Unique Places in Beverly Hills

While you're visiting, you might want to ride the Beverly Hills Trolley. Operated by the city of Beverly Hills, this charming little tram offers a 30-minute tour of Beverly Hills, complete with professional tour guides who show visitors the city's posh downtown area and luxury neighborhoods. There is a $2.00 service charge per person (kids under 12 are free). Tours start at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Payton Way, and run once per hour, beginning at 10:30 AM. The last tour is at 5:30 PM (4:30 PM in winter). But bear in mind that the trolley only runs during "tourist season." It operates Tuesday through Saturday during the summer (July 1 through Labor Day) andduring the winter holidays (after Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve). For more information, phone (800) 345-2210.

(Oh yes... by now it should go without saying that Rodeo Drive is pronounced "Ro-day-o," not "Ro-dee-o."

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After 7 or 8 pm, all of the shops close and everyone leaves Beverly Hills except for a few key restaurants. Stroll down Rodeo, up 2 Rodeo for blocks and blocks of undisturbed sightseeing. Notice things you've never seen in the hustle and bustle of the day time hours.

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This is the other Academy site (at La Cienega and Olympic) - the Douglas Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study - named in the honor of the Academy's first president.

A key attraction for some visitors will be the 1928 Mission-style building itself, with its tile roof and ornate, picturesque tower. This was formerly the old Beverly Hills Waterworks; take a look at the vintage photos in the lobby to see what the place used to look like when it was just a dilapidated water-treatment plant, and you'll have to admire the recent restoration effort. Situated in a small park, there's even a putting green and a soccer field on the south side of the building. (Since the lobby is named after Bob Hope, perhaps that explains the putting green...)

Inside, you again must check-in with a guard at the door (tell him you've come to see the library), then go upstairs. The large research library on the second floor contains an extraordinary collection of reference books concerning the history of motion pictures, but little else to attract members of the general public. Yes, there is some minor Hollywood memorabilia displayed under glass in the library's south wing, but that's all.

However, if you have serious research to do about motion pictures, this is the perfect spot. The Academy Film Archive is the finest and most complete film archives in the world. They have also attempted to collect every English language book on the subject of motion pictures. Included are more than 20,000 books, 60,000 screenplays, 12,000 films, 15,000 posters, 1,400 periodicals, 200,000 clippings, plus six million movie stills and photographs on file, all of which are available to researchers and students.

"What's the impressive looking hotel at the end of steet" (Rodeo drive)

"By Impressive, I presume you mean 'expensive'. That my dear, is the Regent Beverly Wilshire, 9500 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills California 90212. Known to millions as the place where Julia Roberts gets porked silly in the film 'Pretty woman'."

"Oh, delightfully put...at least she got some new dresses and 3,000 dollars out of it"

"Some women just sell themselves too cheaply"

Next>>>

"Which song have you heard in every hippy hangout, cafe and hostel across the world ?"

"Easy, House of the rising Sun"

"Umm...well second then ?"

"Were in...Beverly hills, Beverly Hills..."

"Think wider.."

"I got it ! Welcome to the Hotel California !"

"And that is the hotel on the cover - The Beverly Hill Hotel. More stars than a constellation and a guest list that doubles as a copy of 'Who's who?"

"It couln't have been the inspiration for the Eagles' song, could it ?"

"Well, plenty of places have tried to claim that, including a hotel on Mexico that built up a widely accepted story that it was the inspiration for the song - all complete rubbish of course"

"Goodbye to the Hotel California then"

"What piece of sleaze are you goung to tell me about now ?, it seems you have read up about every dodgy going on around here"

"Well it's not as if you are short of scandal in a place like this. The park over there, the Will Rogers park, opposite the posh Hotel contains a toilet block, and one very embrassed British singer from Hertfordshire"

"I got that one in a 'flash' - Its where George Michael was caught out wafting his tackle about, isn't it ?"

"I'm afraid so. Perhaps it should be re-named the 'Will Roger ?' Park !"

"You have no taste"