We know you love Milwaukee. We do, too. Sometimes, though, it's good to get on plane and head out of town.
And we're happy to help. This summer and fall, OnMilwaukee.com is teaming up with AirTran Airways to offer six free "Recession Buster Getaways." Every two weeks, we'll preview a great destination, report on some of the bars, restaurants, shops and events that make them unique.
All you have to do is read our guide, then write your own Readers Blog about why you deserve a trip. If we pick your submission as the best, we'll give you a pair of roundtrip tickets, a brand new netbook and a little cash to buy in-flight Wi-Fi.
The complete rules are here, but for this fourth contest, you can blog between now and Sunday, Sept. 13.
For this destination, staff writer Julie Lawrence visited Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES -- When 11 Spanish families founded Los Angeles in 1781, they had no way of knowing that their modest settlement, then known as El Pueblo de Nuesta Señora Reina de los Ángeles, would evolve into the Entertainment Capital of the World.
What might have shocked them even more is the idea of the remnants of their existence -- cobblestone streets, adobe buildings and a gorgeous plaza on Olvera Street -- would one day contribute to modern tourists' fascination with the city.
Olvera Street, the quaint brick-paved thoroughfare cutting through the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, is the oldest part of Los Angeles and an interesting juxtaposition to the modern architecture and movement of the mega metropolis surrounding it.
If you've been to small pueblos in Central and South America, you'll appreciate the authenticity here -- and have a hard time remembering you are mere block away from Union Station. Sampling food and perusing the rows of vendors and 19th-century buildings lining the walkways of what was first a Spanish, then Mexican community is a fun way to spend the day, but to understand that this is but one street in a city that specializes in sprawl is to recognize your need for a serious plan when visiting Los Angeles.
You could spend days exploring the various downtown districts, go star hunting in Hollywood or stay seaside and soak up the sun along the bounty of beaches. The tourist attractions are seemingly endless and so are your possible itineraries. But no matter which route you chose, remember this piece of advice: In Los Angeles, a map is your best friend.
Reveling in Downtown Revival
What was for decades a mostly blighted area with little to offer in the way of nightlife has really turned around within the last decade. Thanks to new additions like the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Staples Center, residential developments and an abundance of new restaurants like the upscale Italian Bottega Louie, the affordable Casa Cocina y Cantina and the 100-plus selection of tap beers at the Yard House, downtown L.A. is again alive after 5 p.m.
Staying downtown proved to be a smart move logistically, as it's close to a couple important interstates -- the 101, which takes you to Hollywood, and 10 -- which shoots you westward to the 405 and, eventually, the Pacific Coast Highway.
We had the pleasuring of staying at the Figueroa Hotel, a stunning Moroccan-themed hotel that pops with vibrant colors and exotic charm in the form of hand-painted tiles and Persian rugs. In the 1920s the building was a YWCA. After the Great Depression, it was converted into a hotel and, thankfully, the renovations haven't totally destroyed its historical feel. An a la carte breakfast is set up daily in the lobby, but just across the street at 877 S. Figueroa St. the Los Angeles Downtown News voted The Original Pantry Cafe as "best breakfast 2009." Conveniently, the hotel is located across the street from L.A. LIVE, a relatively new entertainment complex that covers six square blocks and virtually has it all in the way of eating and entertaining. This is the kind of place where Prince comes and performs for an intimate crowd at The Conga Room before rocking the Staples Center; the kind of place where Justin Timberlake lands in a helicopter to have a private at Club Nokia before hitting a Lakers game.
That said, the array and fun spots like the Nokia Theatre, host of the Grammy Awards, the ESPN Zone, the ultimate sports, dining and entertainment complex, and Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge, a high-end bowling house and bar, make it a fun place for the rest of us, too.
The restaurants are all chains, but each one has individual appeal. The Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill sees the famous Austrian chef there on a regular basis; The Farm of Beverly Hills has all the comforts of a home-cooked meal in a very hot spot; Katsuya boasts the prodigious pairing of master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi and designer Philippe Starck. And those are just a few examples.
A personal highlight was the Grammy Museum, which is Mecca for any music lover, regardless of genre preferences. If you hate gaudy collections of artifacts behind glass, you'll love that this four-floor interactive tribute to music's rich cultural history has none. Give yourself plenty of time here; you'll need it if you want to create your own beats, record your vocals, lay down a track and receive professional feedback. If the timing's right, stay for a live performance in the Museum's state-of-the-art Grammy Sound Stage. We were lucky enough to catch an intimate acoustic set from Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (remember her from her days with The Bangles?), who recently released their second collaborative effort of cover songs, "Under the Covers Vol. 2."
For a lot of people, the mention of L.A. elicits images of endless movie sets dotted with young, beautiful starlets, red carpets and loads of bling. And while the entire city isn't one sparkling, sun-bathed row of perfect palm trees after another, there is certainly an element of the surreal upon seeing that Hollywood sign sitting proudly in the hills above Tinsletown.
If you're taking Santa Monica Boulevard into the area, you can't help but notice the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on your left. Its grounds are stunning and it's not an overly touristy place, although it is billed as "Resting Place of Hollywood's Immortals." Whether they fit the description or not might be up for debate, but Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone are buried there, clearly marked by his own cenotaph (Johnny's includes a life-sized statue of him playing his Mosrite Ventures.)
