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Take a right on... um... just up
ahead at... hmmm... just turn here! It's actually pronounced as
"Zei-zix" with the accent on the first syllable, rhyming with "Isaac's", not
"physics." Click
here for more info on this usual road. (7/16) |
Starting on our Grand Tour of Los
Angeles (7/17), we walked down the street of
Hollywood Stars, which actually
cost about $25,000 each! Gene Autry is the only person who has five
stars, one for each category for his contributions to each one (film, TV,
recording, radio, and theater). Bob Hope has four. (We saw that Godzilla had a star too,
probably for his contribution to live theater!) |
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The Los Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra rehearsing before the evening's performance at the
Hollywood Bowl.
It is one of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, seating about
18,000. |
The Hollywood Bowl's "bowl" is
the fifth shell since the first one was built back in 1922. This one
was finished in 2004. |
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This "Muse of Music" was built in 1940 by George Stanley, the same man who
created the Oscar statue for the Academy Awards. (The Oscar is called
"The Oscar" because a woman back in the day made a single comment that the
statue looked like her Uncle Oscar. No one ever saw or met Uncle
Oscar, but her comment stuck, hence the most prestigious award in Hollywood
has been called "The Oscar" ever since.) |
Grauman's Chinese Theater, which opened in 1927, is the place where many
Hollywood stars, both past and present, have made their impressions - their
feet and hands impressions, that is! Mary Pickford and Douglas
Fairbanks, Sr. (who were also partners in owning the theater) were the first
to do so. |
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Kneeling at Marilyn's feet! |
Looking quite comfortable on this oversized couch upstairs in the courtyard
of a shopping plaza near Grauman's Chinese Theater, the couch is actually
made of cement. Now THAT'S acting!!! (Though you can't see it
here, the famous Hollywood sign is located on the mountains in the
distance.) |
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Located in Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles are the
La Brea Tar Pits ("brea" is Spanish for tar). They have been there
for tens of thousands of years. Apparently, much of the surrounding
parts of the city's foundations have been built upon these tar pits, which
make these buildings less susceptible to earthquake damage, as they are able
to "give" more when shaken. |
Huge murals on these buildings are attempts to revitalize the city - and
possibly the NBA! |
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The butcher at the Farmer's Market fancies himself an artist! (Notice
the piglets sitting atop the pig on the right.) |
At the Farmer's Market |
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Waiting for our lunch special at the Farmer's Market
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At the Avila Adobe, the oldest residence in Los Angeles, which was built in
1818 by Francisco Avila, the mayor of the city. It is located on
Olvera Street, which is considered the birthplace of the city of Los
Angeles! |
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If you've never had ice cream in Los Angeles, you should try it. It's
quite the experience (not unlike the experience of eating ice cream in CT,
FL, or any other state, but you should still try it!). |
Los Angeles is famous for its traffic, so we were lucky to be able to
experience it for ourselves. Notice the two motorcyclists riding
between the cars on the left, something commonly done during rush hour
traffic. At least they're wearing helmets! |
