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]

When I was asked to write about the Dodgers this week, I have to admit momentary panic set in. I’m not a baseball fan and don’t remember the last time I went to a Dodger game. In fact, I’m not even certain how the game is played. All I know is someone hits a little white ball with a stick and then runs like hell.

But then I realized that a trip to a Dodger game might be right up my alley. After all, it involves two of my favorite activities, sitting and eating. So, here’s how my ideal Dodger day might unfold:

One of the first things I would do is check out the parking situation on the Official Dodger Stadium website. Even though Opening Day in 2007 went down in the record books as one of the worst parking days in the stadium’s history, with 16,000 parking spaces I figure I shouldn’t have any problem finding a spot. Even if I take up the usual four spaces parking my minivan, that still leaves 15,996 spaces for the rest of you.

(I found this article that pointed out the absence of bike racks at Dodger Stadium. This doesn’t concern me, seeing as I drive my car even to the corner mailbox. But normal people and fitness buffs might want to take note.)

Next up would be tickets. I’m not a season ticket holder, so I would head down to Chavez Ravine (as all us Dodger experts call it) and buy a one-day ticket. They range in price from $130 for MVP seating all the way down to $11 for what appears to be a seat in the top section inside a stall in the men’s bathroom. I’d decide to splurge for a $70 seat, which along with having a great view of the field appears to be painted a pleasing orange color that would go great with my complexion.

Upon entering the stadium I would waste no time in procuring the most coveted of Dodger memorabilia – the Dodger Dog. Make no mistake – I consider the concession stand as important a location as home plate. In fact, I may not be able to tell you who the Dodgers are playing that day, but I guarantee I will have memorized the entire snack stand menu including the condiment bar.

Perhaps most thrilling is the new AmPm All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion. According to the Dodger website, for $35 you can get a seat in the right field bleachers and “unlimited Dodger Dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn and Coca-Cola products.” Just saying the words “unlimited nachos” out loud gets me more excited than a home run in the bottom of the ninth.

But I know the Dodgers aren’t just about the hot dogs, or the peanuts, or the Cracker Jack. It’s the excitement of being a part of a 50-year tradition, and I’m sure once the game got started I would get swept away by the smell of the infield and the roar of the crowd. Now if I could just get one of those big foam fingers to wave around…

Any baseball fans out there? What’s your ideal ballpark day that doesn’t involve your couch and a big plasma screen?