Free Fun In Los Angeles

It’s the easiest thing in the world to spend a LOT of money on your Los Angeles adventure, but for the careful traveler, plenty of free or inexpensive options allow you to focus the travel budget, or maybe even reduce it.

Sightseeing in southern California is a 24-hour-a-day opportunity. Just outside of Los Angeles, the mountains and beaches provide ample opportunity to enjoy the region as nature intended before the studios came in and invented an entire industry. Indeed, the studio heads chose well. Where else on the continent can you shoot films set in the desert, on the beach, or in the mountains without driving more than a couple of hours? Doing some exploring in and around the hills and in the desert, you are likely to stumble on a location used for a favorite television show or movie. Imagine my joy when I came over a ridge and recognized a location from a favorite episode of “Star Trek.” It’s surreal and exciting, like discovering that your car has secretly been the Batmobile all along. If you are interested in finding locations, there are several tours available, usually specializing in a particular genre (say, Westerns, or horror films).

Like the ocean? A day’s drive up or down the Pacific Coast Highway will give you the opportunity to surf (or watch surfers), explore the sheer cliffs, take the dogs or kids out for a frolic, and eat some amazing food cheaply – I recommend Cha Cha Chicken (1906 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica) for their spicy chicken and dirty rice. The exterior seating allows you to enjoy the ocean breeze, and gives you a view of the sidewalk, often populated by celebrities enjoying a day off. Also, the prices are very reasonable, and it’s fun to say.

When you’re done at Cha Cha Chicken (see? Fun to say!), stroll along the beach and get your kicks at the western terminus of Old Route 66, the Santa Monica Pier. If you would like to face danger, walk in the rollerblading lane. You’ll be bobbing and weaving like you’re in a video game. You will also make enemies. No need to spring for tickets for the Ferris Wheel or the carnival games if you are so disinclined. Just check out the street performers and the sun setting over the Pacific.

In Hollywood itself, the standard tourist fare is worth the trip for the frugal traveler. The Walk of Fame (6801 Hollywood Blvd.) snakes throughout Hollywood. Factor in laundry costs -- and perhaps a course of antibiotics -- if you decide to lie down on the sidewalk to have your picture taken with the name of a fave. Hollywood & Highland (the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave.) is a great place to people watch and window shop. Embrace and enjoy the costumed buskers trying to get into every tourist’s photo on the sidewalk. These guys are a total hoot, and where else would you get the opportunity to have your picture taken with Elvis, Superman, and Batman at the same time? I’ll tell you where. Awesometown.

While you’re in the area, and looking to limit your spending, swing by the world-famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater Forecourt (6925 Hollywood Blvd.) and the exhibition of celebrity hands and feet immortalized in cement. The sleepless nights you’ve spent wondering which celebrity have hands and feet the same size as yours are over – mine: Lee Marvin’s feet, and Lana Turner’s hands… trust me, that’s worse for Lana than for me.make sure to find some of the more novel cement impressions. Groucho's cigar, Betty Grable's legs, and R2-D2's feet are all preserved in cement for your pleasure.

For some cheap souvenirs, try to swing by the Egyptian Theater (6712 Hollywood Blvd.). The Egyptian is the home of American Cinematheque, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and exhibiting America’s film heritage. The ticket prices are reasonable, and there is always a chance you can catch a Q&A with legendary filmmakers. They also sell geegaws and tchochkes they collect over the years. I scored a VHS copy of “Mazes & Monsters,” an old made-for-TV movie starring Tom Hanks, for a quarter. The bragging rights for adding such an obscure item to my collection were free of charge. The Egyptian offers tours of the theater as well. Established in 1922, and restored to its original look, the tour will satisfy any craving for stories from old-timey Hollywood, including a chance to stand on stage and a visit to the dressing rooms.

For a more modern theater experience, take a stroll through the home of the Oscars: The Kodak Theater (6801 Hollywood Boulevard). If they don’t have an event on, you can enjoy the excitement of practicing your skills as an Oscar seat-filler, sitting down, then springing back up when the imaginary celebrity returns to his seat. You can even walk up on stage and accept your imaginary Oscar. Don’t forget to thank BestTravelDeals.net for making it all possible.

Hollywood & Highland is also on the Metro Rail, Los Angeles’s woefully inadequate subway system. The subway is clean and on-schedule almost all the time, if you can overlook the questionable advantages of riding a subway in a town prone to earthquakes. Nevertheless, the Metro can be a handy inexpensive method of getting from LAX into town, over to Hollywood & Highland, and down to Orange County if you are so inclined.

For more connection to Old Hollywood, visit the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd.). There are walking tours available, where you can pay respects to old-school heavyweights like Cecil B. DeMille and Bugsy Siegel, or you can visit the cemetery on your own. As an added bonus, the film organization Cinespia screens outdoor movies at Hollywood Forever during the summer months, projected on the side of a mausoleum. These screenings get really crowded really fast (Okay… I’ll say it… everyone is DYING to see them!), so plan to stake out your space early. The atmosphere is pretty amazing, sharing classic films outside with an audience. Sure, the surroundings (and the wine many participants bring to enjoy picnic-style) augment the experience of films like Night of the Living Dead, but sharing the love of classics like Casablanca and The Wizard of Oz with thousands of fellow cinephiles can go a long way toward reminding us why we fell in love with movies in the first place.

Over in Studio City, the world famous Universal City Walk (100 Universal City Plaza) is another free opportunity to enjoy a street carnival atmosphere. Jugglers, street performers, interactive water fountains, and one-man bands will keep you occupied. But if you are looking to save money, it may challenge your will power. All the memorabilia, the souvenirs, and the novelties are tempting enough to melt the ol’ credit card, and if you’re hungry, you are a goner. Restaurants serving food of every cuisine sit right up against gourmet popcorn and caramel apple shops. To avoid these temptations, and maybe for an unusual romantic walk, stroll along City Walk after everything is closed. Though you are welcome there, it gives the giddy thrill of getting away with something, and you can sense the energy of the thousands of people who pass through every day. Holding hands with a loved one, strolling along the City Walk, is the romantic equivalent of putting your tongue against a 9-volt battery. But without the metallic aftertaste. Unless you are dating a robot.

In addition to these highlights, the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium (2800 East Observatory Road) offers free admission, and the new Walt Disney Concert Hall (135 North Grand Ave.) offers a free audio tour as well.

For many aspiring filmmakers and potential movie stars, the expense of living in Los Angeles is extremely challenging. But for the discerning traveler, there are plenty of opportunities to expand the experience without tossing the travel budget into the abyss, never to be seen again.