Bringing your kids to Los Angeles on a family vacation? There won't be a dull moment if you put the following attractions on your list.
Mention the name "Los Angeles" to people who live outside the state and their reaction is generally going to be that it's an enormous, sprawling land mass that occupies most of Southern California and generates most of the country's smog. The locals themselves refer to it as "forty-nine suburbs in search of a city", its functional figurehead being the skyline of the downtown metropolis yet not really the hub of LA's action. Among the neighborhoods of the county itself are Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Burbank, Brentwood, Glendale and many others, each with its own personality and each offering a multitude of fun things to do with your children. Here are just a few of our top picks:
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS (UNIVERSAL CITY)
Step behind the scenes at this popular theme park and see how today's hit films are actually made. In addition to the tram tour that takes you on the back lots of the Wild West, Little Europe, the "Cabot Cove" home of Bruce, the "Jaws" shark, and snippets of sitcom suburbia (including "The Munsters"), you've got plenty of live action shows to choose from for a full day of movie magic. One of the newest attractions is the Transylvanian castle of Van Helsing, replete with enough special effects to scare your socks off. Looking to travel forward""or backward""in time? Hop aboard a wild ride to Jurassic Park or step into Doc Brown's DeLorean. Youngsters will enjoy the Animal Actors presentations, as well as the 3-D Ogrevision antics of Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona. Pack plenty of film! There are not only lots of oversized props for your kids to pose with but chance encounters with cowboys, aliens, and your favorite superheroes.
HOORAY FOR (MORE) HOLLYWOOD
Graumann's Chinese Theater, a colorful and imposing landmark long associated with Tinseltown, is on the stretch of Hollywood that boasts an impressive sidewalk scrapbook of handprints and footprints of celebrities in film, TV and the music industry. The theater was built in 1927 to launch the debut of Cecille B. DeMille's "King of Kings." The star-studded sidewalk, however, was born purely out of accident. As the story goes, movie star Norma Talmadge was leaving Graumann's one evening after a show when she accidentally stepped into some freshly poured cement. A quick-thinking entrepreneur decided that this could become a clever way for actors and actresses to "leave their mark" on Hollywood. This walk of fame extends for several blocks; kids will have fun picking out the names they recognize. The area just outside of Graumann's is also fun for photo-ops, given the number of wannabe actors who dress up (even on swelteringly hot days) as Elvis, Batman, Spiderman and Marilyn Monroe and will trade you $5 for a picture with them.
STAR SIGHTINGS & SHOPPING
Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills has long been touted as The Place where the rich and trendy shop. While my own impression is that many of the ensembles in the windows tend to look like hookers on prom night, it's still a popular spot to pick out actors with more money than taste. The underground valet parking is a bonus in a city where you can orbit for nearly half an hour looking for a place to land. Many of the neighborhood eateries are family friendly, and the amount of glitter and glitz will make any child feel as if or she has just fallen into Oz.
CHINATOWN
I've never known a single kid who didn't like Chinese food. Well, Chinatown in Los Angeles is definitely the place where no one will go home hungry. Its origins date from 1938, making it one of the first malls in the United States as well as the first one planned and run entirely by the Chinese community of Greater Los Angeles. The architecture is its own kind of wonderland, coupled with a Chinese bazaar that seems to go on for miles! Children will be fascinated to be immersed in a venue in which very few people except for tourists are speaking English. This is also a great place to introduce your kids to the dining experience called "dim sum". Chinatown has one of the very best dim sum offerings we've ever had""a style in which young men and women wheel carts around the restaurant which contain a variety of savory Asian dishes on little dishes. The trick, of course, is to not say "yes" to everything they want to put on your table. (And believe me, they will descend on you the moment you sit down not unlike salesmen at a car lot.) The final tab, you see, is based on how many of those little plates you take. Even the pickiest young eaters will find something they like, as will the adults who are treating them.
KIT KRAFT (STUDIO CITY) - If there's one thing that kids love more than collecting stuff, it's collecting even more stuff than they can make even better cool stuff out of. You may want to encourage your kidlets to exercise prudence if you're going to have to schlep their purchases home in the overhead rack, but if you've got the trunk space during a day trip, they are guaranteed to fill it up with all manner of craft supplies, beads, Styrofoam, pipe cleaners, stencils, doll patterns, building blocks, kite kits, coloring books, poster paints, and every kind of plastic model imaginable.
THE LOS ANGELES ZOO
What kid doesn't like to go see animals and a lot of them? The LA Zoo, open since the 1960's in Griffith Park, is actually the county's fourth wild habitat and has recently been remodeled to accommodate its expansive menagerie. With the exception of Christmas, this facility is open every day from 10 until 5 with extended hours during the summer months. It also has the distinction of being the first zoo to prohibit its visitors from feeding the inhabitants. The gift shop, by the way, is an outstanding place to add to one's collection of stuffed critters at home as well as buy books about endangered species and the environment.
CREATIVE SPACE (HOLLYWOOD) - This converted film warehouse will make you wonder why there wasn't this much fun available when you were the same age as your kids. If you're planning to be in town for an extended period of time (i.e., househunting for a relocation), you may want to consider enrolling your offspring in classes where they can learn to write, sing, learn choreography, juggle, make costumes, and even learn to cook. There are even companion workshops that allow parents to unwind while the kids wear themselves out being creative.
DODGER STADIUM & THE STAPLES CENTER
Los Angeles is home to the Dodgers (who have their own stadium) and the Lakers (who play at the Staples Center). The Staples Center, located in downtown LA, is also the site of many conventions, including those of the "Star Trek" persuasion.
PASADENA
If it's a leisurely pace you and the family are looking for, head out on the 134 freeway for Pasadena, home of the New Year's Rose Parade. Colorado Boulevard, the city's most famous street, is replete with shops and restaurants that boast virtually every cuisine you could imagine. The world famous Pasadena Playhouse can be found here, a great place to introduce kids to the live theater experience at its Saturday children's matinees. Book lovers in your group? Pop into Vroman's, an independent bookseller that first opened its doors over a century ago and is still going strong. Its second floor has one of the largest children's sections I've ever visited, as well as a knowledgeable staff that can make recommendations for the indecisive. Junior scientists may want to stroll the grounds of nearby Caltech, an institution that continues to produce Nobel prize winners on a regular basis. Movie lovers? They'll be impressed with the number of films that have been shot in Pasadena, South Pasadena and San Marino. Wrap up your day at the Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in South Pasadena with an old fashioned milkshake. The building and much of what's in it date from its opening in 1915"¦and the owners intend to keep it that way for many future generations to enjoy.
