Los Angeles: traffic jams and movie studios

LA traffic

El Pueblo

Mexican wrestling masks

Grand Central Market

Hollywood

Chinese Theatre

Dolby Theatre

Dolby Theatre

The Oscar

Hannibal Lecter's celblock

Walk of Fame

LA Superman

Hollywood

Hollywood Sign

TES_1356

LA

Universal Studios

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Hogwarts Express

Olivander

Venice Beach

With the heat rising in Tucson, it was time to look for cooler places. Our first stop on our California road trip: Los Angeles!

Coming from deserted desert roads, Los Angeles is more the city of traffic jams than angels though. The city seemed endless while sitting in the car trying to reach the hotel. And because Hollywood or Beverly Hills was out of budget range, we ended up in the south area of the city, not very strategic when you plan on visiting Hollywood and Universal Studios, all in the north. I must admit that Google Maps mislead me by saying both destinations were only 30 min by car from the hotel. Sure, when Los Angeles is deserted maybe, which never happens...

So it took us an hour to get somewhere every time, which surely was annoying, but it could be worse (or so I heard) and we sure didn't let the famous LA traffic spoil our trip!

We started our discovery of LaLaLand in the area called 'El Pueblo', the site of the original Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. Touristy and fake, but a must do to understand the Hispanic origins. It wasn't always an entertainment hub after all. It is also a good place for authentic Mexican food and wrestling masks...The nearby area 'Downtown' pleasantly surprised us. It is a buzzing area with lots of shops, cafes, the beautiful Walt Disney Concert Hall and the nice Grand Central Market, an indoor market in operation since 1917 turned 'Markthal'. From delicious Falafel to Asian cuisine, you can sure get a good lunch there.

Our last stop in downtown LA was the Japanese American National Museum, dedicated to telling the complicated and painful story of the Japanese immigrants in the States during and after the Second World War. Even more impressive when there's an old lady walking next to you telling her own experiences...

The next day it was time for a more stereotypical side of LA: Hollywood. The area itself breathed less of a 'fame vibe' than I expected, having lost most of its glory to shabby tourist shops and expensive eateries. But, again, this is just a 'you have to see this once in your life' kind of place. There was one thing in particular that I was really excited about: the Dolby Theatre tour, a must do for the cinema (Oscar!) lovers and celeb geeks (c'est moi). A guide leads you through the empty theatre while telling all the ins and outs about the Academy Awards show, where the true stars sip their champagne and where the not so great stars stare at them, where they walk after winning and get a burger after losing. I consider this priceless information...And to make sure that we had the right faces with the names (and by lack of seeing them 'in the wild') we also paid a visit to Madame Tussauds. Paying 20 bucks to get a picture (or 50) with Leo is so worth it. Another great place for movie geeks is the Hollywood Museum, where thousands of famous set pieces, outfits and objects are on display. Start with the dungeon, and see if Hannibal Lecter's celblock freaks you out...

To end the day we visited the beautiful Griffith Observatory, high up the Hollywood hills. Not only is the observatory itself very interesting, it also has the best views of the city and of the famous Hollywood sign (they make it look so much bigger on tv).

A trip to LA would not be complete without a visit to one of the famous movie studios. All of them offer guided tours and most also have a museum. But there is only one with a theme park: the Universal studios. Their top attraction is the brand new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, with a completely rebuilt village and Hogwarts Castle. And it looked so real it made my heart skip a beat. You can buy a personal wand, buy the chocolate frogs and get a picture with the Hogwarts Express (without having to walk into a wall). The best part is the main attraction 'Harry Potter and the forbidden journey' and the fun already starts while waiting in line. You walk through Hogwarts, passing talking portraits, the classroom of 'Defense against the dark arts', Dumbledore's office and the glass house of 'Herbology'. Finally you receive 3d glasses and the ride begins!

And even though the Jurassic Park, Shrek and Minion rides where also highly entertaining, the best part of the park was really the Studio Tour. In 45 minutes you ride by tram past real working Universal studios and also through several 4d attractions, like King Kong and Fast and Furious (3d glasses again!). They also show you how they blow up a subway station and flood the streets of a South American village. Their famous 'back lot' where complete New York style streets and entire 'fishing villages' are built, was another mind-blowing thing to see. At the end of the tour you just know: nothing is what it seems in film...

To end our stay in LaLaLand we drove by Venice Beach on a very foggy grey morning. The quietness was a relief, but because of it the famous beach did not impress me as much as I'd hoped. Luckily it wouldn't be our last beach, since we followed the West Coast further north.

To be continued...