Beth

We will be in Los Angeles the first week of August and would like to tour one of the studios (not Universal) and possibly see the taping of a TV show. Does anyone have any suggestions about the best way to see a show taping? Any other must-dos???

yolanda

We were there a couple of weeks ago -- you can get taping tickets on the streets in Hollywood, at NBC studios (same place as the quite mediocre tour is given) and at Universal Studios. I think there are also phone #s you can call. Also, although it may not be the most authentic, Universal is a blast! I would really recommend it. You can also get a good tour at Warner Brothers --more intimate and I think it includes filming sometimes. 2 caveats: 1) during the summer a lot of shows are on hiatus and not as much is filming. 2) Age restrictions often rule out children at the tapings (which was a problem for us). I do have one other recommendation for you: there is a very fun shop called "It's a Wrap" in Burbank that sells clothing and accessories from various shows and movies. Basically a "thrift" shop but with some very nice clothes and reasonable prices.

Beth

Thanks so much for the tips - guess we could skip NBC tour - anyone else have other tips?

Karen

I was in L.A. in July of 1996 with my cousin and a friend of mine that both live in Phoenix. We drove over there for 3 days. We went to a taping of the "Price is Right". It was a lot of fun, but if you want to do this, you have to get to the CBS studio VERY EARLY in the morning, to avoid rush hour traffic and crowds. We got there around 5:45am and the first taping was already "sold" out (for lack of a better term!). There's two tapings a day, M-F, no charge. We finally got to see the 3pm taping, we had a lot of fun, but it made for a very long day!!! Then the next day we hit Rodeo Drive for shopping. Then went on to a driving tour of celebrity's houses in Beverley Hills and then stopped off at Venice Beach (a must-see for People-watching!!!) Then we spent our last day in Malibu and Santa Monica. Very, very nice. Overall, I loved LA and would like to go back out there someday and tour Universal Studios!!!

Kat

My top 'MUST DOs' in LA:

GETTY MUSEUM -- Even if you're not a museum buff, the location, presence and impact of the gardens and architecture are NOT to be missed. The best views of LA are from the Getty! And, of course, there's terrific art and artifacts within.

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY & GARDENS -- In Pasadena/San Marino (itself an interesting area to drive around), spectacular gardens lushly planted to gratify the eye and fascinating old manuscripts to delight the mind.

I think the Los Angeles Philharmonic delivers the best performances and music of any symphony orchestra in the U.S.