Los Angeles - the city of angels, famous for its beaches, theme parks and celebrities. Known to be the third richest and fifth most influential city in the world, the capital of the entertainment world, L.A is the place to be for lovers of the big and small screens, with directors, actors, screenwriters and many other personnels literally plastered all over town.
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| Arguably the most famous sign on Earth |
Planning the itinerary (given that we had only three and half days) was pretty straightforward - Universal Studios, 6 Flags, Hollywood Boulevard and the beaches of Santa Monica. Unless you are a huge nut for celebrity spotting or parties, there isn't much to do or see around here as compared to other tourist-hot cities like New York or San Francisco.
Read on to see the star attractions that we visited
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| View from Universal Studios |
Universal Studios Hollywood
The last time I stepped through the gates of Universal Studios in LA, I was only 10 and barely made it pass the height limit. After 15 years, so much have changed - I have developed a general disliking for roller coasters and Singapore has her own Universal Studios up and running. Yet, this place still retains a sense of familiarity, with iconic rides like Jurassic Park and old icons like Jaws and King Kong still standing strong. All in all, I'm really glad to be back here!
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| Hurray to Hollywood! |
Obviously, changes had been made to the studio since I was last here. The
Back to the Future 3-D ride and
E.T adventure ride has been replaced by
The Simpsons ride and
The Revenge of the Mummy respectively. On the same note, the famous
Back Draft special effect shows was gone and replaced by the up and coming
Transformer: The Ride.
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| The Iconic Universal Ball |
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| Studio Tour with King Kong 360 3D |
The
Studio Tour went through a major revamp, with the
Encounter with King Kong portion changed from the usual mechanical rides to a spectacular 360 degrees 3-D ride. It added the old-school mechanics with the latest 360 degree 3-D technology. I would recommend going for this ride straightway as the afternoon queues for the studio tours are horrendous.
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| The New... |
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| ... and the old |
Overall, this is still one of my favorite theme parks in the world. The magic of this place comes not from the intensity of the rides (I actually dislike/fear roller coasters) but from the fact that it lives up to its name as a THEME park. With both classical and modern movie icons featured in the park, the theme park draws a sense of familiarity for people from different walks of life.
I have to admit that the rides are definitely not the most intense, but the variety of the intensity and focus of the rides would ensure that the park goers aren't bored at any time. I would recommend this place for any group to go, especially if its your first time in LA. A
10/10 score for the
Universal Studios.
6 Flags Magic Mountain
Unfortunately, I can't say much about this place. Like I have aforementioned, I have a general dislike for roller coaster rides and this place is all about intense roller coaster rides (It seems as though each ride is built to challenge the riders even further than the previous). However, judging from how much fun my companions had, I would say this is the place to be to seek your thrills.
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| Sneak preview of 6 Flags |
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| One of the not-so-exciting ride |
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| According to them, this is one of the most exciting ride. |
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| My favorite part of the day - Funnel Cake |
Hollywood & Sunset Boulevard
Before we headed down to the famous Boulevards, we made a stop at the famous
Hollywood Sign for photo taking. For the best vantage point, be sure to check google for the various good locations. Some places that would come out of the search would include
Canyon Lake Drive (which we chose) &
Mulholland Drive.
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| Hollywood |
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| Canyon Lake Drive |
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| Having fun with THE sign :) |
Next up was the walk down Hollywood Boulevard. Here, we have two famous buildings and the iconic stars-ladden pathway in between.
The Kodak Theatre (
now known as The Dolby Theatre), features the famous red-carparted stairways flanked by the list of past winners (and blanks for future winners) of the
Academy Best Picture Award.
The Grauman's Chinese Theatre, host to 3 Academy Awards ceremony, features the popular foot and hand prints of celebrities encased in concrete in front of the theatre's entrance.
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| Kodak Theatre |
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| Grauman's Chinese Theatre |
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| Star Spotting |
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| Leaving your footprints behind |
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| Past Academy Best Picture Winners |
Last thing on the agenda, we took a drive down Sunset Boulevard and Rodeo drive. Both pretty normal streets (except for the property values) made famous by the big screen.
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