Anaheim  - Anaheim is where one goes to Disneyland and the sister park by Disney, California Adventure. Close by to Anaheim is Buena Park where Knotts Berry Farm, Mideval Times, and Pirates Dinner Theater is   (Note: Nearby to Anaheim is Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and the Huntington Beach areas.).

Getty Museums (Info at: Getty.edu/visit/) -- There are two locations: The Getty CENTER in Brentwood (westside of Los Angeles) and the Getty VILLA in Malibu on the Pacific Coast Highway (overlooking the Pacific Ocean).

The Getty CENTER  - The museum admission is free of charge but there is a parking fee of $8.  The museum grounds offer an excellent view of the Los Angeles area, The Getty Center has an extensive European collection.  The architecture of the museum is modern and there are extensive gardens between the galleries.  Computer-aided narrations are provided to enhance your vist.  There are also several places to eat at the museum, in all price ranges.

The Getty VILLA  - The museum admission is free of charge but there is a parking fee of $8.   The museum features Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities arranged by themes including "Gods and Goddesses", "Dionysos and the Theater", and "Stories of the Trojan War".  The main museum building (the villa) is a reproduction based on the Villa dei Papyrii at Herculaneum that was covered with lava and ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in ancient times. The museum is set amidst a background of Roman-inspired architecture and gardens.

Grand Tour of LA ( Los Angeles )  - This is "a must" for all visitors to help in grasping the size of the city as well as provide a concise exposure to many of its popular tourist attraction.  Excellent value for money. Some popular companies offer this type of tour are: Starline Tours, All Los Angeles Tours, and Grayline Tours.

Hollywood - The main attractions here are Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater (home of the Academy Awards Show), and the Hollywood Walk of Fame (a 1-mile tribute to stars of yesterday and today in the form of bronze plaques imbedded in the sidewalk identifying the individual being honored and the medium he or she represented: movies, television, or music).  In the summer,  the nearby Hollywood Bowl is a grand outdoor venue for musical performance -- borh classical and modern.  You can dine at the Bowl or bring your own picnic fare and enjoy it in one of the many, nearby picnic areas. Try to stay near a subway station (yes, L.A. now has rapid transit). The Hollywood & Highland complex has it's own subway stop, just around the corner from the Chinese Theatre, the Knitting Factory, the Eqyptian Theatre, The Pig and Whistle, Musso and Franks, et al. You can even take the train to Universal Studios, or go the other direction to Union Station, downtown. From there, you can hop the Gold Line to Pasadena (great if you are visiting during the Rose Parade). To learn more, go to www.mta.net.

Santa Monica  - A coastal city with the largest beach area in the region.  Santa Monica's beaches are the closest ones to the city of Los Angeles. Santa Monica also boasts the Third Street Promenade, an outdoor, shopping dining, and entertainment area (including numerous movie theaters and live "street performers" -- musicians, jugglers, etc.  In additon, the nearby Santa Monica Pier has a small amusement park and arcade.  Beach access is afforded at the Pier as well as access to the boardwalk (known as "the strand") which follows the beach southbound through various beach communities and terminates at the city of Redondo Beach.

Traveling north and west from Santa Monica (on the Pacific Coast Highway). will bring you to the exclusive community known of Malibu.  To the  south of Santa Monica (via the street or the strand) is the contiguous beach community of Venice.  Inland from Venice is Marina del Rey, a beautiful yacht harbor with an inland waterway and extensive outdoor dining with views of the area.

Universal Studios - An amusement park which includes a tour of the backlot of Universal Studios.  The tour is aboard a tram of about 125 people which drives through familiar exterior sets, soundstages and other buildings essential to movie-making at Universal and seen in the movies and countless television shows.  In addition, the tram becomes "an amusement park ride" to some extent since it drives through various "special effects" environments such as the parting of the Red Sea, an avalanche, and an attack of the shark from the movie "Jaws".  In addition to the tram tours, there are several live, movie-themed shows and "movie-themed" rides.  Nearby the Park (outside of the entrance gates) is Universal Studios City Walk, an outdoor mall with restaurants, stores, and and night clubs. 

Warner Brothers Studios VIP Tour - This is a "tram tour" of the back lot of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank.  The tram holds only 12 guests so the tour has a personal feel to it and you will be able to ask questions of your tour guide easily.  Warner Brothers is heavily involved in television production (as well as movies, to a lesser extent) so it is likely that you will have the opportunity to explore several soundstages and auxiliiary buildings for TV programs that are familiar to you.  Unlike the standard Universal Tour, you have the opportunity to get off the tram and number of times to get a closer look at things. (Universal offers a more "in depth" tour that affords the same ability).