Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
194
Plane Spotting at LAX
You've undoubtedly heard of train spotters—those supergeeks sporting a pair of
binoculars in one hand and a journal in the other—but what about plane spot-
ters? The hobby of maintaining meticulous records of every type of commercial
aircraft spotted has become so popular that the city of El Segundo recently
invested $150,000 into a “hilltop aircraft observation area” near LAX, complete
with benches, tables, and telescopes. It's located at the end of the southern run-
ways on West Imperial Avenue between Sepulveda Boulevard and Main Street.
For more information, log on to www.planespotting.com.
Walking Tours
If you want the classic H ollywood walking tour ,
Red Line Tours
(
&
323/402-1074;
www.redlinetours.com) offers daily sightseeing expeditions to all the famous (and infa-
mous) landmarks in Hollywood. Its unique “live-audio” system allows customers to hear
the tour guide even over the city noise. C ustomers wear an audio headset r eceiver while
the tour guide w ears a headset micr ophone transmitter (pr etty clev er, actually). Trips
depart fr om the S tella A dler A cademy & Theatres (6773 H ollywood B lvd.) at 10am,
noon, 2pm, and 4pm, 7 days a w eek. Rates ar e $20 for adults, $18 for students and
seniors, and $15 for childr en ages 9 to 15. Tours of Downtown L.A. are offered as well
(see “L.A.'s Top Architectural Tours,” p. 180). Log on to the R ed Line Tour website for
more information.
The
L.A. Conservancy
(
&
213/623-2489;
www.laconservancy.org) conducts about
a dozen entertaining walking tours of historic D owntown L.A. I n Pasadena,
Pasadena
Heritage
(
&
626/441-6333
;
www.pasadenaheritage.org) offers a walking tour of O ld
Pasadena. (For both tours, see the bo x “L.A.'s Top Architectural Tours,” on p. 180.)
7
Bicycle Tours
Perry's Beach Café & Rentals in Santa Monica offers 1
1
/
2
-hour bicycle tours of the Santa
Monica and Venice beach communities. It's a great way to explore the area while learning
about its histor y and landmar k ar chitecture. The package costs $30 per person and
includes a tour guide, an additional 1
1
/
2
-hour bike r ental with pr otective gear, water, a
bike lock, and goody bag.
Note:
A minimum of three people is required for the tour. For
more information or to make a r eservation, call
&
310/939-0000.
Helicopter Tours
Touring L.A. fr om above is cer tainly a unique perspectiv e. Just the thrill of riding in a
helicopter is worth the price.
Celebrity Helicopters
(
&
877/999-2099;
www.celebheli.
com) offers a wide array of themed trips, ranging fr om a 35-minute Celebrity H ome
Tour ($189) to a 25-minute fly-by of the L.A. coastline ($149). Other tour packages are
available as well; check the website for more information.
Jogging Tours
Off 'N R unning Tours
(
&
310/246-1418;
www .offnrunningtours.com) combines
sporting with sightseeing, taking joggers on guided r uns thr ough Los Angeles. The
themed tours such as “R unning from the Paparazzi” are customized to take in the most
