Great view! Pity I only had my iPhone otherwise the shot would be a lot clearer
“Where have you parked your car?” The receptionist at The Dixie Hollywood asked me expectantly.
I laughed this off, explaining I was vehicle-less, but as it turned out, this was to be a recurring question during my three day visit in Los Angeles this month. Tourist attractions post driving directions as opposed to public transport or walking directions, advice of 10-15 minute walks are grossly underestimated as nobody really knows how long it takes to walk anywhere- because everybody drives. As a Londoner who has become adept at using buses, trains and metro services, I felt grounded.
I’ve always wanted to visit Warner Bros Studios in Burbank but I couldn’t find one post online that adequately explained how to arrive there via public transport (probably because you can’t), and I couldn’t face an expensive taxi ride. So that plan was scrapped. I almost foregoed my second wish-list item as well- a visit to Griffith Park to check out the sweeping views of Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign. A quick scan of the internet again quickly confirmed that there weren’t any public transport options during the week. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed.
Then, I had a chance encounter with a Hollywood local who told me the park’s entrance was about ten minutes from my hotel. Amazing! So one blue skied, sunny Thursday morning, armed with a regular black Starbucks coffee, my havianas and fake blue aviators, I set off hopefully. Sure enough, the Griffith Park sign appeared around a corner some minutes later and I continued traipsing through the pine trees and down the clay path until it became clear that I was definitely heading in the right direction toward the highest point, the Observatory, because my calves were killing me.
Many a famous monument, statue and building I have visited but the Hollywood sign is one of the few that has the ability to actually get me very excited. This was the perfect walk for me because the trail offered brilliant views of the sign. I felt a little silly as joggers ran past me while I snapped pictures but I didn’t care. Eventually I met a woman who had also stopped to take pictures and so we swapped cameras to capture one another. As it turned out, she was from the area but loved the sign as much as I did. So I felt a little less silly.
Nearly there!
How to get to Griffith Park
If you’re not staying near Hollywood Boulevard, take the metro to Hollywood Western station on the red line. You will come out at a cross roads. Walk up Western Ave (past Starbucks), follow the road about ten minutes, you’ll go around a curve and then see the Griffith Park sign on the left. Locate a trail on the right and follow it up the hill. The trail to the observatory will take about 25 minutes (assuming you don’t stop to take pictures), but there are some diverging trails that will take you a little bit closer to the sign also.
And because I was feeling fearless, I also took the pubic transport to Anaheim one evening to meet a friend at Downtown Disney for dinner. Here’s how to to it.
How to get from Hollywood to Anaheim
Take the red line to Union Station then follow the signs to the Metrolink or the Amtrak. A one way ticket to Anaheim was $8.75 and the journey took 40 minutes. Keep your eyes peeled for the Fullerton stop, Anaheim is one after. From the Anaheim station it’s a bit of a walk to Disney but a cab will take you there for $12.
Where did I stay?
I really couldn’t face any more time in shared accommodation so I splurged on a hotel for two nights. The Dixie Hollywood was in my budget and claimed to be very central to all Hollywood has to offer, as well a two minute walk from the red line. The hotel itself looked to be a converted motel. There was lots of parking available but all of the rooms converged onto the parking lot so the security wasn’t great. The room itself was rather old but an effort had been made to renovate with fake hardwood floors, a big screen television and nice linen. However the bathroom and the phone were dead giveaways of an old establishement. The door didn’t have a proper deadbolt, just a normal lock. The metro is close, I would definitely recommend hopping on that, rather than making the 15- 20 minute walk to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Considering the price (hotel rates for what was essentially a motel), next time I’d go somewhere with better security.
