What’s New in Los Angeles 06

Universal Studios Hollywood has announced exciting additions to its world-famous studio tour, debuting this spring. New attractions showcasing “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” and “King Kong” are highlights of the new studio tour. The new high-powered action sequence inspired by the much-anticipated “The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift” is sure to become a studio tour blockbuster. Utilizing advanced robotics technology, the visually spectacular sequence feature will thrust guests into close-up range of the pulse-pounding underground world of street racing, taking them into the heart of the action of one of Universal’s most popular movie franchises.

The tour also features a lively new video narration by Oscar® and Emmy®-winning comedian Whoopi Goldberg. New virtual studio guide appearances from “Today” show star Al Roker and “Access Hollywood” hosts Nancy O’Dell (part of LA INC.’s “see my LA” campaign) and Billy Bush round out the enhancements. The new tour also offers the chance to see more TV and movie sets than ever before, including those from “Crossing Jordan” and “CSI: Crime Show Investigation.” The changes represent the most significant enhancements made to the Universal Studio Hollywood’s studio tour in more than a decade and the greatest number of additions since 1964. For more information, visit www.universalstudioshollywood.com

LA’s Hotels Shine with Five Stars – and Five Diamonds
Five. That’s how many stars and diamonds were bestowed this year on several Los Angeles hotels by the Mobil Travel Guide and the American Automobile Association, respectively. The Hotel Bel-Air, Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows and Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills were among the properties that received the coveted Mobil Five-Star Award. Two of those – The Beverly Hills Hotel and Raffles L’Ermitage – were also among the properties receiving the distinguished AAA Five-Diamond Award. Among the other Five-Diamond recipients were the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, and the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey. The Hotel Bel-Air, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, also was named No. 1 Hotel in North America for Quality and Service by Leading Hotels of the World, No. 1 Hotel in the United States by Global Traveler, and No. 1 Hotel in the United States by Condé Nast Johansens.

Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows: www.beverlyhillshotel.com
Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills: www.fourseasons.com/losangeles
Hotel Bel-Air: www.hotelbelair.com
Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills: www.lermitagehotel.com
Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa: www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/huntington
Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey: www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/marina_del_rey

LA is the Cupcake Capital
Forget dieting. Cupcakes are in. They’re hip. And LA has become a cupcake capital, with specialized bakeries – including Oprah’s favorite, Sprinkles in Beverly Hills – offering lots of tempting flavors, as well as cafes and restaurants offering a few flavors on their menus. People line the sidewalk in front of Sprinkles to get one of its famous cupcakes, which come in more than 20 rotating flavors, from chocolate and vanilla to exotic flavors such as chai latte and ginger lemon. All of Sprinkles’ confections use high-end ingredients such as Belgian dark chocolate and Madagascar bourbon vanilla.

At Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank, the list of more than 30 flavors includes lemon tart, made with lemon zest and freshly squeezed juice, and cream puff, with a whipped cream center. Yummy even uses tequila in its margarita cupcakes and vodka in its cosmopolitan cupcakes. If you want to customize your dessert, the cupcake bar allows you to choose your cake, frosting and topping from among the flavors of the day.

Carrot with blood orange curd filling and vanilla passion fruit with passion fruit curd filling are among the flavors at Leda’s Bake Shop in Sherman Oaks. Cupcakes here come in regular and mini sizes, and all of them feature curd, ganache or cream filling. With a four-day advance notice and a 24-cupcake minimum, you can customize, choosing from a selection of cake, filling and frosting flavors. Leda’s makes full-size cakes, too.

Sprinkles Cupcakes: www.sprinklescupcakes.com
Yummy Cupcakes: www.yummycupcakes.com
Leda’s Bake Shop: www.ledasbakeshop.com

Try Extreme Bowling for Extreme Entertainment
Bowling is making a comeback, and it’s hipper, edgier and more extreme than ever. High-tech scoring and ball return and special effects such as light shows and indoor fog are among the perks that have transformed ordinary lanes into full-blown entertainment centers. Venues such as Lucky Strike Lanes at Hollywood & Highland, PINZ in Studio City and Jillian’s Hi-Life Lanes at Universal CityWalk offer rock ‘n’ roll bowling complete with music and disco lights, as well as video monitors showing sports coverage, music videos and other content, and effects such as backlit lanes (Jillian’s) and glow-in-the-dark pins (PINZ). At Pickwick Bowl in Burbank, electric fog bowling adds an air of mystery to the game. Some centers even have dance floors and billiard tables. And several, such as Jillian’s and Lucky Strike, have gone beyond snack bars to offer full-service restaurants with full bars, while PINZ is adjacent to Jerry’s Famous Deli with direct access.
Jillian’s Hi-Life Lanes: www.jilliansbilliards.com/club_detail_E.asp?club_id=56
Lucky Strike Lanes: www.bowlluckystrike.com/hollywood/hollywood.html
Pickwick Bowl: www.pickwickgardens.com/sqs/dsk.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=16
PINZ: www.pinzbowlingcenter.com

Scenic Overlooks Offer Unique Views of LA
While LA offers a plethora of things to do, there’s also plenty to view, from the vast Pacific Ocean to twinkling city lights. And because of its mountains, bluffs and overlooks, LA offers an abundance of places from which to take in the scenery. The Pacific Ocean is a majestic sight with several vantage points, such as Palisades Park in Santa Monica. The park is perched on a bluff overlooking Santa Monica Bay and its coastline, which stretches from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Malibu. In the Santa Monica Mountains, the Piuma Overlook provides spectacular views of the ocean and Catalina Island, as well as views of Malibu Canyon. The Angeles National Forest, which runs along the northern edge of LA, provides expansive views of the Mojave Desert, San Gabriel Mountains and several valleys via the Angeles Crest Scenic Byway. For example, Le Mesnager Lookout Trail at Deukmejian Wilderness Park offers spectacular views of the LA Basin and valleys. On a clear day, you can see Catalina Island. In northwestern LA, on the slopes of the Santa Susana Mountains, Michael D. Antonovich Regional Park at Joughin Ranch offers stunning vistas of the San Fernando Valley and the surrounding hills. For a different angle on the valley, as well as views of the Santa Monica Mountains and the LA Basin, San Vicente Mountain Park offers stunning 360-degree views from a former military radar tower. It’s one of the region’s premier locations for sunset watching. And the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has designated eight overlooks along the Mulholland Scenic Byway and Corridor, which runs along the ridge of the Santa Monica Mountain range. Among the designations is the Hollywood Bowl Overlook, with views of its namesake amphitheater and Downtown LA.

Listing of sites with views: www.lamountains.com/filming_scenery.asp#city
Angeles Crest Scenic Byway: www.byways.org/browse/byways/10245/overview.html
Mulholland Scenic Byway and Corridor: www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=37
Comprehensive listing: www.lamountains.com

April 27, 2006   Posted in: United States West