Famous streets ... a Melrose Avenue store.Credit: Getty Images
It's home to the uber-rich and famous, but Kerry van der Jagt wonders if the hoi polloi might be having more fun.
I NEED jeans. Handbags are also a necessity, perhaps a studded, rock-chic tote or a classic suede shoulder bag with a fringe and tassels. I would like sunglasses, too, the bigger the better, plus some killer heels, preferably in red, with a bow or perhaps laces. What the heck, I'll get them both and perhaps a souvenir gold Oscar with my name on it.
This is Hollywood, the most status-obsessed, trend-focused city of wannabes in the world. A cast of characters in which every stereotype is true, where glamorous rooftop bars tower above the seedy dive bars below, where world-famous theatres sit next to T-shirt shops and the streets are paved with out-of-work actors in Chewbacca costumes.
Rodeo Drive.Credit: Getty Images
I love it as much as I hate it. It's a chance to play dress-ups and reinvent myself, to cut loose and be ridiculous for a while. Whether you have cash to flash or have your cheap skates on, a strong Australian dollar means you can be as ridiculous as you want. The only question, which side of the coin - budget or luxe - is having the most fun.
Pretty Woman
The ribbon of boutiques on Rodeo Drive, between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in Beverly Hills, is probably the most over-the-top three blocks of shops in the world. Armani, Gucci, Christian Dior, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Cartier and Tiffany & Co have stores here.
But let's face it, unless your name is Paris or Britney, or you have some offshore funding, you'll need to settle for window shopping or risk a snubbing, like Julia Roberts's character in Pretty Woman. Even if you pop on your aviators, pull up a chair and watch the world, and its pampered pooches, mince by you'll still feel a bit like the kid at school without lunch money.
Roberts should have gone to Melrose Avenue, on the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. This vibrant stretch of op shops, fashion designers and affordable vintage clothing stores is where those with more dash than cash go to shop. Both sides of the street are littered with eclectic boutiques, some reminding me of Grandma Takes a Trip in Sydney or the end of Chapel Street in Melbourne. The quality is very good, though you need to take your time to pick through the racks. I found a '70s-style leather fringe bag for $90 and a pretty vintage blouse with original fabric and lace for about $50.
Verdict Melrose, because you'll actually come home with something.
The Hangover
Drai's Hollywood, on the rooftop of the W Hollywood Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, is the newest, hippest bar in town; Lady Gaga recently held her after party here, pool scenes from Entourage are filmed here and a gin and tonic just set me back $16. Thankfully, there's no cover charge but you need to get yourself on the guest list (by phone or Facebook) or be bold enough to charm the velvet-rope guy. If you're staying at the ultra-chic W Hollywood Hotel, you can also ask "the Insider" for help. The Insider is part of the 24-hour Whatever/Whenever team who promise to arrange whatever a guest requests (as long as it is legal).
Drai's Hollywood is no Almost Famous: it's all lights, action, camera; the natural habitat of rock stars and starlets; where backs are slapped and deals are sealed, where six-litre bottles of Dom Perignon sell for $150,000 and private poolside cabanas cost $10,000 a night.
Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses comes to mind: although some natives swing off brass poles or lounge around the watering hole, others are busy preening and pruning themselves or prowling the perimeter. A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon tells me the latest craze in Hollywood is for young women to have "work" done so as to look older. "They want to look 36 years old because, in Hollywood, that's the perfect age for an actress," he says. When he mentions the second most common craze is anal bleaching, I beat a hasty exit.
Across the road from the W Hollywood and next door to the Pantages Theatre is the Frolic Room, a dive bar from the 1930s with a fabulous old-school Hollywood feel. It's a little bit glam, a little bit faded and a whole lot of fun. Its cheap, free-pour drinks, friendly bar staff and cracking music selection on the jukebox attracts a good mix of regulars and in-the-know tourists. The exterior is lit by an art deco neon sign; inside it's dark and intimate, with vintage memorabilia and murals of Hollywood legends by the great Al Hirschfeld. Movie buffs might recognise the bar from classic noir films such as The Black Dahlia and L.A. Confidential.
The Loaded Rock Bar, also on Hollywood Boulevard, is another dive bar worth a drink, though the crowd is more Hollywood weird and less old-school cool; more tatts, more piercings, more trippers. The Marshall amplifiers hanging around the place lend a grungy feel.
The Beauty Bar is a different hole in the wall again, a retrofitted 1960s beauty parlour with original hair dryers hanging from the walls. A place to order a manicure with your martini, or bust out your best Grease moves. Just don't be surprised when last call for drinks goes out at 1.30am. After all, this is the City of Angels, not the city of night owls, and all bars close at 2am.
Verdict Dive bars, for their authentic crowds and absence of plastic surgeons.
War of the Worlds
Universal Studios is best known as a theme park but it has been a film studio since 1915, when it was founded by German immigrant Carl Laemmle. Even then, Laemmle could see the opportunity for making a buck by charging visitors 25¢ to watch the filming of silent movies. Today, $US259 ($247) buys a VIP experience and $US77 gets a general admission ticket.
The private, guided VIP tour, which is available only to a limited number of guests each day, begins with a continental breakfast in the VIP lounge. From here, our troop of 12 spends the morning following our leader (water bottle held aloft like a baton) from one attraction to the next. With military precision, we march between the House of Horrors, Jurassic Park splashdown, the Revenge of the Mummy roller-coaster and the Shrek 4D show. Although it's nice to push to the front of the queues and have reserved seating at the shows, I've also done the general admission, where part of the fun is scampering from one attraction to the next under your own steam.
The real reason for paying the big bucks for the VIP experience is the leisurely 2½ hour guided tour of the studios and backlot, as opposed to the rather fast and furious 45-minute "hop on but don't hop off" tram ride those with general-admission tickets get. We wander through the outdoor set from the 2005 Steven Spielberg-directed remake of War of the Worlds, complete with the smoking remains of a Boeing 747, access a working sound stage (today, it's the set for the TV show Parenthood) and have unhindered access to the many floors of the props warehouse. As VIPs, we take photographs of each other on the steps of the original Psycho house, visit Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives and wander around Courthouse Square of Back to the Future fame.
Verdict Definitely the VIP experience, particularly if you're a movie tragic.
The writer was a guest of Air Pacific, W Hollywood and the Universal Studios VIP experience.
Trip notes
Getting there
Air Pacific flies from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Los Angeles via Nadi, Fiji, with return prices starting from $1621 (including taxes). 1800 230 150, airpacific.com.
Staying there
The classy W Hollywood Hotel is well positioned on Hollywood Boulevard, at the historic intersection with Vine Street and above the Hollywood-Vine metro station. Standard rooms start from $US273 ($254) including taxes. +1 323 798 1300, whotels.com.
More information
Three other ways to have fun while saving some cash
1 Theatre Catch a show downtown at the Center Theatre Group. I bought last-minute tickets for $20 at their box office for God of Carnage starring James Gandolfini and Jeff Daniels. The metro from Hollywood costs $US1.50 ($1.40).
2 Hollywood night art gallery Get up early (or stay out late) when the roller doors of businesses along Hollywood Boulevard are down to see more than 40 photographic murals painted on the doors. Look for Alfred Hitchcock, Bob Hope and other legends.
3 Hollywood City Pass A Red Line behind-the-scenes walking tour, a movie stars' homes tour, entry to Madame Tussauds and either a tour of the Kodak Theatre or admission to the Hollywood Museum costs $US59.
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