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Dr. Dennis Yenn's List of Local Fun Things to Do
LA sights:
-Try MetroRail $5 day pass gets you to many of those items listed below: Red, Blue, Green, Gold, Orange, Purple, Expo Lines. MetroLink weekend pass $10 is good for ALL unlimited public transfers.
-Beaches, Point Dume (near Malibu); & the stretch fr Santa Monica to Palos Verdes
-Best hikes: Runyan Canyon, S.M. mt’s (Temescal Canyon), Griffith Park, Eaton Canyon
-Bonaventure Hotel (downtown)
-Sports: Dodgers and Angels (O.C.) baseball, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks (O.C.)
-Marina Del Rey’s marina, & Burton Chance Park, & walk Abbot Kinney Blvd. (annual festival).
-3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place (new outdoor mall, top level food court ocean view), Farmer’s Market Wed’s only; S.M. Pier, Venice
-The Grove at Fairfax (and adjacent outdoor Farmer’s Market)
-Shopping Melrose Place (classic to do in L.A.); eat @ Mr. Pink’s Hotdog stand (La Brea & Melrose)
-Old Town Pasadena, Norton Simon Museum, Rose Parade (New Years Day)
-Hollywood & Highland, Dolby Theater (Oscars), Chinese Theater; Annual Christmas Parade: Sun after Thxgiv.
-Walk of Fame (Sunset & Vine St.)
-Pick up free movie screening passes & Jay Leno tix’s along Hollywood Blvd.
-Do Stars (celebrity homes) tour.
-Hollywood clubs on Vine/Hollyw Blvd. (weekend night life 10pm-2:00am), Supper Club, Dria’s (W Hotel). Amoeba Records: try the elevator (you’ll know what I mean).
-Pantages Theater (Broadway shows), Palladium.
-West Hollywood Halloween Party
-Griffith Park / Ferndale / L.A. Zoo; Holiday Festival of Lights (Xmas)
-Hollywood sign: Hike up right next to it, legally. Ask me about the secret path.
-Griffith Observatory (telescope Star Party 3rd Sat of month), Planetarium, city lights (night); bottom level has Leonard Nimoy theater presents free film, “The Once and Future of Grif Obs,” every hour. Hike from Observatory up to Dante’s Peak aka Mount Hollywood for spectacular panoramic views.
-Universal City Walk (summer time many free outdoor concerts and performance shows). Take Red line here and free shuttle up the hill.
-Universal Studios (movie making amusement park), Six Flags Magic Mountain (roller coasters).
-NoHo’s (North Hollywood) Art District for local low key live theater shows.
-Nokia Center (aka L.A. Live) visit before and after sporting events at Staples Center
-Huntington Library (Gardens)
-Descanso Gardens (La Canada Flint)
-Getty Museum (2 different ones)
-Skirball Center (Jewish Museum)
-Bel Air Presbyterian Church (CW & 90210 crowd)
-Hike Temescal Canyon, then beaches below.
-Exposition Park (5 in 1 trip): Rose Gardens, Calif Science Center (EcoSystems exhibit, see Endeavor space shuttle, IMAX, etc.), Space & Aeronautics, Nat. Hx. Museum, walk USC campus; take Expo Line there.
-Miracle Mile: LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits; race car museum.
-Ride Ventura Blvd on 750 MTA Red Rapid get great taste of the Valley.
-Balboa Park (Van Nuys)
-San Pedro: Port ‘O Call (fresh outdoor seafood market and grill), & Korean bell & Fermin Park; drive across Vincent Thomas Bridge (free); visit small Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
-Long Beach: “new” Pike, Rainbow Harbor, Shoreline Village, Aquarium, Pine Ave, Belmont Shores walk, Naples
-L.B. Ports, salt hill, Queen Mary
-L.A.’s downtown financial & jewelry district; Grand Park (gigantic water fountains, night time color coordinated lights); Pershing Square; Omni Hotel.
-Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Opera, etc. Disney’s Concert Hall.
-L.A.’s Olvera Street & Chinatown, both walking distance from Union Station
-Annual free boat tours of LB & LA ports
-Official tours of local universities: USC, LMU, UCLA, Pepperdine.
-Annual events: bike-a-thon’s; 5K runs; Hollywood half marathon, USC Festival of Books; L.A. County Fair (Fairplex/Pomona, Sept); Chinatown Summer Nights festival (Aug). Check L.A. and L.B. Convention Centers for ongoing events/ conventions.
-Catalina Island
-Big Bear (snow, fresh air, wilderness)
-Palm Springs day trip (dry, warm), daily tours, Aerial Tramway & hiking at top scenic views.
O.C. sights:
-Disney, Knott’s, & Angels baseball, Ducks hockey.
-The Block in Orange & 30 screens AMC
-O.C. Fair Grounds & Swap Meet (summer)
-Balboa Island/Park and Cove
-Sunset Beach, reservoir & Seal Beach, Huntington Harbor
-Fashion Island (outdoor mall)
-Laguna Beach, art festival, and visit Ritz Carlton
-Diving/Scuba Wood Cove
-Crystal Cove, Newport Beach
-Newport Beach, rollerblade.
