It’s not true that nobody walks in L.A.  Sure, the city is spread out over an area bigger than some small states, but best way to see it is to find a popular spot and get out of the car.  You can’t get the sounds, smells, and sense of a city from inside a metal box.  Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone, wandering the city aimlessly.  Several companies and organizations offer guided walking tours of notable places in Los Angeles.  If you take one of them, you’ll learn more than Joe Tourist cruising down Sunset in his rented Chrysler Sebring Convertible, inevitably stuck in traffic, watching as you stroll by.

Get right down to the source at El Pueblo De Los Angeles – the place where the city was founded in 1779.  Docents will take you on a free 50 minute tour in the heart of the city, close to Union Station and Walt Disney Concert Hall.  Tours run Tuesday through Saturday at 10AM and noon, a good way to kill time in between other sightseeing stops.

Founder’s Plaque [photo courtesy of El Pueblo de los Angeles]

So yeah, yeah, I know you’re not headed to Los Angeles just for the history, you’re headed to HOLLYWOOD, baby!  There’s a few walking tours for that too.

The Backpacker Behind the Scenes Walking Tour takes only 1 hour and 15 minutes, brings you inside some of the more iconic Hollywood sites like Grauman’s Chinese Theater and Hollywood and Highland (home of the Academy Awards ceremony and the American Idol finals), and features wireless headsets so you can hear the tour guide over the din of the masses and the inevitable traffic.  Tours operate several times daily and prices start at $21.99 for adults, less for children 9-15, and infants are free.

Hollywood & Highland [photo courtesy of The Backpacker]

Backpacker’s Rival, the Redline Tour, offers a similar “Behind the Scenes” tour with the same hot spots and wireless headsets, but this one touts “legendary gossip” and an adult price tag that is $2 cheaper.

Grauman’s Chinese Theater [photo courtesy of redlinetours.com]

For a closer look at modern Hollywood, the one that’s all about business, take the NBC Studios tour in Burbank.  This tour is just over an hour and takes you around the stages where the television shows are taped, and kids can see themselves flying in a Superman scene.  This website also tells you how to get tickets to an NBC show taping.

For an all-day immersive Hollywood experience splurge on the Sony Pictures Studios Hollywood Walking Tour With LA & Beverly Hills Movie Stars’ Homes Tour (Minibus/Walking) from All Los Angeles Tours.  That title must be why the price tag is so high.  Oh, and the fact that you are on this tour for 8 hours (bring snacks!) and you also get to rest on the bus.  Operates Monday through Friday with courtesy pickups from most major LA area hotels.  The tour includes a mozy around the Sony studio lot, a drive-by of major stars’ homes, an hour at Grauman’s Chinese Theater and a chance to grab some lunch (not included) and then the basic Hollywood walking tour as offered by the other vendors above.  I hope you get a good tour guide, because you’ll be spending all day with that person!  Tickets are $74.99 for adults, and this tour is not recommended for very young children.

[photo courtesy of sony studios . com]

But you went on vacation to get away from the television, right?  The Los Angeles Conservancy offers a family-friendly walking tour of Union Station.  It is 45 minutes long and geared toward children 7-11, but does NOT include running amok on a train.  Rats.  Fourth Saturday of the month at 11:00 AM, tickets are $5 and $10.  The Conservancy also offers several other walking tours around downtown Los Angeles.

Union Station [photo courtesy of iNeTours.com]

If you’re getting familiar with downtown, check out this interactive guide to downtown Los Angeles by the University of Southern California.  Click on an area of the map and it gives you more detail with major landmarks, and click on one of those for a gorgeous photo.  Use this as a study guide before your trip and you’ll recognize the landmarks when you get there.

Walt Disney Concert Hall [photo courtesy of J. Mapes]

For the baseball fans, Dodgers Stadium offers an inside look for only $10 and $15.  The 90-minute tour takes you onto the field, into the Dodger dugout and The Dugout Club, the training center, and the press box.  This is something you wouldn’t get by just attending a baseball game.

[photo courtesy of dodgers.com]

From guest blogger Marsha Takeda-Morrison of Sweatpantsmom

Here’s something to do when you’re stuck dining with one of those unbelievably obnoxious “foodies” who not only finds it necessary to “teach” you the correct pronunciation of each item on the menu but then insists on giving you a breakdown of every ingredient in all the dishes, from the gruyére to the légumes.

I like to pose a question to all the guests, who, like me are now practically comatose from the yammerings of our food-nut. What is your favorite dive in town? Where would you go if what you were craving wasn’t a fine fricassée with a nice cabernet but a greasy taco and a wax cup full of Coke? I like to watch everyone come to life as they regale their tablemates with tales of legendary double-decker burgers and homestyle empanadas. Then I like to watch our pretentious friend fume over our lowbrow conversation.

To list all of my favorite places would be impossible, so I’ll limit it to my top five, which will be difficult. (Sort of like the “Sophie’s Choice” of dives.) But first on the list would be Tito’s Tacos in Culver City. This taco stand has been around since 1959 and I’ve been going there since I was in Junior High school. (Which, for all you smart-asses, was not in 1959.) I couldn’t tell you what makes their tacos, burritos and enchiladas so good but you’ll find long lines at any time of day. And I dream about their salsa and chips.

And, what a coincidence – one of my other favorites is right around the corner. My husband hates this place, but the only way to satisfy my pastrami jones is with a visit to Johnnie’s Pastrami. The best part is the packet of spicy pickles and chili peppers the pastrami is served with, and the small cup of ketchup/mustard mixture that accompanies the fries. Seriously, I’ve tried just mixing ketchup and mustard at home but it never tastes as good.

Next on my list would be Popeyes Fried Chicken which shouldn’t count because it’s a chain, but just the thought of their spicy fried chicken completely clouds my good judgment. I order it with a side of red beans and rice. But I throw away the biscuit because you know, it’s so fattening.

Then there’s Nat’s Early Bite in Van Nuys. Their cramped parking lot, long wait, scratchy booths and absence of any aesthetic decor just screams AWESOME, AWESMOME FOOD. And it doesn’t fail to deliver. Just ask Sandra Tsing Loh, who’s a regular. The best part? While you wait you can go next door and peruse the selection of vintage Barbies and 60’s TV memorabilia at Big Kid, the best collectibles store in the city.

Last but not least would be AOI, a small, homestyle Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo. Sure there are fancier places around, especially since the area’s recent resurgence, but you won’t find more lovingly prepared Japanese food anywhere. And the place has a devoted following – the wait can often be long during peak hours. But the staff is wonderful – I feel like I’m being mothered by my Japanese mom and aunts, except that at AOI they never make me feel guilty about anything.

What are your favorite dives in your city? And fess up – what’s the most painful dining experience you’ve ever had?