Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
155
Overrated
L.A.'s Top Tourist Traps
Some things ar e better left unspoken and , in some cir cumstances, unseen as
well. Such is the case with the f ollowing schlock-shock attrac tions, the k ind
of money-sucking businesses that do a very, very poor job at attracting repeat
clientele. Not surprisingly , they 're all locat ed in the hear t of Holly wood on
cheese-laden Hollywood Boulevard.
Hollywood Guinness W orld Records Museum
Scale models , phot ographs,
and push-button displays of the w orld's fattest man, biggest plant, smallest
woman, fast est animal , and other superlativ es don 't make f or a superlativ e
experience. 6764 Holly wood Blvd., Hollywood.
&
323/463-6433.
www.guinness
attractions.com. Admission $13 adults , $7 childr en ages 6 t o 12. Daily 10am t o
midnight.
The Hollywood Wax Museum
Cast in the M adame Tussaud mold, the Hol-
lywood Wax Museum f eatures more than 120 lif elike figures of mo vie stars,
many of whom ar e still k icking. A wax r eplica of M arilyn Monroe I can under-
stand, but Ben A ffleck? Eeew. Yes, it's pretty cheesy and o verpriced for what
it off ers, but it can still be good f or a c orny laugh or t wo. 6767 Holly wood
Blvd., Hollywood.
&
323/462-8860.
www.hollywoodwax.com. Admission $16
adults, $14 seniors , $7 childr en ages 6 t o 12, fr ee for k ids age 5 and under .
Daily 10am t o midnight.
Ripley's “Believe It Or Not!” Museum
Believe it or not, this tir ed dog of a
“museum” is still open. I ts bizarre collection of 300 wax figur es, photos, and
models depicts unnatural oddities fr om Robert Leroy Ripley's infamous arse -
nal. My favorite oddities include the skeleton of a two-headed baby, a statue of
Marilyn Monroe sculpted with shredded money, and a portrait of John Wayne
made from laundry lint. Right. 6780 Hollywood Blvd.
&
323/466-6335.
www.
ripleys.com. Admission $15 adults , $9 childr en ages 5 t o 12, fr ee for children
ages 4 and under. Sunday through Thursday 10am to midnight.
7
like it on a map , but B eachwood Drive does not lead to the sign. I f you want to r each
the sign on foot, it requires a rather arduous 5-mile round-trip hike on the Brush Canyon
Trail in Griffith Park—the trail head is at the end of Cany on Drive. For more informa-
tion call the Griffith Park headquarters at
&
323/913-4688.
When it opened in 1934, the original
Farmers Market
at the intersection of 3rd
Street and Fairfax Boulevard was little mor e than an empty lot with wooden stands set
up by farmers during the Depression so they could sell directly to city dwellers. Eventu-
ally, permanent buildings gr ew up , including the trademar k shingled 10-stor y clock
tower. Today the place has ev olved into a sprawling mar ketplace with a carniv al atmo-
sphere, a kind of “ turf” version of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. About 70 restau-
rants, shops, and gr ocers cater to a mix of wor kers fr om the CBS Television City
complex, locals, and tourists br ought here by the busload. R etailers sell gr eeting cards,
kitchen implements, candles, and souv enirs, but ev eryone comes for the food stands,
which offer oysters, hot doughnuts, Cajun gumbo, fr esh-squeezed orange juice, corned
