Description: When I came into Los Angeles to spend the month of December leading up to Christmas on the California coast - I was fortunate enough to know someone locally who could point me in all the right directions for what to do and see while visiting the area.
As I mention often in this journal - the size of LA is something that is really hard to comprehend until you are in the midst of it - and even before you are aware of just how vast the driving times can be from one end of the city to the other - it might still be daunting knowing just where to start your Hollywood adventure.
Not only was I lucky enough to have a few friends dotted around this mammoth city, but I was even more fortunate to have a few friends in film who'd been in the city almost a decade. And though I can't give you the most obvious and helpful advice I would like to give about visiting LA (That is, to know someone who is familiar with it and can tell you all the great things to see and do) I will try to pass on some of the knowledge I got while I was there.
Hollywood is a strange place - and I won't spoil it by telling you too much about it, in case you've never been. What I will say - and I feel that I can say this with a decent amount of confidence - is that it won't be what you expect. I'm not entirely sure what it was I did expect of Hollywood - but I do know that it was much different than any image I had in my head before I left.
And though I'm sure everyone has an idea of what they specifically want to see and do in 'Hollywood' California - there are a few little gems I found via my local friend which I think are certainly worth mentioning.
And the first and oddly one of my favourites, is Pink's Hot Dogs.
I will be honest - I came to LA mostly to visit friends at the tail end of a round the world journey. I'd been scouring travel guides and leaflets for the past year for things to see and do around the globe, so I hadn't really researched much in LA and didn't have any set notion of what I wanted to see while I was there. So when my friend told me that we had to go to Pink's during my visit - I had no idea what she was talking about.
The things you can do in LA with out spending a lot of money are somewhat limited, (though they do exist if you know where to look) and this is one I can highly recommend if you want a little taste of the Hollywood 'star' scene in a realistic setting.
On a little corner on North La Brea Ave is Pink's Hot Dogs. A little, almost nondescript building which you would probably pass by with out noticing if it weren't for the inevitable long line always looping its way out of it.
It’s tiny building, with a very small selection of rickety tables and chairs - this is not the Hollywood glamour you may have been imagining - but it is a Hollywood institution, for locals and stars alike.
Do expect a bit of a wait (it's all part of the historical Hollywood Experience...) as there is almost always quite a line, despite how quickly the staff manage to put out orders and move people through.
And if you are there in the winter - be sure to wear a coat (yes, even in California) as you'll be standing outside waiting for some time, and even in the little building it's not much warmer.
Inside are dozens and dozens of headshots of celebrities who've eaten at Pinks - you soon realize as you make you're way through your messy meal you are getting a real taste of Hollywood.
Not only does the staff manage to get your order right despite the fact that you had to shout it to them over the din of the crowd behind you - but the hotdogs themselves are pretty tasty, too.
But the true pull for tourists, and the reason I think you should add a trip to Pink's to your time in Hollywood is the selection of hotdogs. The menu and selection is enormous - and aside from the great selection of dogs and toppings, there are also the 'star' dogs - hot dogs which have the claim to fame that certain celebrities have come and ordered them special. (Yes, you can order a Rosie O'Donnell Long Island Dog, or a Patt Morrison Baja Veggie Dog - there is even a Martha Stewart dog.)
The price is pretty reasonable, too. Most of the hot dogs are around $4, a little bit more for the specials.
It's kind of a strange taste of Hollywood - but one that it well worth seeing (and tasting) for yourself.
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