Visiting LA over Labor day weekend ...

[LitmusDragon]

... for the FYF Fest because Guided by Voices is playing and I'm kind of obsessed with that band.

I'm going to have Sunday off for sightseeing, any recommendations of must-see spots while I'm down there?

Is there anything Star Trek or sci-fi related to see in LA?

 

[Harvey]

There are certainly a lot of Trek-related filming locations in the LA area. The Japanese Gardens, for example, were used as the exterior location for Starfleet Academy in all of the 24th Century shows. Vasquez rocks (about an hour drive away) has also been used many times, in episodes like "Arena" as well as the most recent movie. There's also Griffith Park, which has both the Griffith Observatory and Bronson Canyon, both of which have shown up on Trek.

If you're into art, the Getty Center is a must see museum. It's free except for parking, which is ten bucks.

And Cirroc Lofton owns and is often present at a cafe he owns in Culver City called Cafe Cirroc. Good food and he'll talk to anyone that comes in.

Those are only the things off the top of my head. There's definitely plenty to do. I've been here just over a year and haven't scratched the surface.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Little something from all the Trek shows and several movies:

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tillman_Water_Reclamation_Plant

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Brandeis-Bardin_Institute

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Fern_Dell
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Griffith_Observatory

The New York backlot and other studios/filming locations.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Universal_Studios

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Lady_Washington

The new Starfleet Academy from Trek-XI is at Cal State Northridge, my sister's school.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oviatt_Library

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Filming_locations

 

[CaptJack]

I also recommend the Tillman Reclamation Plant/Japanese Garden and Vasquez Rocks. And, if you're up for traveling a little further afield, the administration building at my current school (Cal Poly Pomona) was used to represent the exterior of the apartment complex in Gattaca. There is also the Bradbury Building downtown (at 3rd and Broadway) that featured in Blade Runner as well as a lot of other movies. And the US Bank tower, which was the initial L.A. building destroyed by the aliens in Independence Day (apparently, security isn't too welcoming of people taking pictures close by, though).

 

[doubleohfive]

Descansa Gardens, out in Glendale is where they filmed "Q-Pid" and stood in for Sherwood Forest.

Non-Trek but genre-related locations in the area include:

San Fernando Ave in downtown Burbank stood in for San Diego when the dinosaurs were rampaging in The Lost World/Jurassic Park 2.

The Burger King seen at the beginning of Back To The Future is on Victory Blvd in Burbank, between (I think) Magnolia and Burbank Blvds. It might be between Olive and Magnolia though. Either way, it's on Victory.


Flynn's Arcade (from Tron and Tron Legacy) is in Culver City (minus the neon "Flynn's" sign), as is the Sony Pictures Studios building whose exterior was used for Wolfram & Hart on the first four seasons of Angel.

The Hyperion Hotel from Angel is on Wilshire Blvd near Miracle Mile. It's hard to tell when you drive by, but it has a big lit sign on the roof reading "Los Altos Hotel."

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Sony Pictures Studios building whose exterior was used for Wolfram & Hart on the first four seasons of Angel.

It's also the home of the evil TV studio from the Arnie movie 'The Running Man' with an additional matte painting of a skyscraper coming out the top of it.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Thanks guys, good stuff. I guess I should mention I'm flying in and I won't have a car so, anywhere I go will either be cab fare or hoofing it (or possibly transit). So probably nothing too far afield of downtown itself.

 

[CaptJack]

If you're going to be staying near downtown, you might want to use the Flyaway bus to get from LAX to Union Station (http://www.lawa.org/welcome_LAX.aspx?id=292). From there you can use the transit system (http://www.metro.net/) to get to a lot of other places in the area (just prepare yourself for the possibility of some "interesting" experiences).

 

[propita]

The Bradbury Building is in downtown. It's absolutely gorgeous. But you can't go anywhere but the lobby. When we tried going up the stairs, security stopped us--so they have cameras watching. Years ago, before Blade Runner, it was possible to go all over. Did that with my parents.

If you're in downtown, there seems to be more to do, and there's metro rail that'll take you here and there.

 

[doubleohfive]

If you're restricting yourself to the Downtown area, make sure to visit Westin Bonaventure Hotel, which was featured on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

Also, there's a wine bar called The Must that is actually really quite good.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Thanks guys, good stuff. I guess I should mention I'm flying in and I won't have a car so, anywhere I go will either be cab fare or hoofing it (or possibly transit). So probably nothing too far afield of downtown itself.

Have you looked into renting a car? LA is not like a lot of cities where things are condensed into a small area. It's vast, and everything is spread out over dozens of miles.



There's a lot of stuff you can do in downtown and on the Metrorail and bus lines, but you're restricting yourself if you don't have a car.

 

[doubleohfive]

^
I would have to agree. Living and working here, it's absolutely necessary to have a car to do anything and everything. Your experience would be markedly different (and probably worth the expense) if you got a rental car for the trip.

 

[Venardhi]

Don't forget to see the medical marijuana dispensary converted from an old KFC as made famous on South Park! Just off Palms where it crosses the 10 freeway.

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

Griffeth Park Observatory. A can't miss part of LA.

 

[LitmusDragon]

How is The Hollywood Museum?

http://www.thehollywoodmuseum.com/

I've read varying reviews online- everything from "greatest thing since sliced bread" to "boring".

I am a bit of a film buff.