January 4-5, 2018 Los Angeles, CA

Renowned as the world’s leading center of film and television, Los Angeles is also home to an endless array of museums, concert venues and other cultural institutions, and offers some of the best dining in the world. Along the palm-lined streets of Beverly Hills, grand celebrity mansions hide behind iron gates. The chic shops of Rodeo Drive invite endless browsing. The Roosevelt Hotel, an icon built in the 1920s that once served as the residence of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, oversees the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theater.

We docked in San Pedro, but not where the cruise ships normally dock. It was more of a make shift dock.

We spent two days here, with the rest of the world cruisers getting on January 5. The first day in LA we went and had lunch with Steve’s three brothers and sister near the ship. It is the first time they have all been together since his dad died 7 years ago.

That afternoon we took the shuttle to Long Beach and walked around and came back. It was a high end shopping area on the water.

On the 5^th we took the included tour which was on a drive around the city. Our guide, Chris, had been around the block. When he was younger he worked on the ships. But, when he retired he went into acting. Doing commercials and bit parts in films, so he had some stories. Where we are docked, which is in the middle of the commercial port. This is how the city makes money and why they annexed this into the great LA area. LA gets $274 for each container ad $2 for every barrel of oil. If you look at these container ships, they have 1.5 times below than what they show on deck. The LA/Long Beach port is from the first to the third largest in the world.

 

After finally getting out of the port we went by the Collousium where the Olympics were held, the 1^st jetliner that was built by McDonald Douglass, USC, a gorgeous church that has this fantastic tile work on the dome and the first mansion in the area. The sandstone for the mansion was brought from Europe, around Cape Horn.

From there we went by the LA Convention Center, the Staples Center and the Grammy Museum. We also went by the Pantry Café. Our guide said it is the best old style food in LA, and for lunch and dinner the lines are around the block. He said everyone eats in there.

Next was City Hall, the Hall of Justice, a gorgeous old church and the main post office, with the copula on top. There were a lot of tall modern buildings here in the downtown area, but they all looked the same.

By now it was time for a bathroom break and we stopped a pretty park.

We then passed this yellow sign that said ODSD. Our guide explained this points to where they are filming a movie and tells the cast where they are to go. It does not say what movie or people would gather there. Here is a collection of street signs from this area. This is where the Walk of Fame is; it where the names of celebrities are emblazoned on stars. To get a star you must pay $27,000. We passed many studios, one of which was the Ricardo Montalban Studio.

 

He explained to us about seat fillers at the Oscars. You can get on a list to do this if you are part of the unions, but he said you really had to brown nose to get the job and in ren years he had never been picked. You are required not to talk to anyone unless spoken to or you could be black balled for life. He said the two after parties were the Governors Ball, because Wolfgang Puck catered it and Elton Johns, because it was a good time.

 

We now went by the Disney Theater, El Capitan, Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the famed Roosevelt Hotel, once home to Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.

Next we went by a big grey house that Steven Spielberg had owned. It was used in the filming on Oceans 11. The café with the yellow awning was owned by the Prince of Monaco and is where Julie Roberts used to be a waitress. Finally, that hard to see house is called the house without windows. What you see are façade. This is where JFK and Marilyn Monroe had their trysts. It is said that the FBI bought the brick house next store to spy on them.

We never could get a picture of the Hollywood sign, but did get out and could take a picture of the Beverly Hills sign.

Our last stop was in Santa Monica where we could get out and get a good look at the pier.

 

It was one of the best tours we took. We got back about noon, had lunch and relaxed. We now have seven days at sea.