Bklyn Chick's DL Trip Day 2: 10/15/07

[BklynChick]

Today was our day to tour LA. Woke up very early (still on NYC time) to cloudy skies, drizzle and cool temperatures. Had breakfast at White Water Snacks then went out to the driveway area to wait for our tour bus. We were told to be outside by 8:45am, but at 9am we still hadn’t been picked up and had to call the tour agent. Waited another 5-7 minutes before we were picked up.

We booked the tour through Starline Tours but in Anaheim, the tours are run by VIP Tours. Despite the pickup snafu, the tour turned out to be excellent. We did the Grand Tour of LA which took about 8 hours. We had a minibus with about 18-20 people and our tour guide. Serge the tour guide was really great - very knowledgeable without being too chatty. We took the freeway to Downtown LA which we saw from the bus (although Serge stopped very quickly in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall so we could snap a few pix). Then we headed to the original area where LA started - Olivera Street. We walked around amid the Mexican vendors (and had our first of many churros this trip). Afterwards Serge took us up Mullholland Drive to see if we could see the Hollywood sign but it was too cloudy (although the drizzle had stopped). Next we went to Hollywood Drive, where we got out to see Graumman’s Chinese Theater, the Walk of Fame, and the Kodak theater (also caught a glimpse of Disney’s El Capitan Theater). We took pictures and bought some souvenirs. Then we drove down Sunset Strip and over to Beverly Hills. We had just a few minutes to hop out at Rodeo Drive to snap some pix (obviously, they frown on tour buses stopping there). Then we went for lunch at the LA Farmer’s Market. I had never heard of this place but if you are ever in LA, stop by. They have all these vendors selling lots of different foods and snacks, plus a whole row of stores that lead to another shopping center called the Grove. We had a delicious lunch at a Brazilian place - there was a mini-buffet plus grilled meats, all of which you paid by the pound. Prices were reasonable and the food was fresh. After leaving the Farmer’s Market, we drove to Venice Beach and Marina Del Ray. Since it was a cloudy, cool day there wasn’t much going on there. At Marina Del Ray we stopped at a place called Fisherman’s Village. The snack stand was run by a really fun guy who made a mean frozen banana (if you’ve never had one, they are soooo good!)

Serge dropped us off at our hotel around 4:45pm. We had PS for Storyteller’s at 7pm (I wasn’t sure what time the tour would end) but after resting in the room until 6pm, we went downstairs and were able to get a table early. This restaurant is very nice (it was where I ate on my last trip) and has a wonderful atmosphere. Mom and I shared a salad, then I had the ravioli and she had the salmon. We were too full for dessert and still had a box of treats left over from Fantasmic, so we went back to the room and called it an early night. Watched some TV, read USA Today (had a copy outside the hotel room door every morning) then went to bed.

[Melanie]

As many times as I've been to Disneyland, I've never toured LA. Enjoyed reading about your day.

[tinkwest]

Wow - Olivera St. - I haven't been there in 40 years. Glad you enjoyed your tour. I'm sure having a good tour guide made all the difference in the world.

[disneydrmr]

That sounds like a great tour! Wish I would have time to do that while I'm there this weekend.. but we only have 3 days... Thanks for sharing your experience!

[MegaDisney]

As a child we visited Olivera Street, I remember buying jumping beans there!

Glad you got to venture out from the resort and see the sights of LA.

[ChipnDaleGal]

That tour sounds like a fun and easy way to see some of the more iconic Los Angeles points of interest. Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Storytellers. I really like that restaurant a lot. Thanks for sharing.