It’s easy to get caught up in the magic of movies when you visit LA. On our recent visit we definitely got into the spirit of things. But I couldn’t help but feel something was missing.

Paramount Studies

There are several studios that offer tours so it can be hard to choose just one. We settled on Paramount because of its history and because we had actually seen many of the movies filmed there. Our tour guide drove us around on an oversized golf cart and we saw the exteriors of many great things – Lucille Ball’s office, the street where the marble rye episode of Seinfeld was filmed, the famous Paramount water tower, and the parking lot they flooded to film The Ten Commandments. We also were taken on-set at Dr. Phil, School of Rock, and Grace and Frankie. It was fascinating to see actual TV sets. Our tour guide told us lots and lots of stories about famous actors and directors. It was a satisfying experience and one that definitely allowed us to feel we were in the movie and TV capital of the world. The tour ended on a slightly limp note, at room that contained some items from sets as well as costumes, however we didn’t recognize a single one.

Walk of Fame

You can’t go to LA without experiencing the Walk of Fame, so we made our way to the Chinese Theater, which is an actual functioning movie theater so you don’t actually go inside it. We wandered around the sidewalks, exclaiming at the stars we recognized. In front of the theater we put our feet in the footprints made by stars. We ducked the crazy people dressed in costumes or shouting Biblical verses at us on the streets. It was exciting to stand in the spot where the Oscars red carpet takes place.

And Then What?

We had such fun on our two movie star stops, but then there was no place else to go that had anything to do with the movie industry! For a city that is the center of all things film, I really expected there to be more things to do. After we took our side trip to Palm Springs, I realized what was missing. In Palm Springs we visited the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway – the house where he and Priscilla lived for the first year of their marriage. It’s preserved in time with all the original furnishings. After visiting this amazing site and hearing all the stories our tour guide shared, I realized that THIS is what is missing in LA. Sure, you can take one of those tours that purportedly drive you past the gates of the stars’ homes, but why aren’t there homes to actually visit? I would have loved to have gone inside Marilyn Monroe’s, Lucille Ball’s, or Rudy Valentino’s homes. I would have even settled for Charlie Sheen’s. Or at the very least why are there not museums dedicated to specific stars themselves? Seeing all the memorabilia and belongings displayed at the Elvis home made me long for some other very real experiences.