Los Angeles (and Anaheim) trip

[albertGQ]

Whats up CPers!?!?!? I am going to leave Calgary for sunny LA on Wednesday April 12th returning the following Wednesday April 19th. Despite the rumours, I am not going to Cali for an Usher concert (not this time anyway). I am going to the Flames/Kings game on the 15th as well as the Flames/Ducks game on the 17th

There are five of us in total. We also have tickets to the Dodgers/Giants game on the 16th. So we get to see the real Juice, Barry Bonds. We will be in the audience for The Tonight Show and The Price is Right (I am hoping to be a contestant).

We've got plans to go to Disneyland (just because its Disneyland) and Universal Studios as well.

The reason for this thread is I have no idea what the night life is like in Cali. I want to hit up at least one good restaurant. I want to hit up a couple nice night clubs as well. For the people that have been to LA and/or Anahiem, where do you suggest I should go? What night clubs do you recommend? What is the cover charge? Dress code?

I wuoldn't mind running into a celebrity or two as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Any recommendations on other things as well? Celebrity bus tour? Any tourist attractions I should visit?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance guys and girls!!!

[Buff]

I don't have any advice but I recommend you wear a Flames shirt or jersey to the tapings of The Tonite Show and The Price is Right. Should you get on air, even for a second, it would be cool to see the Flames being represented on American TV.

You should pm FlamesFanInLA. Rumor has it that he lives in LA and is celebrity himself.

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Buff

I don't have any advice but I recommend you wear a Flames shirt or jersey to the tapings of The Tonite Show and The Price is Right. Should you get on air, even for a second, it would be cool to see the Flames being represented on American TV.

I'm wearing my jerseys to the two Flames game

I think it'll be hot at those two tapings so I'm gonna be sporting my "Hangin' in the Dome, Chillin' with Jarome" shirts

Those shirts were PIMP!!!!!!!!!!

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Buff

You should pm FlamesFanInLA. Rumor has it that he lives in LA and is celebrity himself.

What is his exact handle name? I can't seem to find him when I do a search.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

What is his exact handle name? I can't seem to find him when I do a search.

Oops, my bad. It is LA Flames Fan

He is the feller who was in Mystery Alaska.

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Buff

Oops, my bad. It is LA Flames Fan

He is the feller who was in Mystery Alaska.

Thanks Buff!

[Mike Oxlong]

There is a restaurant is West Hollywood called "Koi" that apparently a lot of celebs go to. Might be worth checking out.

BTW - How did you do in that poker tourney. I know you made it to the second level but what happened after that?

[socalwingfan]

Definitely check out Santa Monica and Venice beach. I'm not into the club scene so can't help you there - but if your in downtown LA at around 1 -2 in the morning check out Pinks (fast food) for the after bar closes celebrity sighting - I saw the dudes from Guns 'n Roses there once.

I'm hoping to score some tickets to the Flames game but haven't heard back yet from my friend yet.

Get to Dodger stadium early for BP - it's an awesome stadium I try to go at least twice a month.

LA Flame Fan seems much younger/cooler than me so he's probably a better source

[GreenTeaFrapp]

I'd go to the brewpub across the street from the Pond before the game. I can't remember the name but I think it starts with a 'J'. If you go in and see a wall of tv's all set to hockey and then a transparent wall with numerous enormous kegs behind, you're in the right place.

[Incinerator]

PM me if you wanna meet up at either of the games, a group of 50+ of us will be down there Friday to Tuesday, some people are going to the Dodgers game also, not me though I hate baseball...I might catch the Sonics-Clippers game on Sunday.

btw we did the Price is Right in March '03, only went to the Pond for one game that time. I still have the tape of my buddy pimpin' the Flaming C on the show, he got a vaccum cleaner from Bob for his efforts hahaha.

[getbak]

If you're staying in Anaheim while going to the Ducks game and Disneyland, you can check out the Downtown Disney district, which is right beside Disneyland.

There is an ESPN Zone, so if you're looking to watch the mass suicides in Vancouver and/or Edmonton, that's a good place to catch a game. I was even able to watch the Grey Cup there last year, and met a couple of other Flames Season Ticket holders watching the Flames-Sens game. No cover charge, but the food isn't cheap. The burgers are great though. There's also a sports-themed arcade upstairs.

