The Golden State is so much more than surfers and movie stars, though. This is a place where people from all backgrounds come to dream. It’s where a boutique clothing store may be next to an auto body shop, where a celebrity may be caught having lunch next to an everyday Joe. It’s also an active place, where the sun coaxes people outdoors for a bike ride along Santa Monica Beach or a walk past the galleries of Laguna Beach.
More photos and blogs from California
Refusing to be defined by just one aspect of its homegrown culture, California is a lot of things to a whole lot of people. To me, it was:
Star spotting in L.A.
I arrived at Los Angeles International Airport amid record-breaking heat - the thermometer hit 45C in downtown L.A. on Sept. 27 - both tired due to my early departure from Toronto and discouraged by the lack of celebrity activity at LAX during my arrival. After scanning countless paparazzi shots of celebs flying into L.A.’s air hub over the years, I figured I was bound to see at least one actor immediately after landing.
Apparently, though, celebrities can be an elusive bunch, unless you know where to look for them.
While California has plenty to offer - from adventure tourism to world class museums, as I discovered during a press trip with the California Travel and Tourism Commission - the draw that celebrities and Hollywood hold for tourists in L.A. can’t be ignored.
So, if stargazing is your goal, The Grove and the Farmers Market should be at the top of your must-visit list.
These are “the No. 1 places to spot stars,” says David Hamlin of Weisman Hamlin Public Relations, a representative of the famous indoor and outdoor shopping and dining centres. “Usually every day you see someone who makes you stop and go … isn’t that?’ And it usually is.” Popular shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles have used The Grove and Farmers Market for filming, while celebrities often stop by to shop at stores like Anthropologie, Coach and Nordstrom. The CBS soundstages back onto The Grove, making area restaurants Maggiano’s and Wood Rock prime places to see talent from the Young and the Restless or Dancing with the Stars.
Active travellers who also hope to spot a celeb or two should take a hike in the hills surrounding L.A. In Runyon Canyon Park, it’s not uncommon to pass an actor with a hat pulled down trying to work up a sweat on the 45-minute climb to the summit of the trails.
The lives of the celebrities of Old Hollywood can also be explored thanks to bars like the Pig ‘N Whistle. Once the preferred watering hole of Hollywood greats such as Shirley Temple, Judy Garland and Howard Hughes, the Pig ‘N Whistle was a popular hangout after movie premieres hosted next door at Grauman’s Egyptian Theater. While the stars are gone, the legend of Tinsel Town’s beginnings lives on in this recently restored English pub-style establishment.
Finally, take a long look at your server when you stop for a meal. You may be looking at the next big thing. My waiter at dinner that night only moonlights in the service industry. By day, he’s a cameraman. The city is full of witty waiters who maintain the only thing they are really waiting on is their big break.
Another side of L.A.
While trying to spot a few celebrities - I was mildly successful, stumbling upon the premiere party for Law and Order: Los Angeles at W Hollywood Hotel and seeing John Malkovich eating lunch at the Mediterranean pizza resto Gjelina in Venice - I was also discovering another side of L.A.
This alternate side is filled with outdoor activities, museums and stores ranging from well-known luxury brands to kitschy, independently owned shops in bungalows. Travellers who want to vacation in L.A. and area without paying much mind to the Tinsel Town attractions will find plenty to satisfy.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art - known as LACMA - is one of the top museums in the western U.S. with a permanent collection of 100,000 objects.
Works include paintings by Picasso, ancient Pacific Island objects, sculptures from Jeff Koons and 3,500 photographs.
LACMA is celebrating the opening of the 4,180-sq.-metre Resnick Exhibition Pavilion, a naturally lit structure that houses an impressive array of exhibits. “Eye for the Sensual,” a look at historic erotic paintings and sculptures, is an impressive display of what artists considered seductive years ago, while “Fashioning Fashion” is a large, must-see exhibit of well-preserved European clothing dating from 1700 to 1915.
