When one thinks of Los Angeles, one tends to think of sun, sand, and starlets. Having traveled there a number of times for reasons other than R&R, though, I think about some of the hidden gems there, particularly in and around downtown L.A. (Who even knew there was a “downtown Los Angeles?”).
The city has a reputation for being very pricey, so it has put together its list of top 20 free things to do in L.A. I’m afraid I can’t agree with all of them, and most of them don’t even qualify, in my humble opinion, as “in L.A.” However, the following free to-do’s actually are worth the effort, and they are within the city limits.
• I love the downtown library. First, it’s quiet. Second, its architecture is worth a peek. And third, its rare book collection—particularly about California—is fascinating.
• Griffith Park is an enormous greenish space (nothing is really green in Southern California in the summer) that gets you out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Ferndell is nicely Zen, but not in an L.A. way.
• Anyone who has read some of my previous posts knows that I’m a sucker for a farmer’s market, and the one in L.A. appeals to me on many levels. Mostly, I like it because it has the feel of a traditional market, yet it folds in elements of the melting pot that is Los Angeles today.
• One tends to think of L.A.’s history in months, rather than years, but if you search hard enough, you can find some. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is on or near the site where the city was founded by a mixed group of settlers from northern Mexico in the late 1700s.
• Okay, you’re in L.A., so you might want to be part of a live studio audience! For more information, contact: Paramount Television Audience Shows, Guest Relations, 323-956-1777; Audiences Unlimited at Fox Television Center, 818-506-0043; and/or Audiences Associates, 323-467-4697. Free tickets are also available outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Glendale Galleria.
For a truly “L.A. Experience,” stay at The Mondrian if you can afford it—it is pricey. The place is so in love with itself, and the haunt of many a B- and C-list celebs (and even the occasional A-lister), that it’s great fun. It’s not as hot a spot as it was a couple of years ago, but a visit to the Skybar will give you a view of Los Angeles that most people never see. (NAME DROP ALERT: I managed to get a client on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and that’s where they put us up. We almost saw Bill Murray!)
To get back to real life, if you do stay at The Mondrian, you’re dangerously close to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world’s largest urban national park. It offers tons of “in-the-city” escape activities, including garden tours, nature classes, concerts, and hikes galore. On the latter, watch out for ticks, rattlesnakes, and, worst of all, poison oak*. I say “worst of all” because I once stumbled into a patch of poison oak in California and suffered (and suffered and suffered) for weeks, ruining my time in L.A. and several weeks thereafter.
Finally, I would be remiss not to mention the recent H1N1 flu outbreak. The illness is going to do what it’s going to do, so don’t let it keep you from seeing and doing things you want to see and do. Just use your common sense, and wash your hands A LOT.
*If you think you have been exposed to poison oak, take a cool—not hot—shower as soon as possible, without soap. Just let the water rinse you off. And wash all of your clothes immediately, including your shoes, being careful to touch them as little as possible. (Trust me on this one, you’d rather have been bitten by a rattler.)
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