Hollywood - Now and Forever

Description:

Back in the 70s when Angelenos first got hip to Thai food, this was their venue of choice. The good thing is, it still is. The sleek, low-lit contemporary decor complements the equally sleek and trendy clientele who patronize the place. It is also a wonderful choice for tourists visiting Hollywood. From its opening days, the most popular entree has been the spice-barbecued chicken, a mouthwatering favorite. Also not-to-be-missed is the mint leaves and chili with your choice of poultry, meat or seafood. A full bar is also available.

Description:

Runyon Canyon, nestled in the heart of Hollywood, gives any visitor to Los Angeles the power to enjoy nature and work up a sweat. Situated on 130 acres of protected recreation park land, Runyon Canyon is primarily known for its off-leash hiking, but a secluded children's park also allows families and yoga groups to enjoy the Canyon's natural beauty. Upon entering, visitors can choose three different trails that loop around each other, differing in their intensity and physical impact. Runyon Canyon is essentially off-leash, so dogs and their owners run gleefully and unimpaired. There are no services, so visitors should be prepared to take their own food and equipment. With its proximity to Hollywood, celebrities from across the gamut are seen frequenting the park and exercising to keep their celebrity figures. The Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory and Downtown are viewed brilliantly from the Canyon's summit.

Description:

This is quite simply the nerve center of the CBS Television Network. The 1952 building, later renovated in 1976, is home for many of the top CBS executives, as well as the studio where many of its programs are filmed. Free tickets for shows can be acquired from the box office for shows like Hollywood Squares and The Price is Right, usually up to one week in advance. If you're a late night talk show fan, tickets for Politically Incorrect and the Late, Late Show can also be obtained here. Tickets are free, but be advised that your ticket does not automatically guarantee you a seat. Depending on the show, you may not get in on the day you requested. The Price is Right is notoriously hard to get into. You can call for tickets or get them directly at the box office.

Description:

This very cute Mexican food restaurant sums up L.A. in a few words: bright, trendy and great for people watching. Its vibrantly colored L-shaped bar will surely draw in those looking for traditional Mexican and Californian cuisine at a reasonable price. Items on the menu range from enchiladas with chili guajillo or tomatillo sauce and tortilla soup to cure-all chilaquiles and great vegetarian tacos and burritos. Thought you might have to wait in a bit of a line, Loteria Grill's prime location in the city's Farmers Market makes this the perfect neighborhood spot.

Description:

Dearly Departed Tours gives you the raw details of Hollywood's ugly secrets, tragic deaths, and embarrassing moments. Tour operator Scott Michaels takes tourists on his 13-seater van and covers around 100 sites, including the Tate-Polanski murder location, the Happy Days house, and Sinatra's last gasp site. Tours last for a little over three hours.

Description:

Mining tycoon Col. Griffith J. Griffith donated these 4,107 acres to the city in 1896 as a Christmas gift. Today Griffith Park is the largest urban park in America. There's a lot to do here, including 53 miles of hiking trails (the prettiest is the Fern Dell trail near the Western Ave. entrance, a shady hideaway cooled by waterfalls and ferns), horseback riding, golfing, swimming, biking, and picnicking. For a general overview of the park, drive the mountainous loop road that winds from the top of Western Avenue, past Griffith Observatory, and down to Vermont Avenue. For a more extensive foray, turn north at the loop road's midsection, onto Mount Hollywood Drive. To reach the golf courses, the Museum of the American West, or Los Angeles Zoo, take Los Feliz Boulevard to Riverside Drive, which runs along the park's western edge.

Near the zoo, in a particularly dusty corner of the park, you can find the Travel Town Transportation Museum, 5200 Zoo Dr. (tel. 323/662-5874), a little-known outdoor museum with a small collection of vintage locomotives and old airplanes. Kids love the miniature train ride that circles the perimeter of the museum. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm; admission is free.

Description:

Made world-famous in the film Rebel Without a Cause, Griffith Observatory's bronze domes have been Hollywood Hills landmarks since 1935. Closed for renovation for what seemed like forever, it finally reopened in November of 2006 after a $93-million overhaul. The central dome houses the 300-seat Samuel Oschin Planetarium, where hourly screenings of a narrated half-hour projection show called "Centered in the Universe" reveal the stars and planets that are hidden from the naked eye by the city's ubiquitous lights and smog.

The observatory also features 60 space-related exhibits designed to "sparkle your imagination," the highlight being the largest astronomically accurate image ever produced -- a 20*152-foot porcelain enamel dazzler that's cleverly called "The Big Picture." It supposedly encompasses a million galaxies, but I lost count after 11. There's also a new 200-seat Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater (go Spock!), a Wolfgang Puck "Café at the End of the Universe," and several Zeiss and solar telescopes for public use both day and night.

Truth be told, most locals never actually go inside the observatory; they come to this spot on the south slope of Mount Hollywood for the unparalleled city views. On warm nights, with the lights twinkling below, this is one of the most romantic places in L.A.