Movie stars and cruises-how do we see it all without a car?

[Gingee]

We will be coming in on the morning before the cruise. DD and friend flying in around 11:30 a.m. and DH and I coming in 8:00 a.m. with Amtrak. Would like to see something of Hollywood either before the cruise or after the cruise. We are staying one night after the cruise and DH and I leave at 6:30 p.m. the night after and DD and friend leave LAX airport at 3:30.

 

So I am very confused about the area. Would like to see the movie stars homes and such but not sure if it is best to get somewhere after the cruise (where, I don't know) or the day before. We have two or three days total (before and after the cruise). Any advice on how to do all this without a car? Or breaking the bank?

 

Leaving from San Pedro.

[Cuizer2]

The movie stars live in gated communities. For the few that don't, you will not find them outside waiving at all the tourist that come by.

 

You would do much better going to Universal Studios.

[jasmith52]

Just give Tom Cruz and cameron Diaz a call. They'll come down to Giant Burger so that you can meet em'.

 

Make sure that you get a photo to show the folks back in Peoria now !

[Cuizer2]

Just give Tom Cruz and cameron Diaz a call. They'll come down to Giant Burger so that you can meet em'.

 

Make sure that you get a photo to show the folks back in Peoria now !

 

Very helpful. :rolleyes:

[Cruisin' Chick]

It's really more luck when it comes to seeing a celebrity out and about. You can try eating at one of the restaurants that they frequent and keep your fingers cross. Or try one of the stores (ones on Rodeo; maybe even a place I used to work at, Writers Store in Westwood, where many actors who were interested in film software would go -- saw plenty of them there). Sometimes you just see them around. But many of them have moved to the suburbs, like the Valley, and live pretty normal lives. You can run into Sinbad at the local Home Depot or see someone at Barnes & Noble.

[Puffinater]

Not to put a damper on the sighting of movie stars but my wife lived in LA for over 35 years and guess how many encounters she had? Best bet may be to hang on Rodeo Dr. Just checking out the outside area of some of those homes is worth the trip. Good luck and enjoy.

[yogi2929]

...............You can run into Sinbad at the local Home Depot or see someone at Barnes & Noble.

 

Yep I'll second/third that. Most are relatively normal people living in the burbs. Many where I grew up in the North SF Valley. Quite funny realizing that they are the same as us 'little people'. Used to see this one actor in the local market yelling at his boys, they were true boys.;) Poor guy always seemed to be at his wits end.

 

You can probably pick up a tour for the homes in Bel Air and such. No guarantees on who owns those though.

[zephyr17]

In the 35 years I lived in southern California, I saw Jack Benny (at the airport when I was a kid), George C. Scott (shooting a scene for "The Formula" across the street from where I worked at the time, Rita Moreno (shooting a scene for the Rockford Files in the exotic lobby of my coackroach infested Hollywood apartment building. I came up out of basement laundry room and waved my detergent box at her. I think I scared her), and George Takei (ensign Sulu, in the concession line at the Chinese Theater.)

 

George C. Scott was an perfect gentleman to everyone who came up to him. He liked to play chess, and would play chess with anyone who wanted to while he was waiting between takes. Only time in my life I wish I actually played chess.

 

George Takei and I ended up having a long conversation about how screwed up the concession stand was at the Chinese Theater. I think he was willing engage in a conversation because I remembered his name, and didn't call him "Sulu".

 

Oh, yeah, and the blond guy who played Khan's son in Wrath of Khan jogging in Westwood.

 

So 35 years, and I saw 4 1/2 "name" actors (1/2 for the Wrath of Khan guy). So I guess I averaged a little less than 1 every 7 years.

[riffatsea]

There are bus tours of movie stars homes BUT all you see are walls/trees /gates etc. You don't really see anything. I'd look up some other places of interest in LA OR perhaps go to Universal Studios OR if you are not into movie theme parks perhaps a real studio tour at Warner Bros.?

[jasmith52]

I have lived in SoCal most of my life here is my (long) list of Celebrity encounters.

 

I met the guy who played the ranch manager on the Dallas TV show - he said to me "You don't know who I am do you ?" I do now. We talked about cars.

 

I met an actress who played on a daytime soap opera.

 

I met another actor who played a doctor on a daytime soap opera. he was selling cars after his career had taken a turn.

 

When I was in a restaurant Steve Martin was in there and walked past my table on the way out.

 

When I was in a restaurant Rose Marie was in there.

 

At Lake Arrowhead I walked past Patrick Swayze.

[Gardyloo]

Go have breakfast at Nate 'n Al's on Beverly Drive and you'll probably see Larry King and a few B-list types. And if not, at least you'll get a decent plate of latkes or salami and eggs.

[Gingee]

I meant the tours of homes of the rich and famous.

[PatriciaF]

Post your question on tripadvisor.com. Some one should be able to advise you on tours of Hollywood and drive by tours of stars home.

 

I have lived in Long Beach my entire life and I have seen few actor/actress out and about. A friend really wanted to see a star after she moved her from Florida, we made several jaunts to Beverly Hills, never any luck. One day we were having lunch in a restaurant by work and who walked by (very slowly), but Buddy Ebsen. He kept his boat in Long Beach and knew the owners of the restaurant.

[Cuizer2]

I meant the tours of homes of the rich and famous.

 

Touring the streets of the homes of the rich is easy. The famous live in gated communities. They will take you past a nice looking house and say someone famous lives there. If you are from out of town and don't know any better you might believe them. Does that person really live there?

 

Here is a nice house. The person who lives there is rich, but he is not famous. If they told you Jay Leno lived there, would you believe them?