-Harbor City & Adventure City (both are same thing) in Stanton, CA. But rumor has it, it may close permanently (land sold)
-Medieval Times
-Best places to eat: Sam Woo’s Irvine; Seafood Cove & Seafood Paradise in Westminster
Do in San Diego (best in summer time):
-Drive scenic route (official S.D. city marked route map)
-Seaport Village
-Horton Plaza (famous outdoor multi-level mall, and is an icon of S.D.) It’s next to Gaslamp district.
-Gas lamp District (lots of bars & wild hot party people on weekend nights).
-Ride the MTA Red Trolley train all over S.D. (day pass), (good journey betw Old Town and Downtown)
-S.D. Padres' Petco Field (baseball, April-Sept)
-S.D. Convention Center & eat at Old Spaghetti Factory nearby.
-Balboa Park (walk around, garden, water fountains, see green house, hike)/ science museum.
-Old Town S.D. (like Old Town Pasadena), but see in day time. Sometimes free outdoor show Mission performances. Eat great Mexican food outdoor restaurants.
-Cabrillo Lighthouse National Monument at the tip of Point Loma
-Mission Bay (seen from Crown Point & Mission Beach.)
-Drive on Fiesta Island Rd (on the Island in Mission Bay. You must do this if you haven't before).
-Mission Beach (very nice beach and hang out of many college students)
-Shelter Island (see at night, peaceful, and is better than Harbor Island).
-Pacific Beach (day time) (drive Grand Ave, college hangout bars).
-Bird rock (day time, bring your sandals, walk on tide pools (during low tide), catch sand crabs.)
-La Jolla Shores and the Cove (seals). Walk shoreline from Cove go south. Snorkel.
-Rollerblade on Centennial Park on Coronado Island (is a must), via Coronado Bridge 75.
-UCSD & USD & SDSU. (exercise in the UCSD modern gym, tours Sat/Sun). Do the UCSD tour: there’s 2 kinds: 1) student tour 9-11am M-Sat, 2) architectural tour (Sunday’s only).
-Drive on PCH south from Oceanside to Del Mar (warm summer time only, take your convertible).
-Camping (tent) Oceanside, along beach.
-Hike Tecolote Canyon National Park (directly behind USD (University of S.D.)), visit free wildlife small museum at the trailhead & parking lot area. Free parking.
-Del Mar fair grounds (for circus, fair, & swap meet) (seasonal only).
-UTC for ice skating & bowling (but I think they got rid of it).
-Visit Mexico for cheap outdoor shopping. Great leather jackets, knives, etc.
-Family Fun Center off the 52/805 for mini-golf and batting cages.
-Fishing (must do this). Deep Sea fishing, port near Shelter Island. Catch blue fin tuna.
-Tourist spots: Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World (use coupon / student discounts)
-Eat at Great Moon Buffet for lunch, 858-273-6868 (great variety, great deal) 1840 Garnet, x/ Jewell St, w/in the Vons shopping center); & Kemo Sabe = good restaurant in S.D. rec by TLe near.
-Legoland theme park for kids.
-Flower Fields (Carlsbad) (seasonal only).
-San Diego Mormon Temple
-If asked to describe San Diego: many scenic view and free places to see. Lots of walking, laid back strolling, and easy going attitude. Natural wonders of cliffy beaches and tide pools, snorkeling, weather is on the cool side (ocean breeze all year). It is a military town, and college town (3 big universities).
-I’ve been asked what places to avoid in terms of bad areas: Chula Vista.
Do in Las Vegas:
-Stroll the strip in the hot dry weather environment both in day and night.
-Swimming the pool of Luxor (voted best at 1 time)
-Buffet's: Paris dinner buffet (#1 rated), Flamingo lunch buffet (good price for value), Bellagio dinner buffet (expensive, long lines, but worth a try), Mandalay Bay lunch buffet, Circus Circus lunch buffet (I had this as a kid, cheap today). We can also bring our own foods, but usually 1 buffet a day fills me for a whole day. There are also cheaper fast foods such as McDonalds and Panda Express (across from Mandalay Bay), and Denny's everywhere.
-Dollar drinks.
-Working out in Luxor gym (1
admission for each of us included), so
we'll work out Tues.
-Seeing the stars and Milky Way
in the middle of the desert and listening to crickets
in the silent of the night (on the return trip back to LA).
-Death Valley and Michelle Caverns camp site.
-Admire the new modern
architecture of hotels and taking pictures (but
I've already done this).
-Shows galore, Tix4Tonight.com
-Large outlet mall near Barstow we can visit if you'd like.
-Hoover Dam
-Top of Stratosphere at night city lights.
-Many medical seminars throughout the year including ACFAS (Feb), Pain Management Seminar, etc.
-CES annual convention, for the latest and greatest in electronics.
Vegas cheap deals ch. 7
-Terribles 1/2 chicken & sides 4.99, east of strip
-Ellis Islands behind Paris hotel, top sirloin steak w/ sides 4.99
-ride monorail $3 /ride or $10 day pass, take ticket to Flamingo, get $5 reimbursement on slots
-Plaza hotel, after 4pm = free prize to everyone in line.
To Do in General:
-rollerblade Redondo Beach
-swap meet
-local county fair
-planetarium
-hike more trails
-finish science museum
-shopping: Hollywood, Melrose, etc.
-visit model homes
-Santa Barbra & SD
-visit the park near LAX
-student theater/ performing arts
-outlet stores
Last update: 02/25/14; First update: 10/08/01
home page: www.dyenn.com