However, considering the fantastic, temperate California climate, time spent outdoors when vacationing in the L.A. area may be time best spent. Head to the beach cities of Venice and Santa Monica and rent a bike from one of Perry’s Beach Cafes. I rode along Santa Monica Beach and past the Santa Monica Pier, which houses a vibrant carnival with a ferris wheel and a Forrest Gump-inspired Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant. The air was warm, while the breeze along the beach was cool and tinged with salt from the Pacific Ocean. Bike and running paths are plentiful - perfect for vacationers who want to be as active as Angelinos.
Finally, Los Angeles offers a bevy of shopping hot spots not to be missed.
In addition to The Grove, Hollywood’s Sunset Blvd., Melrose Ave. and Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Dr. are also prime places to shop while walking the city. For a unique retail experience, head to Venice’s Abbot Kinney Blvd. Home to quirky boutiques, restaurants and galleries, this is the place to go for unusual fashion statements and one-of-a-kind gifts. You can buy a surf board or T-shirt from the California culture experts at Surfing Cowboys or expand your knowledge of natural medicines and cannabis at The Farmacy.
With so many options away from Hollywood Blvd., the Los Angeles area is a definite refuge for outdoor junkies, culture hounds and fashionistas alike.
Laguna Beach, the real O.C.
Orange County is the California I’ve always fantasized about. My group arrived in the town of Laguna Beach after a 1.5-hour drive south from L.A.
Our route briefly took us on the Pacific Coast Hwy., undoubtedly one of the world’s most spectacular drives. The mixture of coastal views, lightly swaying palms and salty air drifting into our van told me I was arriving in one of the most quintessential SoCal areas.
Laguna Beach may be best known as the home of Kristen Cavalleri, Lauren Conrad and the other ultra rich stars of MTV’s Laguna Beach reality series.
While status - think flashy cars, multi-million dollar hillside homes and gorgeous bodies - is certainly the goal of many in this part of California, surf culture and Laguna Beach’s artistic roots define the area just as much.
For more than 100 years, Laguna Beach has been a haven for artists inspired by the beautiful surroundings. In 1918, the Laguna Art Association was established to promote local artists. Laguna’s first gallery opened the same year. Today, many places selling paintings, sculptures and jewelry dot Laguna’s core. Across the street, Main Beach is the perfect place to sit and watch waves crash against the sand while enjoying a gourmet frozen yogurt or testing a newly acquired surf board.
The town will soon be the home of Pure Light, a niche candle-making store.
Now in the Festival Center on Laguna Canyon Rd., Pure Light plans to move to the more pedestrian-friendly South Coast Hwy. in Laguna Beach. A candle-making session was arranged for our group and it quickly became one of my favourite activities of the week. After arriving in the cozy, fragrant store, owner Judy Kelly helped us choose wax colours, molds, scents, shells, stones and other trinkets to adorn our unique “candle bouquets.” Prices start at $8 to create a small candle and go up to $38 for a large, triple-wick creation.
I chose a barrel-shaped mold and shades of green and purple wax to compliment my vineyard scent choice. Using a sturdy tool, I broke chunks of wax into long strips and began placing them inside the mold. After filling the mold with seafoam, deep green and purple waxes, Kelly poured translucent wax over my creation to give it its final shape.
After our craft session, more sun and sand was in order. Our group dined on the roof of Hotel La Casa Del Camino (casacamino.com), an unassuming property steps from the beach with affordable rates, 10 custom rooms designed by surf companies like Quicksilver, and a rooftop lounge and indoor restaurant that was still buzzing with locals when we departed around 9 p.m.
The sunset over the Pacific Ocean, viewed while dining on filet mignon and sipping a pineapple mojito, was as fiery and pink as I’d ever seen. Below us surfers tested the waves of the ocean well into the evening.
Perhaps they were reluctant to let the SoCal heat wave go to waste. Or, perhaps, this is just another typical Wednesday night in Orange County.
If you go to California
MORE INFORMATION
For details on travel to California, contact:
- The California Travel and Tourism Commission. Surf over to visitcalifornia.com or call 1-877-225-4367.
- The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, discoverlosangeles.com.
- The Anaheim and Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau, anaheimoc.org or 714-765-8888.
Other useful websites: See thegrovela.com, abbotkinneyonline.com, purelightcompany.com and casacamino.com.
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