthouse is more of a concern than the price of the room for most of their guests. Rooms run around $200 a night, but go up sharply if upgrading to an Oasis room or one of the Tower suites.

Much of what you pay for at the Beverly Hilton, however, comes to you outside of the room itself. The location of the hotel is second to none for those looking for a place within walking distance of spots like Rodeo Drive and the rest of Beverly Hills. Visitors report feeling important and cared for in what can be an intimidating city.

Quick Facts

The Beverly Hilton consists of 570 rooms on 8 floors and was built in 1952.

The in-room amenities include a flat screen TV and high speed Internet.

Pets under 25 pounds are allowed in the pet suites with a $10 per day extra charge.

There are two pools, one indoor, one outdoor.

The Beverly Hilton is located at 9876 Wilshire Boulevard, in Beverly Hills, at the intersection of Trenton and Wilshire. Call the front desk at 310-274-7777.

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