There’s something quite magical about retracing the footsteps of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, and with famous filming locations dotted around everywhere in Los Angeles, this is pretty easy to do! The difficult part however is knowing just where to find them as some are far less obvious than others. To save you spending too much time hunting the more obscure ones down, we thought we’d list some of our favourites for you!
Rodeo Drive
Perhaps one of the most famous locations in L.A., Beverly Hills has featured in many iconic movies over the years. It’s famous landmarks and luxurious hotels, shops and restaurants have been the home to such films as Pretty Woman, Beverly Hills Cop, Clueless and Sex and the City: The Movie , to name only a few.
Thanks to Julia Roberts and that very well-known shopping scene in Pretty Woman, Rodeo Drive is one of the top tourist hot spots of Los Angeles. Many of us dream of going there and embarking on a similar splurging spree as shown in the film. However, for the most of us, window shopping the likes of Chanel and Gucci will just have to do!
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
No Strings Attached, okay so it’s not going to go down as a classic movie by any means. In fact, I’d imagine that not many people have even heard of it. Luckily this article is not about great films though, it is about awesome L.A. filming locations, and this is definitely one of them, even if it has only been used for this film.
The amazing Urban Light installation, which consists of 202 always lit, vintage, L.A. streetlamps, sits at the front of the LACMA and is the most iconic scene in No Strings Attached where the two main love interests play amongst the light poles. The museum itself holds over 150,000 works from ancient arts to contemporary pieces and is well worth a visit if you are looking for something a bit different to do whilst in Los Angeles.
Griffith Observatory
This famous Los Angeles tourist attraction has been used as the filming location in a vast number of films over the years, however it was the classic James Dean movie, Rebel Without a Cause, that really put this building in the spotlight amongst tourists. Although the observatory is home to many exhibits, it is the building itself that attracts the most attention due to its many Hollywood appearances.
From the 2007 blockbuster Transformers, to the original The Terminator and all the way to Walt Disney’s The Rocketeer, it’s no wonder that so many make the journey to see this world famous building, and with the fantastic sights of L.A. surrounding the observatory it really is well worth the visit.
The Bradbury Building
Another popular hot spot for filming in L.A. is The Bradbury Building. We first saw this building on our screens dressed up as a Burmese hotel in the 1943 film China Girl. Since then The Bradbury has been transformed into a London military hospital in White Cliffs of Dover, a movie studio in The Artist and more recently a chocolate factory in an advert for Twix!
Despite its many appearances on our screens over the past 70 decades, it is the 1982 movie Blade Runner where most of us will recognise the building from. The film uses The Bradbury as the Toymaker’s house, which is difficult to believe when looking at the building from the outside. It’s exterior doesn’t exactly scream Hollywood, however once you enter and see its high glass ceilings and numerous balconies it becomes apparent just why this building is so appealing amongst filmmakers.
Angelino Heights
Potentially the most obscure on this list, but hey, who said obscure couldn’t be fun? And in this case a little creepy. This Los Angeles neighbourhood lined with 19th-century Victorian houses has been featured in several TV shows, films and adverts. However, it is one of the most famous music videos of all time that this neighbourhood, also called the Haunted House District of L.A., is most well-known for. Have you guessed it? It’s Michael Jackson’s Thriller!
The neighbourhood was only used at the end of the video where Ola Ray is seen running into an old house to escape the zombies. Although the house is now unrecognisable it is a place of musical history. There is even an Angelino Heights Walking Tour which falls on the first Saturday of each month for those hardcore MJ fans.
The Vasquez Rocks
Just outside of Los Angeles live a strange yet very notorious set of rock formations. Created by an earthquake around 25 million years ago these rocks have become the most filmed in the whole of L.A., especially in the world of Sci-Fi. TV shows such as Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica were some of the first to feature The Vasquez Rocks, but it is Star Trek that this rock truly belongs to.
The Enterprise space ship landed on the rock back in 1967 and was then used several times throughout the series. Since then it has starred in Austin Powers, Little Miss Sunshine and even Pixar’s Cars. Although it is still a popular filming location, the park is open to the public for the majority of the year – Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park.
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Image © Prayitno
Perhaps one of the most luxurious hotels in L.A., The Millennium Biltmore has been a favourite amongst celebrities for nearly a century. Not only is it a first choice for celebrities, but also for filmmakers which is evident from the hotels long list of filming credits. Some of the best known films being Chinatown, Ghostbusters, The Bodyguard, Bridesmaids and The Dark Knight Rises. Check them all out via this link – Filming List.
As well as being a popular spot for many Hollywood films, the hotel was also the chosen venue for the early editions of the Academy Award Ceremony for the Oscars. With so much film history surrounding it, this is a definite must-see for any movie fanatics out there!
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