Three Perfect Days in Los Angeles

The sun is shining and the weather is balmy in L.A. Welcome to Los Angeles! You are about to spend one of the most entertaining and exhausting times in your life on your Los Angeles area vacation.

Let’s start downtown in the Wilshire District at the Farmers Market for breakfast. After you enjoy a full French toast meal or fresh donuts, you can wander throughout the Market, marveling at the wares offered for sale and the foods from around the world. Depending on the time of year that you travel, you may be able to enjoy one of their special events, such as their holiday festivities in December or their Mardi Gras celebration in February.

Next, it’s a short hop, skip, and a jump to the Peterson Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd. The Peterson Automotive Museum isn’t just about cars. This museum is about the impact that travel and transportation have had on the Los Angeles area and in the United States. Of course, you will still be able to see a collection of vehicles that were owned by movie stars or used in movies shoots. After all, this is Los Angeles and Hollywood.

You have several choices to round off the day. Since you are in the area, you can visit the La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum. You will learn about the giant animals that used to inhabit the Los Angeles area at the Page Museum and watch gas bubble up to the top of the La Brea Tar Pits while you imagine massive sabre tooth tigers sinking to their deaths thousands and thousands of years ago. If ancient fossils aren’t your cup of tea, you can go to the L.A. Museum of Art instead. Their current art exhibition may astound you.

You can mosey back to the Farmers Market for dinner unless you had the foresight to make reservations to go to Musso and Frank Grill on Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. One of the few remaining institutions from the Golden Years of Hollywood, Musso and Frank offers American/Continental cuisine in an old fashioned atmosphere.

Plan to spend the next day at Universal Studios in Hollywood. You can watch a movie being filmed or take a tour of a movie studio. You can try exciting rides such as “The Revenge of the Mummy” and “Jurassic Park – The Ride.” You might be able to have your picture taken with one of the Simpsons or with Shrek. You can also go shopping at Universal Studios Citywalk for clothes, toys and souvenirs. Then, there is the dining. Eat at restaurants such as the Hard Rock Café Hollywood or Samba Brazilian Steak House and Lounge. End your evening at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club and enjoy nationally known comedians.

It’s your final vacation day in Los Angeles. You can’t travel to Los Angeles without hitting the beaches. Grab your towel and sit out in the sun at Santa Monica Beach. If you have ever wanted to try to learn how to surf, now is time! While you are there, take a walk on the historic Santa Monica Pier and ride the famous Carousel.

If you want even more beach entertainment, head south to Venice Beach. You will find street entertainment galore, cheap tee shirts, and fortune tellers waiting to predict your future. Remember to save time to watch amazing those body builders at Muscle Beach. You can round out your day by eating dinner at one of the many restaurants on the Venice Boardwalk as the sun sets on your Los Angeles vacation.

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