The Ultimate LA Tour for Outsiders

[Westsidelife]

^Agreed.

Now let's not let his trollish behavior ruin this perfectly good thread completely.

[LANative]

Exactly. This is one the best threads here for outsiders that want to visit our great city and the last thing we need is for it to be ruined.

[ArchiTennis]

I thought this link is nteresting for people that are visiting L.A. it has information on current films/commercials being filmed in and around downtown L.A.

http://downtown-filming-maps.eecue.com

[The Baz]

Wikipedia has also updated the LA area that gives clues on what Points of Interest are located in the different regions of LA (ie. Westside, Harbor, Greater Hollywood). I believe this is a new update because I've never seen it before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles%2C_California

[The Baz]

Did you know that LA had a horse racetrack? That Inglewood is home to some 2,000 horses!

Last Friday I went to Hollywood Park for the first time and had a blast. I would definitely recommend it for townies and newbies alike (but you must go during the HP Racing Season).

The Vice President of Hollywood Park just happens to sit next to me in a marketing class and hooked up a few of us with VIP seats and backstage passes to the Berlin concert after party (of "Take My Breathe Away" fame). I was at first just jazzed about the unlimited free beer that came with the VIP status but the games are fun, the atmosphere is lively, and it is certainly a different experience than spending 2 hours finding a parking spot in Hollywood for da' clubs.

The racing season only lasts for two more weeks so head down to Inglewood and get your race on'!

Friday's are free with a college ID, and dollar hotdogs and dollar beers for everyone! Bring the family.


Interesting to note that the Casino is not affiliated with Hollywood Park Racetrack right next door.












we were seated right at the finish line and people go crazy.

I didn't realize backstage pass, meant you were literally behind the stage so the best pics from the concert was mostly the back of the band's head! But with free beer flowing at a surprising rate I was not about to complain.

[Negninegaw]

wow i love this city.
i dont like to fly, but for Los Angeles i fly the 16 hr with plessure...

[yamota]

First of all I have to say that I love LA and I'm a frequent visitor and take advantage of every wonderful thing that LA has to offer when I'm there. But I hate to seem like I'm siding with the LA haters, which I am not really, but sometimes the bad has to be taken with the good, and in this case I think it's simply a case of criticism taken too personally. Yes, LA is a wonderful city but like it or not LA, like most other big cities in the world has it's low points. I think the reason LA in particular seems to harbor much more criticism and negative comments from people outside of the Los Angeles area is that there is this perceived notion that LA is filled with callous, shallow and selfish people who take things too personally. Take for example when 9-11 happened. Most Angelenos were asleep when everything was happening and most people around the country, particulaly New Yorkers, feel that LA residents feel that, since it happened thousands of miles away, they are detached from the rest of the country when it comes to the collective sadness and feelings of horrified fear that all Americans felt that day. But of course that is not true. I know for a fact that people from LA were just as horrified and just as angry as people from New York, Chicago, St. Louis and everywhere else around the country, even around the world, on 9-11.

[Fern~Fern*]

[QUOTE=yamota;14073717]. Take for example when 9-11 happened. Most Angelenos were asleep when everything was happening and most people around the country, particulaly New Yorkers, feel that LA residents feel that, since it happened thousands of miles away, they are detached from the rest of the country when it comes to the collective sadness and feelings of horrified fear that all Americans felt that day.



Wait, that's such a lie.... where's your source?

[Westsidelife]

We were sleeping because it was 5:48 in the morning when the first plane hit the North Tower of the WTC (yes, I actually know the exact time when the first plane hit). We didn't exactly know our country was going to be attacked that September morning ya know.

[chicagogeorge]

Well, we just booked our tickets for L.A. We will visiting for 9 days in the middle of August. Anyone up for showing a Chicago boy (and his wife and kid) a good time.

[ChrisLA]

^
Man its going to be hot and humid in August. But again compared to Chicago's humidity, it will seem so bad to you. Still it can get quite warm, but night time temps can be nice and cool, unless you're staying in the valley somewhere than its kind of warm at night.

Is this your first time visiting LA? I could probably give a tour on a Friday as its my regular day off.

[yamota]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

We were sleeping because it was 5:48 in the morning when the first plane hit the North Tower of the WTC (yes, I actually know the exact time when the first plane hit). We didn't exactly know our country was going to be attacked that September morning ya know.

