Los Angeles Tourist Itinerary Day 4

The fourth and final day of our once-in-a-lifetime Los Angeles excursion will take you into Hollywood's underbelly, show you what's buried underground and what has been dug up. You'll dine on local food favorites and take in a bit of the culture of downtown L.A. So strap on your most comfortable walking shoes and enjoy...

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  1. Paramount Pictures

  Start today with a walking tour of one of Hollywood's most iconic studios, Paramount Pictures. Unlike the studio tour at Universal, this one will give you a real-life, behind the scenes look at a working movie and television studio. Your heart and mind will be overwhelmed by how large an undertaking running the day-to-day operations truly are. Chances of running into a celebrity are very good here so keep your camera ready! Of course your experience greatly depends on what's being filmed, but hanging out behind the camera for once, sure is an experience!
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  2. Hollywood Forever Cemetery

  Since you're already there, why not make your way to Santa Monica Boulevard, just behind the Studio and go for a brisk walk around the cemetery with the most famous gathering of ghosts on the planet...oooooh! Pick up a map of the star's burial sites or just walk around and see how many you can recognize. It will be 60 minutes well spent, besides there's a fittingly great view of the Hollywood sign right from the meticulously manicured lawns of this cemetery to Hollywood's immortals!
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  3. Pink's Hot Dogs

  It's time for a break, don't you think? What better way to refuel your energy than a greasy chili cheese hot dog from Hollywood's oldest and most famous hot dog stand, Pink's Hot Dogs on Melrose and LaBrea. This place has been serving hot dogs since 1939 with it's unique recipe not only for the chili but also for the hot dogs that come in 24 different varieties. If the line is less than a mile long (they serve about 2000 hot dogs a day), give it a try!
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  4. LaBrea Tar Pits

  Now that you are nice and full, head south on LaBrea (you will have to go that way anyways), and make a right on Wilshire where you will find the LaBrea Tar Pits. Take a quick stroll around the premises as I'm sure you will be more than captivated by the 40,000 year-old pit of tar right in the middle of Los Angeles. Why is a pit of tar so captivating? I have no idea! But the fact that this little pit preserved nearly 400 species of mammals, birds, amphibians and fish that are now extinct might have something to do with it. Time-permitting, try to walk through the museum for a quick lesson in pre-history. Don't stay too long however, we still have lots to do!
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  5. Walt Disney Concert Hall

  Get back in your car and head east on Wilshire into Downtown. Not quite as famous as the Opera House in Sydney Australia, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is a dazzling architectural masterpiece in its own dimension! Designed by world-famous architect Frank Gehry, this seemingly chaotic structure with it's stainless steel demeanor will allow you to pass by it's grandiose exterior only with the oohs and aaahs that it most deservedly garners. And while you are there, do take the 45 minute self-guided audio tour that takes you around the building and includes an interview with Frank Gehry himself.
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  5. Hollywood Sign

  I cannot think of a better way to end your Los Angeles excursion than to watch the sun descend into the horizon from Hollywood's, and the world's most famous look-out spot. Get back into your car, hop on the 101 freeway and drive like the wind (just don't go over 65 mph) toward the Hollywood Sign. You will have to hike the Griffith Park trails (remember the Griffith Park Observatory from day 2) for about 45 minutes to get to the sign so map out your route before you go. You most like will not be allowed to get close enough to touch the sign, but when you show your friends and family the pictures they will not be able to tell!