An Al Story™

Everybody sing now - Walkin' in LA, Walkin' in LA, Nobody walks in LA.

Nothing could be truer than the old Missing Persons song. In the city of Angels the car is king. It's the form of transportation, a sign of status, a way of life. You are what you drive. The automobile is an integral part of the LA culture.

LA and cars and creativity go hand-in-hand. Can you even begin to count how many car songs the Beach Boys recorded? LA is where George Barris created the Batmobile, the Munster Koach, Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine and the Green Hornet's Black Beauty. Even Japanese car manufacturers including Nissan, Toyota, Mazda and Honda have set up auto design studios in LA. Los Angeles and cars are inseperable.

No doubt about it, if you're traveling to LA you're going to need a car. Only tourists in the movie Speed ride the bus, and remember what happened to them. Your only bus trip should be the one from the airport terminal to the car rental lot.

Since after all this is LA, perhaps you should bypass the car rental counters at the airport and head off to Budget Car Rental. But not just any Budget location. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, head for Budget of Beverly Hills. While they have 5 other LA locations, you should journey to 9815 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills to see the cream of their fleet.

Want to drive a Porsche 996 around town? Or maybe a Ferrari 360 Modena, a Bentley Arnage, a Maserati Spyder or perhaps a plain old Mercedes 500SL? How about the new Mini Cooper, the Lexus SC 430, the BMW Z8 or the Audi TT? They're all on the lot awaiting you. Which one will you pick?

Congratulations, that convertible is a great choice. Now that you've got your car, and may I say that you do look marvelous in it, it's off to see the sites.

Want to tour the homes of the stars? You'll need a map. Pick one up at one of the street corner map vendors. You normally can find them camped out in their lawn chairs on Sunset Boulevard between UCLA and Beverly Hills. Look for the homemade star maps signs.

Happy stargazing, or at least star's home gazing. I doubt that you'll see any of your favorite movie and TV celebs out mowing their lawns. And I can't guarantee that the map that you bought is up-to-date, but you're sure to have fun looking at the amazing houses. If you're visiting between Thanksgiving and Christmas be sure to take a nighttime drive to see the incredible Christmas lights decorating homes in Bel Air and Beverly Hills.

What's that? You've spent a whole day in LA and have yet to see a star. Well, while waiting for the sun to set why don't you have a drink at the Four Seasons on Doheny. Park the car with the valet (remember this is LA, nobody self parks) and keep your eyes peeled. The Four Seasons and the other Beverly Hills luxury hotels are THE places to stargaze. The stars are out being seen, doing deals, taking meetings etc. etc. Staring up at Wilt Chamberlain made my 6' 4" frame feel short.

After you've nursed your expensive drink, paid your bill and exited the hotel it's time to wait on line for the valet to deliver your car. What? Wait in line?

Stop complaining and I'll let you in on a secret. The Valet line is another great place to stargaze. First of all you can see who's coming in and out of the hotel. Was that Cameron Diaz behind those Ray Bans?

But the real secret of valet lines is not to forget to take a good long look at your fellow line occupants. The stars have to wait for their cars too. (Valet parking lines are a great social equalizer) At the Four Seasons I've waited with the Governor of Oklahoma and 90210's Luke Perry. At the Palm I've waited next to Sylvester Stallone (Yes, he is very, very short)

Make the most of your wait and don't forget to tip your valet. (And since you're driving that Ferrari from Budget, make it a BIG tip!) To paraphrase Martha Stewart:Waiting in the Valet line. It's a good thing!

Now that you've waited on line with a star, it's time to see them in action. If it's movie stars you're after go take a studio tour. Caveat: Most tour takers don't actually get to see a star, but you're feeling lucky, aren't you? The most well-known tour is at Universal Studios. In addition to the tram tour, Universal also has a great collection of movie-themed rides including Jurassic Park, Terminator 2 and ET. However your odds of seeing a real star at Universal are slim to none. I think the noise of the tour trams scare them away.

You'll have a better chance of seeing a star at Paramount or Warner Brothers. These tours are much more informal and personal. Hop aboard a golf cart (once again Nobody walks in LA) to tour the studios in a very small group. Keep your eyes peeled because you never know who you'll see coming out of that trailer.

Speaking of trailers, did you know that Lyle Waggoner of The Carol Burnett Show fame runs Star Waggons (Waggons - Waggoner, get it?) which is one one the biggest suppliers of celebrity dressing room trailers. (Ah! The LA car culture where the vehicles don't even have to move, but just provide a place for the stars to hang out in between takes!)

UPDATE: Paramount has temporarily suspended their studio tours due to heightend security.

Hopefully while you're in LA you won't experience one of their famous earthquakes. If you'd like to see the geologic power of the earth take a leisurely drive down to Portuguese Bend on the Palos Verdes peninsula. Portuguese Bend is the site of the largest landslide in California. It occupies 260 acres that have been sliding and sliding and sliding for 37,000 years. (Gravity rules!) For you geologists out there, it's a translational, as opposed to a rotational landslide.

Though you might be able to take a hike out to the main slide, the effects are easily noticable from your car. Road crews work almost non-stop repaving and repairing Palos Verdes Drive South as the landslide constantly causes the pavement to stretch and twist and turn. It'll give you a new appreciation for the power of Mother Nature.

While you're in Palos Verdes take some time out to enjoy the incredible Pacific Ocean views from high atop the PV cliffs. If you're feeling energetic you can take a hike down to the water and perhaps meet a sea lion family. The energetic part is hiking back up the cliffs. (Gravity continues to rule!) Personally I love the combined smells of the salt water and the eucalyptus trees.

Ever want to visit a lighthouse? The Point Vicente lighthouse in Palos Verdes hosts an open house on the second Saturday of every month. Practice your fog hog horn sounds.

Before you leave Palos Verdes make a stop at the Wayfarers Chapel. This beautiful glass and redwood Church is one of the hot wedding spots in LA. Celebrities who got married here include Dennis Hopper, Jayne Mansfield, Carol Kane, Kiefer Sutherland, Brian Wilson and Gary Burghoff.

Lastly, while you're heading back to your hotel you may be lucky enough to see the city's #1 cultural attraction; the high-speed car chase. In all my trips to LA I've only been able to see one in person. It was just like watching OJ in the white Ford Bronco. Lots of police cars followed in hot pursuit behind their prey, while a phalanx of helicoptors crowded the skies above.

If you missed seeing a chase in person you may catch one on TV since all of the local TV channels break into their regular programming to cover each and every chase live. Remember to use your remote control to switch between channels to get the best view of the action from the helicoptors. In no time you'll be watching the chases like an LA native.

Happy travels in Los Angeles, but take heed of these last words of advice from Missing Persons - Walking in LA, Only a Nobody walks in LA

For another LA celebrity story check out
Travels With Al's Stargazing At The Airport

For another parking story check out
Travels With Al's You Can't Get to Knoxville

For information on parking check out
Travels With Al's Parking Resources