Los Angeles Attractions

Farmers Market - In July 1934, two entrepreneurs envisioned a European-style open-air market where farmers would sell their produce to local housewives. The idea was an instant success: farmers agreed to pay the 50¢ daily parking fee; in exchange, they got to display their wares on the tailgates of their trucks. Soon after the marketplace opened, Blanche Magee, a local restaurateur, drove by and saw a crowd of customers. The next day she returned with a hamper full of sandwiches and soft drinks, which she sold to the farmers and customers. Magee's Kitchen and Deli became the Farmers Market's first restaurant. It's still here today, along with more than 110 stalls and 20 restaurants. Close to CBS Television Studios, the market is a major hub for stars and stargazers, tourists and locals. 6333 W. 3rd St., at Fairfax, PHONE: 323/933-9211

Griffith Park - Like Central Park in Manhattan, Griffith Park is Los Angeles's great escape. On any pleasant weekend, joggers, cyclists, and walkers throng its roadways, and golfers play its four municipal courses come rain or shine.

Hollywood Walk of Fame - All along this mile-long stretch of Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk, entertainment legends' names are embossed in brass, each at the center of a pink star embedded in dark-gray terrazzo. The first eight stars were unveiled in 1960 at the northwest corner of Highland Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard: Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence, and Joanne Woodward (some of these names have stood the test of time better than others; many stars memorialize people who worked in a technical field). Since then, more than 2,000 others have been immortalized, though that honor doesn't come cheap--upon selection by a special committee, the personality in question (or more likely his or her movie studio or record company) pays about $15,000 for the privilege.

La Brea Tar Pitts - About 40,000 years ago, deposits of oil rose to the Earth's surface, collected in shallow pools, and coagulated into sticky asphalt. In the early 20th century, geologists discovered that the sticky goo contained the largest collection of Pleistocene, or Ice Age, fossils ever found at one location: more than 600 species of birds, mammals, plants, reptiles, and insects. More than 100 tons of fossil bones have been removed in excavations over the last seven decades.

Mulholland Drive - The dividing line between the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles proper is one of the most famous thoroughfares in this vast metropolis. Driving the length of the hilltop road is slow and can be treacherous, but the rewards are sensational views of valley and city on each side and expensive homes along the way. From Hollywood reach Mulholland via Outpost Drive off Franklin Avenue or Cahuenga Boulevard West via Highland Avenue north.

Rodeo Drive - No longer an exclusive shopping street where a well-heeled clientele shops for $200 pairs of socks wrapped in gold leaf, Rodeo Drive remains one of Southern California's bona fide tourist attractions. Just as if they were at Disneyland or in Hollywood, tourists clad in T-shirts and shorts wander along this tony avenue, window shopping at Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Armani, Hermès, Harry Winston, and Lladro.

Santa Monica Pier - Eateries, souvenir shops, a psychic adviser, arcades, and Pacific Park are all part of this truncated pier at the foot of Colorado Boulevard below Palisades Park. The pier's trademark 46-horse carousel, built in 1922, has appeared in many films, including the Sting. Free concerts are held on the pier during the summer. Colorado Ave. and the ocean,

Union Station - This building is familiar to moviegoers the world over. It was built in 1939 in a Spanish Mission style that subtly combines Streamline Moderne and Moorish design elements. The waiting room alone is worth a look, its majestic scale so evocative of movies past that you'll half expect to see Carole Lombard or Barbara Stanwyck step off a train and sashay through. 800 N. Alameda St.

Universal Studios Hollywood - Though you won't see much to do with real filmmaking, visiting this theme park is an enlightening--and at times sensational--introduction to the principles of special effects. Seated aboard a comfortable tram (narrated, hour-long tours traverse the 420-acre complex all day long), you can experience the parting of the Red Sea, an avalanche, and a flood; meet a 30-ft-tall version of King Kong; live through an encounter with a runaway train; be attacked by the ravenous killer shark of Jaws fame; endure a confrontation by aliens armed with death rays; and survive a simulation of an earthquake that measured 8.3 on the Richter scale--complete with collapsing earth. Terminator 2-3D, based on the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, mixes 3-D with virtual reality and live action. Jurassic Park--The Ride is a tour through a jungle full of dinosaurs with an 84-ft water drop. Throughout the park, costumed characters mingle with guests and pose for photos. CityWalk includes a slew of shops, restaurants, and cinemas. 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, PHONE: 818/508-9600

Venice Boardwalk - "Boardwalk" may be something of a misnomer--we're really talking paved walkway--but this L.A. must-see, also known as Ocean Front Walk, delivers year-round action:

Warner Bros. Studios - The engaging two-hour peek at this working studio involves some walking, so dress comfortably. Somewhat technically oriented and centered more on the actual workings of filmmaking than the tours at Universal, the ones here vary from day to day to take advantage of goings-on at the lot. Most tours take in the back-lot sets, the prop-construction department, and the sound complex. A museum chronicles the studio's film and animation history. Reservations are required.