Arclight Cinemas

How great can a movie theatre be? You'll regret even asking this question once you start watching a movie in one of the Arclight Theaters. First of all there is reserved seating, which means you don't have to rush to the salon once the previous audience leave. (Which is an odd thing at the first place. I'm Turkish and not a single theatre in Turkey has the first-come, first-served seating.) The seats are so comfortable and you almost never have a problem seeing the screen (Trust me, I'm 5'3") and the screen is just amazing. Clear, vibrant colors which makes you feel like you are actually in the scene. Other plusses: No late seating (I hate when people do that), no advertisements (I'm an ad geek so nothing huge for me) and free membership option (which offers you $1 off every ticket). Although it is pricey (adults: $15 3D: $18.50), it is a great place to enjoy yourself.

P.S. If you go to Arclight Hollywood, 80% chance you'll run into a celebrity.

Hollywood & Highland Center

Hollywood & Highland Center is a nice mall in the heart of Hollywood. It is right in the middle of the touristic spots like Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre (which also has the famous celebrity handprints, footprints and autographs in it's forecourt). The best place to park is it's own parking lot which is $2 for up to two hours (up to four hours if you validate it in the movies or the theatre), $1 for every 15 minutes after two hours and $10 maximum with validation.

Before doing the touristy stuff, find Cirque Du Soleil IRIS' ticket booth and buy tickets for this great show. It would be better if you buy it before, online. After you walk around with the huge crowd to see the Walk of Fame and but your hands and feet on top of your favorite celebrity's hand and footprints you can grab a bite at California Pizza Kitchen and get a delicious beverage at D-lush. If you like to play with some make-up and perfume go to Sephora, which is not an unusual place but the aim is to feel good right? Well it's the place for it. After you spend a bit more time here and there, go to IRIS and have a great time!

P.S. IRIS is at the Dolby Theatre (formerly known as Kodak Theatre) which is also the home of the Academy Awards ceremonies. Very cool, I know.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios is the perfect playground for adults. After you park your car in the parking structure (which is $15 for general parking, $20 for 'totally unnecessary' preferred parking) you enter the Universal CityWalk which has lots of shops, restaurants and an AMC Movie Theater. I prefer walking around the CityWalk after visiting Universal Studios because it is more entertaining at night.

Universal Studios has a couple of ticket options. If you will be staying in Los Angeles for quite some time, get the   "buy a day get the whole year free" ticket. If it's not available wait, it will be in a very short time. =) If you're visiting for a couple of days and it's not a holiday or summer, waiting in line won't be a problem. But if it's a holiday or summer, and you have just one day to visit Universal go with the "front of line" pass, totally worth it. Don't miss The Simpsons Ride, King Kong 360 3D, Shrek 4D and WaterWorld. WaterWorld is a show and you can only watch it twice in one day, so check the times before you rush into anything else. Also be prepared to get wet. The rides Jurassic Park and Revenge of the Mummy are also worth to go for. Revenge of the Mummy is a dark ride, so if you have nyctophobia avoid it! When you get hungry you can postpone it with Popcornopolis' popcorns and eat better food in CityWalk. But if you can't bear it Pink's Hot Dogs is a good choice too. On the CityWalk Buca Di Beppo is a nice place to eat and Bubba Gump is always fun. Don't forget to grab a bag of candy from IT'SUGAR and popcorn (cheddar cheese flavored is highly recommended!) from Popcornopolis (if you haven't already inside Universal Studios).

By the way this is mostly how you are during The Simpsons Ride. See, not scary. =)

PS: Don't go to Universal Studios with flip flops. So easy to lose one of them, if not two.

Rodeo Drive

Rodeo Drive is probably the top place in LA to feel spoiled. Even if you can't afford to shop in most of the high-end stores, just being surrounded by luxury gives you a movie star feeling. Wear your high heels, big sunglasses. Grab a bite or just a coffee at Il Pastaio while you sit outside and become a part of this glamorous setting. You can get a cupcake from Sprinkles, which is not my favorite (will tell you my favorite later), but so popular that it's good to have an opinion about it. If you have a car definitely drive around and see the beautiful, unique houses which will make you feel like you're in a beautiful museum.

PS: Parking is not a problem like most of the places in LA. You can either park in the neighborhood, the streets with those beautiful houses (1 or 2 hours free parking and some meters $1 an hour) or public parking lots (mostly first 2 hours free but can go crazy after that) in the Rodeo Drive.