Be A Star in L.A.

This motel had been advertised in the AAA travel book. It stated that the hotel was close to L.A. and Universal Studios. Van Nuys is not the classiest neighborhood, and have you ever driven on L.A.'s freeways? It took 45 minutes to get anywhere. We experienced a small earthquake while we were there, though there was absolutely no damage, which is good.

Overall, the motel was fine, but it is too far away from the attractions.

The concierge was so helpful, always giving us maps and assisting us with advice regarding good restaurants or directions! The hotel was within walking distance of Venice Beach, Cheesecake Factory, Chart House Restaurant, and the marina. It was about 15 minutes from LAX. Santa Monica was also only 15 minutes away. Even if you are a hotel guest, you must pay $10 per day for parking, which I thought was pretty high.

We drove from the hotel to Century City to watch the taping of the TV show Just Shoot Me. It wasn't far away, but it was Friday afternoon on the L.A. freeways . . . it took 1 1/2 hours, so my advice is to leave a lot of extra time for traffic if you want to go into downtown L.A. or Universal Studios.

Overall, this is a beautiful hotel if you want to be near the marina and beach.

We started off with garlic bread, which is an understatement. There were the biggest chunks of garlic on it that I've ever seen! I had lasagna (with garlic) and for dessert I had vanilla ice cream (with garlic, no less). It actually tasted fantastic.

Sitting at the next table was Kevin James, the star of "The King of Queens." We had gone to the taping of his show the night before. My coworker started talking to him (to my embarrassment). He was extremely nice and friendly. He's from Long Island (Smithtown) and so are we, so I don't know if that was a reason or if he is genuinely nice.

So if you want to meet TV stars and eat garlic, this is the place to go. I don't know if you should bring a date with all the garlic though.

The only thing I don't like about L.A. is that you are charged to park your car, even if you are eating at that restaurant. The parking fee was $6.00. It was a business expense, but it still irks me!

The food is great. Don't forget the awesome cheesecakes. I am always so full when I leave here, but I at least have to order one of their cheesecakes to go! This place also has a parking fee.

Venice Beach has a flea-market feel to it. I bought a 30-inch suitcase for only $50. The bad thing was that I had to roll it around on the boardwalk, but it was a great buy! My coworker got a very ornate henna tattoo. I bought crystal bracelets. These are where the funky sales are. She bought a beautiful mirror. Of course she didn't stop there, but I can't list everything in this small space. There are people giving massages, fortune tellers, and street entertainers. The last time I was there, a skateboard and bike tournament was going on. People were doing mad things on the skateboards! You have Muscle Beach and the basketball courts, and you can see locations that were used in movies. I always stop at Venice Beach when I am in the Los Angeles area.

We went inside The Tonight Show set, and then they gave us free tickets to the taping that night. You have to get there about two hours early, as having a ticket does not guarantee that you will get in. The staff was telling people where to sit, and then they pulled my husband and I aside. They put us in the front row. I was so shocked. When we watched the show at night, we saw ourselves. At the Sony Studios, my coworker and I saw The King of Queens, and we were in the front row for Hollywood Squares. That was really nice.

Just to let you know, sitcoms are usually only a half hour, but when you watch the taping it can go for four hours (which it did). In 2001, my coworker and I watched the taping of Grounded for Life. It wasn't on TV yet, but the best part of the show is being in the audience. The warm-up comedian was actually a writer on the show. He was so hysterical. I had been to a Comedy Club the week before, and the comedians were not funny at all. Here we were watching a TV show for free, and this guy had me laughing so hard, my cheeks hurt so bad. He asked for someone to sing karaoke, and my coworker volunteered me (I am a singer). As I sang, the actors on the stage stopped what they were doing and started to dance along with my song. When it was over, the audience gave me a standing ovation. The comedian gave me an autographed copy of the script and $50 in Blockbuster coupons. What a wonderful night. I sang in Hollywood! I was so happy.