I was fortunate enough to visit LA (followed by Chicago) on business in November 2005. “Fortunate” because I was able to fly from the UK on Saturday giving me the whole of Sunday free for sightseeing. My hotel was located in Pasadena which is a reasonable drive from LAX and most of the things in LA that I wanted to see, but close to the office!
I started Sunday morning with a drive to try and see the famous Hollywood sign, relying on the Hertz rental car’s GPS in order to get me there. I ended up in Griffith Park, which provided pleasant walking trails in the hills overlooking the city as well as a good view of the “Hollywood” sign. Unfortunately the Observatory at Griffith Park was undergoing renovations and was therefore closed to the public.
I left Griffith Park and headed over to Mann’s Chinese Theatre, where the stars hand and footprints can be found in the concrete forecourt. After taking a guided tour of the theatre (with just one other person) walked along the Walk of Fame, looking at the stars on the pavement.
A quick stop for some lunch and then it was off to Beverley Hills, and Rodeo Drive. Rodeo Drive was surprisingly busy for a Sunday and walking up and down this street lined with extremely expensive shops was interesting, but I only went into Brooks Brothers – everything else was outside of my price range.
A short drive away and I was at Santa Monica Beach, despite the time of year a walk along the seashore was very pleasant, with a light jacket on! I spent a little while walking along the beach and the Santa Monica pier before heading over to the somewhat more eclectic Venice Beach (and wished I stayed at Santa Monica instead).
With this very hectic, but fun day coming to a close I drove back to my hotel, passing the famous Paramount Studios entrance on route.
