Star Spotting in LA
Los Angeles, USA - April, 2007
Los Angeles is 465 sq miles of flat, semi-arid desert criss-crossed by thousands of roads and freeways sprawling out to the distant hills and ocean. There are more actors and musicians living here than anywhere else in the world but with so much ground to cover where do you begin star spotting?
Having yet to spot even a “B” list celeb we headed to LA’s two most popular film studios in case they were working.
The best place to start is in the back of a vintage Jaguar and a personalised tour of LA. A stop at the Hollywood Vista Point on Mulholland Drive will help you get your bearings, as well as good photos, before driving in style up and down the streets of Hollywood Hills, Laurel Canyon, Beverley Hills and Bel Air. Your chauffeur/tour guide, who like most Angelinos only does this job between movies, will be happy to tell you on and off screen gossip and trivia. He can also show you some famous and unusual homes such as the space ship perched precariously on the side of the Hollywood Hills.
We discovered that streets named after birds often mean the houses have incredible views, especially at night when the city transforms into a sea of twinkling lights. Streets named after trees don’t have views but the long sweeping boulevards lined with mature Elm, Maple and Palm trees are equally breathtaking. As we drove into Beverly Hills the houses dramatically increased in size and value and we were surprised to discover there was one we could visit.
Set in 18.5 acres Greystone Mansion was donated to the city of Beverly Hills in 1955 and has featured in many movies and music videos. The 55 room mansion was built by oil mogul Edward Doheny for his son in 1928 and although the interior of the house is closed to the public you can peer through one of its many windows and enjoy its beautiful gardens. Our guide saw Angelina Jolie doing a photo shoot here the previous day but unfortunately all we saw were mating terrapins and Koi Carp fish.
Despite spending 2 ½ hours driving round with our mouths open we didn’t see anyone remotely famous although we did see the builders renovating Keanu Reeves house, Leonardo’s front gates and where Paris Hilton parks her car – had she been home. For every luxury home there is at least one luxury car and its perhaps not surprising that there are more Rolls Royce’s here than anywhere else in the world.
After being dropped off on glitzy Rodeo Drive we walked up and down the three blocks of designer shops but unfortunately everyone wearing large sunglasses appeared to be tourists like ourselves. At the Wiltshire Boulevard end of Rodeo Drive is Via Rodeo, a quaint cobbled street that wouldn’t look out of place in London, Rome or, since we were in LA, a movie set. After you’ve window shopped the “Golden Triangle” head for the less expensive North Beverly Drive and have lunch at Il Fornaio’s restaurant and bakery.
A much more hip shopping address is Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood although as the shops didn’t open until 11 am we had to settle for brunch outside a little café. Although a pleasant spot to watch the world go by after an hour of listening to our fellow diners talk to their dogs and feed them scrambled eggs it was definitely time to leave.
One place we were happy to stay all afternoon was The Ivy, a popular haunt of the rich and famous. Located on Robertson Boulevard, home to trendy boutiques such as Lisa Kline and Kitson, it is “the” place for lunch on a sunny day but even with a reservation be prepared to wait for one of those much desired tables on the patio.
The area around Olvera Street resembles a small Mexican town and it’s a pleasant place to spend an hour enjoying hand made tacos and icecream or listening to music in the old town square.
A luxury pub crawl is the best way to enjoy LA’s famous hotels starting with a glass of champagne in the bar at The Beverly Wiltshire, better known as The Pretty Woman Hotel. Then catch a cab the short distance to The Beverly Hills Hotel where you can sip Rodeo Martinis in the sunny garden of the Polo Lounge. Another pretty garden to spend a couple of hours is at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood but be warned the taking of photographs, even of each other, is not permitted.
A short stroll back along Sunset Boulevard will bring you to the rock n’roll “Riot Hyatt” next to the Comedy Store and the House of Blues. This was where Led Zeppelin’s drummer rode his motorcycle down the corridor and TV’s have a strange habit of being thrown out windows. From here, cross the road and finish the evening off at the uber trendy Sky Bar, set around the swimming pool of the Mondrian Hotel where, if you are lucky to get in, you can party until the small hours of the morning.
Having yet to spot even a “B” list celeb we headed to LA’s two most popular film studios in case they were working. Most of the major motion picture studios have left Hollywood for places like Burbank or Culver City but Paramount Studios has been in its current location since 1926. As it’s a working studio you can’t just turn up, you need to book a tour in advance or settle for a photo of its famous art deco entrance. On the other hand Universal Studios is more of a theme park where you can spend the day on numerous rides and attractions. It’s well worth paying extra for the No-Wait Pass and become a queue-jumping VIP.
In case they were on location in Downtown LA we headed for the cluster of skyscrapers that appeared to float on the horizon miles away from the glamour and glitz. We were thrilled to find a film crew on the steps of the Courts of Justice building but after waiting ten minutes for someone to get out a stretched limo we gave up and walked the short distance to Olvera Street where LA was founded in 1781.
The area around Olvera Street resembles a small Mexican town and it’s a pleasant place to spend an hour enjoying hand made tacos and icecream or listening to music in the old town square. A stone throw away is the art deco Union Station with its gardens and waiting room filled with leather club chairs. Even if you don’t have a train to catch its well worth visiting and you will almost certainly recognise the interior from many movies.
The rest of Downtown leaves much to be desired although the architecture is amazing it’s just a shame it’s so neglected. Fortunately, many of the historic buildings are being renovated and transformed into loft apartments and with the help of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Staples Centre it appears Downtown LA is getting a new lease of life.
For every luxury home there is at least one luxury car and its perhaps not surprising that there are more Rolls Royce’s here than anywhere else in the world.
No visit to Los Angeles is complete without a trip to the beach and Santa Monica is only a short cab ride away. Ask to be dropped off at the Third Street Promenade with its high street shops, restaurants, coffee shops and street entertainers and then take a stroll along the famous Santa Monica Pier before heading onto the beach to dodge roller-skaters and bikers. Yet again the film stars had evaded us here although they could have been disguised as one of the many tramps sleeping on the beaches and parks.
It appeared the only stars we were going to see were the ones on the pavements that make up the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Following the famous names set in gold we arrived at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre which opened in 1927. It’s highly recommended you come here early so you can study the hand, feet, duck and horse prints cast in concrete or else all you will see are the shoes of fellow tourists.
Next door at the Hollywood & Highland complex there is a fabulous view of the Hollywood sign on the hills in the distance. The sign originally said “Hollywoodland” and was erected in 1923 to advertise new housing. Other famous signs and buildings close by are the El Capitan Theatre and the Musso & Frank Grill, the oldest restaurant in LA founded in 1919.
Back on Sunset Strip we stopped at the Guitar Centre and studied the Rock Walk and briefly considered popping into Ralphs next door where supposedly the rock stars do their shopping. Instead we decided to have lunch at the Saddle Ranch Chop House, a fun wild-west restaurant with bucking bronco, saloon girls and cowboys. The tables outside overlook Starbucks or across to the art deco Sunset Tower Hotel, both good star spotting locations if the ribs and chilli hadn’t been so tasty.
LA is made up of lots of different neighbourhoods and although we visited the most famous we didn’t have time to explore Glendale or Pasadena in “The Valley” or Malibu, Venice or Marina del Rey or any of the beaches to the south. After five days in LA we only skimmed the surface and although we didn’t see one famous person we discovered there is much more to do in LA than star spotting.