Also at Downtown Disney, there is a House of Blues. They have concerts there - you do have to pay if there's a concert, otherwise I believe it's free. Website: http://hob.com/venues/clubvenues/anaheim/

I don't know much about the rest of the night life in Anaheim (if there is any), but as already mentioned there are a few places around the Pond and Angels Stadium. I seem to recall a good taco restaurant just west of the Stadium on Katella, I seem to recall something like 99¢ beer (which could explain the fuzzy memory) and 50¢ tacos and they're much better than Taco Bell or Del Taco.


I wasn't really impressed with the Pond (and its tiny crowd - I bought "scalped" tickets for half of face value), but Staples Center is a great arena - not quite the atmosphere of a Flames game, but what is? You could actually walk around the concourse during intermission, and the doorway to the washrooms was wide enough for people to walk in and out at the same time. The Pond was easy to get around as well, but there were more people sitting on the players' benches than in the section I was sitting in, so I'm sure that made a difference.


I wasn't really all that impressed by Universal Studios. It has a few rides, but the Jurassic Park one is the only one worth going on more than once (but only if it's warm because you do get wet). The Studio Tour aspect of the park is nice, but it is very sanitized for the public. The closest you'll get to seeing a celebrity is driving past Jill Hennessy's parking spot outside the sound stage where they shoot Crossing Jordan. You might get to go down the street where they shoot Desperate Housewives, but only if you go on a Sunday because they shoot the rest of the week (although, they might be done their season by now). Everything else on the tour (Jaws, King Kong, Earthquake, Mummy, War of the Worlds) is set-up for the tram tour. My favourite part is when you go past the sets of Whoville from The Grinch, then around the corner to the Bates Motel from Psycho.


If you want to see a real working movie studio and actually get to walk around the backlot, go to the Warner Bros. tour instead. It was great. Instead of a huge tram with about 200 people, you ride in a cart with about 10 people and you actually get to step off and walk around the lot. Every tour is different because they have to avoid the areas where there is active shooting, but I was able to see the Ambulance bay from ER and the whole town where the Gilmore Girls live. You really get to see how poorly everything is constructed.

We also walked around the hospital set from Invasion and the office from Without a Trace (amazing - I don't watch the show, but their soundstage is incredible). They also had the set from Central Perk from Friends set up in a storage room, so we all got our pictures taken on "the couch" (the guide said we weren't allowed to, but let us anyway, I'm sure they say that to everyone).

The WB tour is 2 hours long and is about $10 cheaper than a full day ticket to Universal, but if you want to see a real movie studio, it's totally worth it. The entrance to the WB tour is about 2 block away from NBC (which doesn't have any public parking, so you have to park a few blocks away on the street), so you could do the WB tour in the morning, the NBC tour in the afternoon (not that great, but super cheap - about $6 if you're an AMA member), then stand in line for the Tonight Show.

I didn't see any celebrities, but the guide at WB said they occassionally have actors hitch rides on the tour carts. He specifically mentioned that George Lopez and Martin Sheen like to tag along the tours every once and a while. However, the tv season is almost over, so they might be done shooting before you go.


As for celebrities, if you can find out where there's going to be a movie premiere, you might see some if you can get close to the red carpet. Last June, I was in Hollywood the night of the Batman Begins premiere, and saw Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale, and Liam Neeson arriving. I also saw Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes arriving (she's like 6 inches taller than him). They all talked to Access Hollywood and ET on their way in.

Of course, going to the Tonight Show should guarantee a few celebrity sightings. They'll probably also show a few on the Jumbotron at the Kings game - they showed Jesse James (from West Coast Choppers) at the game I went to.

The closest I got to any celebrity sightings "in the wild" was at Disneyland. They're usually escorted by special tour guides, so if you see a tour guide (they wear red and blue plaid vests - and they're the only ones in the park who do) walking along with a small group of people, look at the group, and there's likely a VIP of some sort in the group. I saw both Corbin Bernsen (not a big-time celebrity) and Maria Shriver (first lady of California - Arnold was giving a speech there that day) this way.

[Engine09]

Head to Hollywood any night of the week, Sunset Blvd., stop by The Rainbow Bar & Grill, it's right next door to the Roxy, decent food and drinks. You'll spot some celebrities for sure. The Key Club is also very close, and the Whisky is just down the street, the most famous club in Hollywood. The list of bands that have played there is endless, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, and on and on.