Well, of course I was not implying that Angelenos and Californians in general were indifferent to 9-11 like a lot of the LA haters would make you believe, wrongly, I might add. As I mentioned I know for a fact that the collective sadness and anger was felt all throughout the country, east coast *and* west coast.
I myself was at a doctor's appointment that terrible September morning and next think I know the nurse is running in saying a plane had just hit the Pentagon and one of the world trade center towers and it collapsed, and I could not believe it. I rushed back to my office and I could see people openly crying on the streets, the overall mood was just one of fear and controlled distress. I tried to call one of my best friends who lived in mid town Manhattan to make sure he was okay, but the lines were all jammed. Thankfully I got a call from him the next day saying they were alright. It was just a terrible day for everyone.

[dweebo2220]

um.. I watched the towers collapse live on TV. In LA. It wasn't that early.

but also, I do remember hearing things like "whatever, we don't need to worry about that stuff here.. what are they going to blow up, the hollywood sign? We'll just put it back."

Maybe it's just being naiive, but I really think that is one nice aspect about living in LA: No terrorist attacks. The only thing I ever fear is maybe like crazy minutemen bombing latino neighborhoods or fundamentalist christians bombing abortion clinics or maybe weho.. LA just isn't collectively full of itself enough to be a terrorism target. Also, you could completely blow all of it up, and lots of Americans would just be like "good riddance."

I know there was that attempt on LAX, but I almost don't believe it.

It's somewhat ironic because, even though latinos are fighting in Iraq in much higher percentages, even the terrorists get it that it's the white protestant evangelicals that they actually want to take out. And to all those guys LA is a cesspool of sin.

[dweebo2220]

I also really like driving around robertson and pico and seeing arabic mixed in with hebrew. It's like our little model middle east.

[chicagogeorge]

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

^
Man its going to be hot and humid in August. But again compared to Chicago's humidity, it will seem so bad to you. Still it can get quite warm, but night time temps can be nice and cool, unless you're staying in the valley somewhere than its kind of warm at night.

Is this your first time visiting LA? I could probably give a tour on a Friday as its my regular day off.

Yeah, I'm not worried about the heat (unless I'm in Palm Springs) or humidity in L.A. July and August is warmer and easily more humid in Chicago than L.A. Actually we have a couple pleasant days ahead here (77F and mostly sunny, low humidity), but all of next week it will be in the 90's with a crapload of humidity as usual.......

I'm excited about going on vacation. I would like to meet some of my fellow forumers from the City of Angels if possible....

[LANative]

I honestly think New Yorkers wouldn't care if L.A. or any other city was attacked.

[ChrisLA]

Originally Posted by chicagogeorge

Yeah, I'm not worried about the heat (unless I'm in Palm Springs) or humidity in L.A. July and August is warmer and easily more humid in Chicago than L.A. Actually we have a couple pleasant days ahead here (77F and mostly sunny, low humidity), but all of next week it will be in the 90's with a crapload of humidity as usual.......

I'm excited about going on vacation. I would like to meet some of my fellow forumers from the City of Angels if possible....

Oh how I know, I lived in Chicago briefly, and its true summers are worse than LA.

Anyway PM me and let me know the dates ahead of time and I'll pass it on to the others local forumers. You are also over at SSP right? I would suggest creating a thread in the Los Angeles section. That would be a good way of everyone knowing you're visiting so they can try and meet up.

[yamota]

well, deep in my heart, I don't really think New Yorkers would wish any harm to befall Angelenos. I liken the relationship between the two cities as a rivalry between two brothers. They compete with each other try to outdo each other, but when it comes down to it, wer'e all Americans and when the crap hits the fan, they're there for each other when it counts.

[redspork02]

Amen to that!!!

I Saw it live here on the West coast, i was getting ready to go to school.....

[svs]

Originally Posted by dweebo2220

I also really like driving around robertson and pico and seeing arabic mixed in with hebrew. It's like our little model middle east.

Actually, in that neighborhood, you are not seeing Arabic. Those signs are generally in Farsi (Persian) which uses a similar alphabet, and most of those stores are owned by Persian Jews. Since the Ayatollahs took over in Iran, there are now more Persian Jews in Los Angeles than in Iran. The millenium has not quite come to LA yet.

Although.....I don't know if you saw the short that won the academy award last year called "West BAnk Story", a West Side Story parody that features the feuding Israeli and Palestinian owners of rival Falafel stands and their star crossed children's difficult romance. The last line after the expected destruction was a vow from the Israeli protagonist to his Palestinian girlfriend to take her away to a land where Jews and Moslems could live together in peace......"Beverly Hills"!!!