To save money for things like the just-opened world famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the myriad Hollywood walking tours, we opted for a lunch cheap in price, but rich in quality and history. No visit to Hollywood is complete without a stop at Pink's Hot Dogs, a family-owned stand since 1939 that has wooed stars like Celine Dion, Snoop Dogg, Jay Leno, Aerosmith and many more (their autographed photos are plastered all over the walls). There's a dog for every kind of appetite, including vegan, and the fries seal the deal on a satisfying meal for under $8. The line will be long, but it moved quickly.
Watching the Hollywood Walk of Fame unfold before you as you stand on the corner of Hollywood and Vine is a memorable sight, although, admittedly, staring at the sidewalk can get old, especially as you get to the periphery and ask yourself, "Who is Marlin Hurt, anyway?" Chances are, there'll still be a mob and a pile of photos, flowers and other memorabilia atop Michael Jackson's star, which is close to Grauman's Chinese Theater. Even if you don't take the official tour, it's fun to scour the hundreds of handprints and famous signatures in the cement outside it.
Hollywood is also home to several iconic landmarks and instantly recognizable architecture. While you're here, check out the recently restored Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wright's first house in Los Angeles. After five years and $20 million in renovations, the house and the 11-acre park surrounding it, are open for tours once more.
From here, you've got choices. Head north to Universal Studios where the new Simpson's ride is getting rave reviews, keeping in mind that when visiting what's referred to as the entertainment capitol of the entertainment capitol of the world (get it?), you might want to block out an entire day.
While you're in the neighborhood, take the tram up into the hills to the J. Paul Getty Museum, which is free, excpet for the $15 fee for parking. It's worth every cent, and many prefer it to the larger, more touristy LACMA.
Other options include heading just east to the Fairfax District, where the impressive Original Los Angeles Farmers Market is celebrating its 75th year. This is where farmers' markets started in this country and its open-air shopping concept dates back to 1934. The market is open daily at 9 a.m. (10 a.m. on Sundays), but on the weekends, the produce vendors expand and spill out into The Grove, the adjacent outdoor shopping complex with restaurants, theaters and parks.
Minutes away is the ultimate in hip, boutique hotels, The Farmer's Daughter, the location of which would put you in prime position to nab a spot in the long line of hopefuls surrounding the CBS Television City, each jockeying for the chance to get in to a live taping of "The Price is Right," "The Late Late Show" or "American Idol."
Beach Bummin'
L.A. is one of the most exciting cities in the country, but it can also be exhausting trying to navigate swaths of jam-packed freeways. Make sure you save some space in your itinerary to be a beach bum. This doesn't mean you're committing to long days lying in the sun (though, there's ample opportunity for that, as well). The many beach communities separating the city from the mighty Pacific offer loads in the way of fun-in-the-sun site-seeing, exercise, shopping and dining in a climate that seems almost too good to be true.
The district of Venice is a good place to start -- the place is fascinating before you even get to the beach. One of the coolest hidden gems of Los Angeles are the American version of the Venice canals, actual canals dug by the town's founder, tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney, in 1904 to facilitate the drainage of marshland so he could build his beach town resort. Overrun by the counterculture in the late '60s (Jim Morrison lived there for a few years), the canals and surrounding homes are now part of a quaint, upscale residential neighborhood. If you're taking Venice Boulevard toward the beach, head south on Ocean Avenue and park. The six canals will be between you and the ocean.
And if you've never done Venice Beach before, give yourself some time to walk the Ocean Front Walk, known more simply as "the boardwalk." You can get pierced, tattooed, get your fortune read, buy medical marijuana, play street basketball, eat fish tacos, get a workout (you really can't miss Muscle Beach) and just have your mind blown in more ways than you thought possible in less than a mile.
Near the south end is a bike rental shop (open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and costs $7 / hour or $23 for the day). Since bike locks are included in the rental, take them for a nice ocean ride up to Santa Monica -- it's only about two miles. When you spot the Santa Monica Pier jutting out into the water, park your bikes and take a stroll to explore Pacific Park, a mini amusement park near the end of the pier, by foot. The Ferris wheel is only a few bucks and offers amazing views of the water and quaint beach side shops of Santa Monica. When you're ready to wind down with dinner and a drink, there's Marisol Cocina Mexicana to dish up fresh Mexican and margaritas (just don't forget you've got to get your rented bikes back in time.)
As you head back to the beach, a stop at the Annenberg Community Beach House is worth your time. In the '30s and early '40s it was a personal estate and host to countless parties attended by Southern California's rich and famous. Today it's a historical site turned public beach house with pools, gardens, a cafe, sports facilities, kids area and viewing deck.
And if you head south of Venice Beach instead of north to Santa Monica, you'll bump into Marina Del Rey, a large harbor that includes 13 marinas and the charming, New England style Fisherman's Village, where you can eat, shop, listen to live music and rent boats. The whole area is a couples' paradise of sorts, offering gondola rides, day trips out to Catalina Island, dinner cruises and hotels on the water with romantic views.
This is where our tour ends, but not necessarily where yours does. After all, these are merely our experiences and it's up to you to create your own.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