 

 

By the way, this is not Jay Leno's house.

[melsal]

The tour of the stars homes can be interesting but you probably will not see any stars. Many times they are the former homes. Although Universal Studios is a working studio it is more of an amusement park. I have never seen any filming. A better tour to see the workings of TV shows is Sony studios or Warner Bros. Studios. Both very good tours. At times, some TV shows will allow tours to go into a rehearsal. Having lunch at a sidewalk cafe on Rodeo Dr. or Sunset Blvd gives an opportunity to see some stars. Not sure when you are cruising but the Academy Awards are March 7th.

[Splinter]

Living most of my life in SoCal, I have seen more celebrities at the airport (esp. LAX) than anyplace else. I stood in line behind Pat Paulsen (remember him??) in a PSA line once and chatted with him and waited for a plane one time with Maureen O'Sullivan, and saw Richard Nixon and his family having lunch at Knotts Berry Farm once. I met Ted Turner at a sailing event (no Jane Fonda though). The old TV mini series "Space" was shot at the hospital where I worked, and we got to spend a significant amount of time joking around between takes with Bruce Dern (very nice) and Michael York (stuck up and unfriendly). I cared for Dustin Hoffman's mother after she had a stroke (he was very nice to all the patients and staff). Now I work at a VA hospital, so have had most of my celebrity contacts with those who come to visit hospitalized veterans (mostly TV stars or minor movie stars). I saw Mickey Roarke last spring the day before the Oscars at a restaurant near the Disney Theater. I belong to the San Diego Cinema Society and we see sneak previews of many films. Often we have actors or directors or producers of the films speak to us after the filmings. Film festivals are also a good place for sightings.

 

You can take a tour called "Movie Star Homes" (or something similar), or buy maps on the street corners near Bel Air or Beverly Hills, but most of the homes will either be mislabeled or where some star lived many years ago and has moved on. Many people in the movie industry live in the Canyons, or in Malibu or The Valley rather than in those areas, or don't even live in LA.

 

If you hang out for days or at least many hours at some more famous (and for the most part expensive) restaurants in the Beverly Hills area (or some joints like "Pinks") you may luck out and see some celebrities.

 

You used to be able to get a comprehensive list of current location TV/movie/commercial/music video shoots in the LA area from the LA Film Commission (which gives out the permits) but they no longer make this information public for security reasons.

[Gingee]

Oh boy - maybe I don't want to do the home tour.

[Cuizer2]

Oh boy - maybe I don't want to do the home tour.

 

That is the point we were trying to get across.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Used to live in the same condo as one soap star -- she had the parking space next to mine and we often got home from work at the same time. My hubby and I actually do have an Emily McLaughlin connection (she was one of the original actors on GH) -- he was a childhood buddy of one of her sons and was often at their house...and my father was a medical expert witness at the inquest into the cause of death of one of her husband's. Go figure.

 

I had to shush a very rude star of one nighttime soap (think set in Texas and someone even shorter than me) at a comedy showcase (I was one of the comedians performing that night). She and her friends kept gabbing thru everyone's set except when her friend was performing...and then she was doing theatrical laughs. My teacher thought it was our table who was talking, but I told her who it was.

 

Just to show you how many actors live in the Valley, my sister knew a ton of children of actors when she was in school -- many lived in Tarzana and Woodland Hills. One character actor often drove the car pool to Parkman Jr. High that my sister was in.

 

If you are really set on meeting a celeb, you'll probably should go to one of the hot night spots and hope to see the twenty-somethings.

[Gingee]

No I am not set on seeing any movie stars. We would just like to see more of the area besides the cruise terminal area. LOL

[fgrsk8r]

Nobody has really yet mentioned that it's about 30+ miles from Hollywood to San Pedro and I am not sure how you would get there and back without a car AND traffic is awful in the LA Metro area, so this could take up to 90 minutes or more..... but I do concur with everybody that trying to see the homes of the stars is a waste of your time and money.

Gates, trees and walls is mostly all there is.

 

So I am not sure what option you would even be able to entertain (rental car?) to get to Hollywood - but I also agree that Universal Studios would probably be a fun thing to see as well or just strolling on the beach in Redondo, Hermosa or Manhattan Beach (again - not sure what your options are for getting to any of these places).

 

HOpe this helps a little!

[Jiffymom]

not sure which ship you are on but RCCL offers a post cruise Hollywood tour. Takes you to airport afterwards. Maybe you could go to a hotel near the airport. Another idea is call the hotel and ask if they have some type of tour service available.

[quepaquete]

So I am very confused about the area. Would like to see the movie stars homes and such but not sure if it is best to get somewhere after the cruise (where, I don't know) or the day before.

 

Try to find a paparazzo or two and hung out with them. They stalk stars all day and night, and most often don't even find/see any.

 

Once I had a friend and his family visit Southern Cal and they wanted to see the movie star homes. They got tired of looking at walls and trees, then we went to Venice Beach and Santa Monica and they had a better time there.

 

Most people think Rodeo Drive Restaurants for star sighting, but actually Green Grass Restaurant ($$) at Barney's New York, Mariposa Restaurant ($$$) or the bar at 4 ($$) both at Neiman Marcus, or the Restaurants at the Peninsula, Fourseasons or Montage Hotels, all those are better choices specially on weekdays. Of course you can't just wander around the hotels, and the restaurants need reservations (except for the bar at Neiman) so all these are out of question.

 

There are many things to see and do on and around LA area. Need to be more specific on what you like to do. There is tons of information here from the locals.

[Gingee]

Thanks for all the ideas so far. I forgot about the post cruise trips. We just booked this last weekend so I am trying to figure all this out still.