Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10
5
THE BEST THINGS TO DO FOR FREE
(OR ALMOST)
•
Cruising Mulholland Drive:
Ride past
the homes with million-dollar vie ws,
and then stop at the public vie wing
pullouts to see the splay ed-out city in
all its smoggy glor y. I t's ev en mor e
romantic at night, when the lights of
the city and the v alley twinkle belo w.
See p. 190.
•
Evening J azz Performances:
The Los
Angeles County M useum of Ar t offers
free jazz concer ts ev ery Thursday and
Friday evening. It's the perfect coda to a
satisfying day of ar t appr eciation. S ee
p. 168.
•
Free Admission Days to L.A.'s Muse-
ums:
I f it 's fr ee, bab y, it 's for me.
Almost all of L.A. 's ar t galleries and
museums are open fr ee to the public 1
day of the w eek or month, and sev eral
never charge admission. See p. 166.
•
Hollywood B owl R ehearsals:
Fe w
people know about the Bowl's morning
rehearsals, which are open to the public
and absolutely fr ee. B ring coffee and
doughnuts and enjo y the best seats in
the house. See p. 274.
•
Going to the G etty Center:
I alr eady
mentioned it abo ve and I' ll mention it
again her e because one of L.A. 's best
attractions is absolutely fr ee ( J.P.G.
doesn't need your money). See p. 157.
•
Paying Your Respects at the Cemeter-
ies of the Stars:
Spend some downtime
with H umphrey Bogar t, Clar k G able,
Karen Carpenter, and all their famous
pals at L.A. 's most enduring celebrity
hangouts. S ix public cemeteries sho w-
case the final per formances of B ette
Davis, L ucille B all, M arilyn M onroe,
and doz ens mor e famous names. S ee
p. 200.
•
Watching O ne of Your F avorite TV
Sitcoms Being Taped:
Alternately bor-
ing and fascinating (the old hurr y-up-
and-wait syndrome), being an audience
member gives you the chance to wander
the soundstage, mar vel at the cheesy
three-wall sets that look so r eal on TV,
and get an inside look at the bloopers
that nev er make it to br oadcast—and
are often far more entertaining than the
scripted dialogue. S ee “Liv e-Audience
TV Tapings” on p. 195.
1
6
THE BEST OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES
•
Dining b y H elicopter:
I mpress y our
sweetie with a helicopter tour of the city
that ends with a fr ont-door drop-off at
a r omantic r estaurant. G et that ring
ready. See p. 194.
•
Flying a World War II F ighter Air-
craft:
Don your parachute, strap y our-
self into the 600-horsepo wer fighter
aircraft, and prepare to have your mind
blown as y ou (yes, you) per form aero-
batic maneuv ers—loops, r olls, lazy-
8s—high above the California coastline.
An aviation company in Carlsbad giv es
nonpilots the chance to fly in a 1920s-
era biplane ride, and to actually fly—as
in control the stick—other to ys on the
tarmac, including a pair of modern
prop-driven dog fighters. It's an experi-
ence you'll never forget. See p. 291.
•
Learning How to Surf:
What could be
more fun during y our L.A. v acation
than learning ho w to sur f on the same
breaks that the Beach Boys surfed? Surf-
ing schools such as
Learn to Surf L.A.
in M anhattan B each will guarantee
you'll get up on a longboar
d and be