The Troubadour is on Santa Monica Blvd., the room when Guns N' Roses play a lot of early show, same with the Eagles an Cheech & Chong.

[Gugstanley]

When are you going to Disneyland? My kid and me can wear Flames gear one fo the days we go.

[Flames4LifeFLA]

Definitely check out Dodger Stadium if you have the chance...not in the best of neighborhoods, but that place is just the most beautiful ballpark on a sunny, clear Los Angeles afternoon...

Make sure the Flames get 4 points on that trip, too!

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Whats up CPers!?!?!? I am going to leave Calgary for sunny LA on Wednesday April 12th returning the following Wednesday April 19th. Despite the rumours, I am not going to Cali for an Usher concert (not this time anyway). I am going to the Flames/Kings game on the 15th as well as the Flames/Ducks game on the 17th

There are five of us in total. We also have tickets to the Dodgers/Giants game on the 16th. So we get to see the real Juice, Barry Bonds. We will be in the audience for The Tonight Show and The Price is Right (I am hoping to be a contestant).

How did you line up tickets for The Tonight Show or Price is Right? I'm probably going to L.A. in July or August...

[Jayems]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

How did you line up tickets for The Tonight Show or Price is Right? I'm probably going to L.A. in July or August...

Price is right:

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/price/tickets/

* Bob barker was in the hospital the day of filming, so we missed out on the shwo

Craig Ferguson

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/tickets/


We went when it was that other guy... Craig Kilborn... We were the rowdy's from Canada and we got a whole bunch of free crap.. I got the coffe mug from the show.. it was the Vin Disel show..

Either way, its really neat to see how a late show works behind the scenes...

[La Flames Fan]

Oops, missed this thread, but I guess I'll post anyway even though you've probably gone already....

Someone mentioned Koi, that's a definite cool hangout spot for celebs, but tough to get into and expensive as hell.

If you're into art, check out the Getty Museum...Only $6 bucks to get in (it's free, but you pay for parking), and the views and architechture are amazing.

Along sunset there are twenty million bars to go to...I like Red Rock myself, but they have a pretty cool patio. Skybar, if you can get in, is amazing, just amazing. The eye-candy is astonishing.

Melrose ave is pretty cool with a bunch of great shops and bars along the way. You're bound to see some celebs there.

Check out Point Dume in Malibu....It's got a rock formation that's been on many album covers and films, you'd probably recognize it. Then go eat at the "Reel Inn" a great little fish joint that has great, great food and a neat atmosphere.

Hit as many starbucks as you can and you're bound to see a celeb. The local bux I go to, I've seen Sandra Bullock, Tim Allen, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Hailey & Hilary Duff, Eric McCormack (Canadian), Bob Weistein, many people from TV that I can't name, and more I just can't remember. That bux is in Burbank right next to Bob's Big Boy, a nostalgic restaurant right near many studios. On Friday nights at Bob's they have classic car night and sometimes you'll see Jay Leno out there with some of his cars...Otherwise, if you're into that, you'll see some pretty amazing rides.

Oh, hit the Grove...which is attached to the Farmer's Market. Not only is the farmer's market cool with a ton of different foods to eat and beer to drink, but the Grove is brand new and I went there the other day and was blown away on how amazing that place is.

3rd Street Promenade is great in Santa Monica...Just three streets up from the beach and close to the Santa Monica pier. There's a little old english pub I hit every once in a while there that I like.

Another great place to drink, on Santa Monica Blvd, is Barney's Beanery...They claim to have all kinds of beer from all over the world, and they do (except their missing Big Rock), that place gets packed with all kinds of hotness.

That's all I can think of right now....If I remember something I'll post it.

I'll be at the game on Saturday, we usually have a drink in the Fox Bar during intermissions and before the game, I'll be there with my girl, a buddy I play hockey with and a few other people...Of course I'll be sporting my jersey too....

[La Flames Fan]

Originally Posted by fotze

The one who cheated on you?

HAHAHAHA....Hell No...she came crying back, but I gave her the "talk to the hand cause the face ain't listenin'..." Then dumped her body into the LA River...

I'm kidding.