Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
60
Stay at Grauman's for the:
3
Movie Stars' Homes Tour
Oh, c'mon! You know you want to do it.
It's not like y ou're the only one who feels
slightly guilty b y paying to peek into the
private lives of Harrison Ford, Barbra Stre-
isand, and Richar d G ere (hey , nobody
forced them buy a home ar ound H olly-
wood). B esides, y ou're alr eady her e—the
2-hour tours leave every half-hour between
9:30am and 5:30pm in front of Grauman's
Chinese Theatre. Just buy a ticket at the
Starline kiosk in front of you, hop into an
air-conditioned minibus, and let the v oy-
eurism begin. See p. 193.
through a cross section of nearly everything
the western side of Los Angeles has to offer.
See p. 150 for an itinerar y of the Strip.
Drive south on the PCH into the big-city beach town
of Santa Monica, and park at the:
6
Santa Monica Pier
Built in 1908 for passenger and cargo
ships, the pier does a pr etty good job of
recapturing the glor y days of S outhern
California. Buy an ice-cr eam cone at one
of the snack shacks and stroll seaward past
the wooden car ousel, r oller coaster , and
arcades, then buy a ticket to ride the Ferris
wheel (when's the last time y ou rode on a
Ferris wheel?). See p. 156.
From the pier, walk south to the carnival-like stretch
known as:
7
Venice Beach's Ocean Front
Walk
For first-timers, this pseudo-bohemian
4
MUSSO & FRANK GRILL
Time f or lunch. Walk do wn the str eet t o
Musso & F rank Grill , Holly wood's oldest
restaurant (since 1919) and a paragon of
Hollywood's halc yon-era g rillrooms. P art
restaurant, par t museum, this is wher e
Faulkner, Hemingwa y, and Orson Welles
derived liquid inspiration during their
scene is a bit of a shock to the senses: a
surreal assemblage of str eet per formers,
musicians, musclemen pumping serious
iron, apocalyptic ev angelists, br eak danc-
ers, stoned drummers, and endless schlock
shops. By now your feet are probably talk-
ing to y ou, so stop at one of the outdoor
cafes and hav e a beer while taking in the
scene. This is also wher e y ou can r ent a
bike and cruise along the 8-mile bike path
that runs along the beach.
screenwriting days. Slither into one of the
red-leather booths, order one of the leg-
endary martinis or bloody marys from the
gruff r ed-coated wait ers, and w ork on
that A tkins diet with a fat rib -eye. 6667
Hollywood Blv d. (at Cher okee A ve.).
&
323/467-7788.
See p. 134.
4
After lunch, waddle to your rented convertible red
Mustang (you did rent a convertible red Mustang,
didn't you?), put in a
Best of the Beach Boys
CD, and
slowly cruise the legendary:
5
Sunset Boulevard & The Sunset
Strip
This 45-minute-or-so drive takes you from
sorta-seedy Hollywood to flamboyant West
Hollywood, past the money ed miniman-
sions of B everly H ills, thr ough neighbor-
hoods most people can 't affor d to liv e in
such as Westside and B rentwood, winding
your way into the secluded enclav e of
Pacific Palisades toward Malibu, and finally
the P acific Coast H ighway (“PCH, ” if
you're hip). The entir e driv e takes y ou
8
JODY MARONI'S SAUSAGE
KINGDOM
Along the Oc ean Front Walk is a brightly
colored f ood stand called Jody M aroni's
Sausage K ingdom (look f or the line), a
favorite among sausage-worshiping locals.
The all-natural , pr eservative-free “haute
dogs” come in all sorts of flavors—Toulouse
garlic, Bomba y curried lamb , orange -gar-
lic-cumin—served on a fr eshly baked
onion r oll and smother ed with g rilled
onions and peppers. No matter which one
you choose, they're all wieners. 2011 Ocean
Front Walk (north of Venice Blvd.).
&
310/
822-5639.
See p. 116.
