Los Angeles, The City of Cinema

Thursday 4th of October 2018
Vienna, Austria


During the Summer of 2017, I went on an extraordinary road trip with a camping-car through Western USA with my family and the final destination was Los Angeles, California. I really enjoyed this city because it is full of life and absolutely stupendous. We only stayed there for 3 days but we still managed to get a lot done.

Universal Studios

The most famed activity in Los Angeles is undoubtedly the Universal Studios Park. This is a theme park related to cinema productions by Universal Studios, which offers many impressive rides, as well as remarkable shows (Image 1).

Image 1: An afternoon modern-day pirates show displayed for children in a spectacular set at Universal Studios.

When visiting this place there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Firstly, consider your children’s height and age, because they might not be able to use all the rides. If you have very young children it might not be the best idea to spend the day in a huge amusement park with rides aimed at older children and teenagers, especially if you have a stroller. 

• Another important fact to remember is that the queues for most rides and activities are extremely long. Therefore, I recommend getting in the queue as soon as it becomes a bit shorter than usual because that is probably the shortest it will get. As well, try to plan your time accordingly to the theme park rush hours, for example, try to eat earlier or later than usual to enjoy shorter queues on rides and to prevent getting crammed with all the other people trying to get lunch.

With that in mind, there are a few rides and activities that I would recommend, especially for children.

The Harry Potter village

If you are a Harry Potter fan, you have probably already heard about this and I really advise you to go. Personally, this was my favourite part of the whole park because I thought it looked very realistic and I really felt as if I was stepping into the Wizarding World of the Harry Potter universe. Although most of the houses were just sets (Image 2), there were a few shops selling Harry Potter goods, such as Butterbeer, wands and robes and some people even dressed up as Harry Potter characters which made it feel very authentic.

Image 2: The fakely snow-covered rooftops on these stone houses make the Harry Potter Village at Universal Studios feel a lot more genuine.

The Studio Tour

The Studio Tour is basically a tour around some studios and sets to show how Universal films were made. This was also one of my favourite parts of the park because I learnt a lot and I found the 'behind the scenes' aspect fascinating. However, be prepared for surprises, because it is more adventurous than an uneventful tour on a slow bus!

The new Harry Potter ride

As you might guess, this ride, situated inside the Hogwarts castle (Image 3), is one of the most popular and therefore the queue is also one of the longest. My recommendation is to go there first thing when you arrive (if you arrive at the opening), so there are fewer people than during the day. My family and I got a stroke of luck because we managed to enter when the ride had just reopened after a small malfunction, so there was barely any queue. Besides, since they had just restarted the ride, it stopped a few times and they let us go again to make up for that. Don’t expect this to happen when you go, but it could!

Image 3: The popular Harry Potter ride is situated inside the real-life sized Hogwarts Castle, overlooking the rest of the Universal Studios Park.

The evening light show on the Harry Potter castle

This light show is definitely worth it. When the sun set, people started crowding around the huge castle to have a nice view of the breath-taking display. The beautiful colours illuminating the castle were reflected on the audience's stunned faces, as I stood with my mouth wide open in amazement. If you have been to Disneyland, this is similar to the light show on Sleeping Beauty’s castle but Harry Potter-themed.

Warner Brothers Studios

Another astonishing place to go to if you appreciate cinema and movies is Warner Brothers Studios. I recommend the studio tour, which is a visit of the studios in open cars with a small group of people. The different studio types range from outdoor typical American houses to the sets of different famous TV shows, such as Big Bang Theory and Friends. If you are a fan of these shows or classic Hollywood movies, there’ll be plenty of chances to catch a glimpse of illustrious filming locations, for example, Annie’s orphanage (Image 4), or to pose in front of the set of your favorite movie. When travelling through sets that have hosted so many block-buster movies and TV shows I felt submerged by the awe-inspiring history of the place.

Image 4: The imposing building which served as Annie’s orphanage in the 1982 version, on the set of a New York City street at Warner Brothers Studios.

The whole tour is no longer than 2-3 hours and finishes in the shop, which sells different souvenirs (shirts, scarves, cups, etc.) related to Warner Bros. movies. There is no need to book the tour in advance, but I would still recommend going in the morning, to be sure to have a less crowded visit. When leaving, you will surely notice the iconic water tank decorated with Warner Brothers Studios' renowned logo (Image 5).

Image 5: The street leading up to Warner Brothers Studios at dusk, with a few studios on the left and the well-known logo of the cinematographic company on the emblematic water tank.

Chinese Theater and Walk of Fame

Los Angeles being the city of cinema, you cannot leave without visiting the worldwide acclaimed Walk of Fame, along with the Chinese Theatre, both located on Hollywood Boulevard (Image 6). The Walk of Fame, which stretches over about 15 blocks, comprises more than 2600 stars inserted into the floor representing the same number of outstanding artists (such as singers, actors, etc.), so as you walk along the Boulevard you might catch sight of your favorite singer or actor’s name on the notorious stars. It is easy to be overwhelmed like I was when realising how influential these people have been and how crucial their contribution to building our modern-day world was.

Image 6: The world-wide famous and crowded Hollywood Boulevard near the Chinese Theatre at dusk.

But the best part of Hollywood Boulevard might just be 6925th building: the Chinese Theatre (Image 7). The building itself can be visited but most people only acknowledge the small yard in front, which is where the most influential Hollywood stars (for instance, Donald Duck, Marilyn Monroe or the Harry Potter cast) have left their imprint permanently with their foot and handprints incrusted into the ground. I was personally thrilled because I recognized many famous names and people I admire.

Image 7: The pacled yard in front of the prominent Chinese Theatre, where the hand and footprints of many stars are inlayed, in the afternoon.

The Chinese Theatre is very close to many shops selling Hollywood related souvenirs. Moreover, if you are hungry, there is an open mall very close by, with restaurants and shops, although they are very expensive.

Overall, Los Angeles will always be one of my favorite cities because it is full of life and there are so many things to do, especially for cinema-lovers like me. Furthermore, I think it is very interesting to be visited as a family because with such a big energetic city, there will always be something to undertake for everyone.



Posted by Eline