I’ve lived in Los Angeles longer than I’ve lived anywhere else. I wasn’t born here, but after 25 years I think I have earned the right to call myself a Los Angeleno.
I visited LA when I was a teenager and it was love at first sight. After I graduated from college, I packed up all my worldly belongings and made a beeline for the big city. There is something magical about living in Los Angeles, and while there are definitely pockets of what you would call “seedy” neighborhoods, there is a glamour you can’t really escape. To me, Los Angeles is all about Hollywood.
I love movies. I love old ones, new ones and especially the currently-being-filmed ones. Part of living in Los Angeles is being able to see movies and television shows being filmed just about everywhere. Streets and buildings will be closed off at a moment’s notice. You’ll see signs everywhere for the film crews. And what is really fun is sitting in a theater watching a film and pointing out all the landmarks you’ve been to.
My children were born here… and for some reason they have never really seen what Hollywood is all about. We decided to show them some of my favorite sites.
This is the Paramount Studios main gate on Melrose Blvd. If you ever have the chance to visit the studio lot, you should definitely do it. It’s amazing. I interviewed for a job there when I first moved to LA and it was an incredible place. There is movie magic everywhere and you can almost picture what it was like back in the 40’s and 50’s with the movie stars walking around. I never had any desire to be an actress or a director, but being at the studio was such a fun experience.
The Grauman’s Chinese Theater is perhaps one of the most visited tourist spots in all of Los Angeles. It still shows movies, but the real draw are the hand and foot prints of celebrities forever plastered in the cement blocks in front of the theater. You really haven’t experienced Hollywood until you’ve literally stood in the footsteps of Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne.
I always get a kick out of driving by the Capital Records building. Designed to look like a stack of records (you know, the kind that actually used to be made of vinyl), although I guess now you could say it looks like a stack of CD’s, this iconic building represents the talented musicians who have recorded here in Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is also one of those iconic tourist attractions. You can find pretty much anybody who was anybody in the realm of entertainment. Stars are still being laid down today and hopefully will continue for many decades to come. You could walk in circles trying to find your favorite stars… I was lucky to find Marlon Brando as soon as I stepped out of the car.
When I was a whole lot younger and actually still purchased records, Tower Records was my store of choice. Now that Tower closed it’s doors, Amoeba Records in Hollywood is really one of the only places you can still find LP’s for purchase. This has become an iconic symbol of the way music once was… the way it was originally listed to. I still have a huge box of my records stored in the garage. Just can’t give them up, despite the fact that I have no way to actually play them anymore.
Look familiar? This is the Griffith Observatory, the site of the famous scene from Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean and Natalie Wood. Love that movie.
There are so many amazing sites to see throughout Los Angeles. If you come visit, I’d be happy to suggest some must-see places. And if you live in Los Angeles, when was the last time you acted like a tourist and got out to see your city?
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I have never been to LA but it’s on my list of places to go at some point! The farthest west I’ve been is Las Vegas.
Where did you move to LA from?
I grew up in Connecticut, went to college in Philadelphia, and lived in Manhattan for a while, but I will always consider Los Angeles my real home.
I was born in Los Angeles and to this day I still love Los Angeles, I haven’t lived there for a little over 15 years but I do visit often and all the places you visited are all the places that I have great and priceless memories from.
I wouldnt want to live there, but I love visiting. Amazing how quickly time passes. I believe its been at least 12 years since I’ve been in LA (sad, but true). So many places to visit, so few travel dollars 🙁
I LOVE LA…I mean LOVE it! I wouldn’t live many other places….great photos/post!
It’s so funny, I never visioned myself living here. I visited while in College, and the city didn’t wow me, but as you will soon, and have seen, I’ve adapted to this city so well, and love all that it offers.
But from an outside perspective I never would have realized what this city has to offer, but only for a local, living, residing, and experiencing it has changed my perspective completely.
It’s been a long time since I was a tourist in LA; being from the area tends to make me look for other places to visit. Thanks for reminding me of all the great places in my own back yard!
Ahh, I love LA so much. Lived there for 6 years and go back as often as possible.
Love the music theme in your post! Capitol Records is classic.
How cool! We visited LA last year, and it was awesome! We saw a lot of what was in the photos. Unfortunately, there was an event at Grauman’s, so we couldn’t get close enough to see the footprints. There was a premiere going on the night we were there, and though I love this kind of thing, my husband and kids didn’t want to wait around any longer. I read the next day that Ben Stiller came out and shook hands with people right we were standing, and it was right after we left! We also drove right by premiere of The Help the next day, but it was just too crowded to stop. So fun!! Have you checked out the LA Dream Center? It’s an amazing non-profit that helps the homeless, drug addicts, etc. Check it out! Thanks for the post!
Thanks, Kelly. I haven’t heard of the LA Dream Center but I’ll look it up. I know there is a place downtown at Union Station where we donate stuff to but I don’t remember the name of the specific organization.